Hershey-by-the-Sea

Preview Hersheypark's The Boardwalk water rides and 2007 Centennial celebration

One of the nation's oldest continuously operating amusement parks, Hershey, Pennsylvania's Hersheypark turns 100 in 2007. It will celebrate the milestone in a grand and clever style by introducing a new themed area, The Boardwalk. Going back to the future, the park will appropriate the look and feel of classic seaside amusement parks with new games of chance, 11 new food stands, and a bunch of new shops. Here's the clever part: Since landlocked Hershey is nowhere near the ocean, it will simulate the beach experience by trucking in tons of sand and offering an ambitious collection of water ride attractions.

Although Hersheypark isn't calling the new area a water park, it will be as full-featured as most water parks. The Boardwalk's new attractions will include:

• Bayside Pier
  The huge wave pool will accommodate lots of guests and will include a small slide and some water play elements. Recalling the seaside parks, one of Hersheypark's wooden coasters will serve as a dramatic backdrop for Bayside Pier.
• Waverider
  Speaking of waves, The Boardwalk will feature a double platform FlowRider surfing attraction. Two guests at a time will be able to surf the continuous waves using a body board. To learn more about FlowRiders, read my ride review of the surfing attractions at the Kalahari water park.
• East Coast Waterworks
  An enormous--in fact, the world's largest--interactive water play structure, Waterworks will include seven water slides, multiple tipping buckets, and dozens of sprayers and other water gizmos to get everybody soaked.
• Coastline Plunge
  The slide complex will offer two enclosed tube slides, a raft bowl ride, and a funnel ride. For more info about bowl rides, read my ride review of Dragon's Den at Splish Splash water park. To learn more about funnel rides, read my ride review of High Anxiety at Mountain Creek water park.
• Sandcastle Cove
  Designed for tots, the shallow, zero-depth entry pool will feature fountains and small slides.

In addition to The Boardwalk area, Hersheypark will be staging new shows, fireworks, contests, and other hoopla for its Centennial celebration.

Hersheypark and the town of Hershey have a fascinating history. Built from the ground up by chocolate industrialist Milton Hershey, his namesake town was the archetypal factory town. As devoted to his employees as he was to his famous chocolate bars and the profits they reaped, Hersheypark was originally a picnic and pleasure grounds for Hershey's factory workers and their families. When it opened in 1907, the park had a small lake for boating, swings and playground equipment, a grandstand for live music, and an athletic field. It wasn't until the 1920s, with the addition of a roller coaster and other rides, that Hersheypark began to take the form of an amusement park. To see archival photos of Hersheypark as well as renderings of The Boardwalk attractions, visit the Hersheypark 2007 Preview Photo Gallery.