Hershey Park

Are you a chocolate lover? Well, then at some point in your life, you must make a pilgrimage to Hershey, PA. You'll know as soon as you enter the town since the lightposts are all topped of with a gigantic Hershey's Kiss.

Inside the park, you'll find entertainment for people of all ages. Be sure though to buy your tickets elsewhere before you go though. Giant grocery stores have great deals on tickets ($41 plus free parking), but you can also get discount at various fast food restaurants and AAA.

For those that are thrill-seekers, there is no shortage of roller coasters here. My personal favorite is Storm Runner, which shoots you out like a gun, spinning you around and sending you through some loops. Some other roller coaster highlights are the Farenheit and Sidewinder.

For those that love water parks, there is a small section called the Boardwalk inside the park with various water rides and slides. Be sure you remember a change of clothes if you plan on coming to this portion of the park!

Connected to the park is also ZooAmerica, which is a small zoo, with it's highlight being a great bear.

Right outside of the park is Chocolate World, which is a chocolate lover's dream. There is a free ride in here that takes you through the whole process of the creation of Hershey's chocolate, and also offers a free sample after the ride. In addition, for an additional cost, there's the new "Create a Candy Bar" exhibit that will allow you to create your own candy!

Also, when you go on hot days (like we did...it hit over 100 degrees!), make sure you drink lots of water. You should also note that all places in the park with a fountain soda machine will give you a cup of water for free if you ask. This can save a good amount of money in the park instead of paying their inflated prices on various drinks.

Eastern State Penitentiary

Ever wondered what an old-school American prison was like? Take a tour of the Eastern State Penitentiary. This building opened in 1829 and was used until 1971. When it first opened, this prison was considered a revolutionary concept in justice. During the first several years of this building, prisoners always wore hoods to prevent them from being recognized by other prisoners, which allowed them to return to society in a more elegant way after their incarceration.

One of its most famous prisoners was Al Capone, who, due to his status and wealth, was afforded a pretty swanky cell.

The other cells, were not quite as picture-esque.

A self-guided tour is offered for this facility, but they also offer guided tours throughout the day with various topics for each one. Also, during October, they hold special Halloween tours called "Terror Behind The Walls".

One thing is for certain...you should be glad you were never a prisoner here!

Thomas Eakins House

The Thomas Eakins House is a brick townhouse where the artist Thomas Eakins lived for most of his life.  He was considered one of America's most renowned Realist painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Many of his paintings showcased various regions of Philadelphia.  The house today is home to the mural arts program in Philadelphia.

Being able to get a tour in here though requires a reservation, and their hours are very limited.  We decided just to view the house from the outside, but if you're interested in a tour, give a call to 215-685-0750.

Piazza At Schmidts

Located in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia is a recently built plaza called the Piazza at Schmidts.  Upon entering, the first thing you'll notice is the giant HDTV overlooking the plaza, which typically is showing various sporting events.  Lately, World Cup Soccer has been occupying most of the air-time, but you can usually catch most of the Philly sports games here.

Surrounding the plaza are various shops and restaurants.  We decided to give Darling's Diner a try and were quite impressed with the "breakfast" for dinner we ordered.  The plaza wasn't very crowded, which was disappointing since it is such a nice area.  Hopefully though, as time goes on and word spreads about this place, more people will come out.  They even offer a free parking lot right across the street!

For this summer, they also have one of the Philly Phanatic statues, so be sure to check it out before it's gone!