I think it's the law that you must take a side trip to Hershey if you are forced to be in Lancaster for two and a half days. I mean, Lancaster is fine and there's stuff (shopping and ... that's just about it) to do, but HERSHEY. THE CHOCOLATE MOTHERSHIP. IT'S RIGHT THERE.
We left the dance competiton on Sunday as if our shoes were on fire. I even managed to convince Alexis that she would be okay if she wasn't there for the last set of awards because skipping them gave us a five-hour head start on the next chapter of our lives.
She agreed that the Chocolate Chapter was more important than the Another Giant Trophy Chapter.
So the girls and I ran over to Hershey real quick then made a couple of important decisions. 1. Lunch was at Primanti's. That was the moment I learned that not all Primanti's use the same bread and SHENANIGANS. I CALL SHENANIGANS. I'm going to need to go to a legit Primanti's soon because my life is incomplete now that I've had that sandwich with the wrong bread.
It was disappointing.
The 2nd decision we made was to run through the Hershey's World of Chocolate. We really didn't have much time, but there's a free tour there and a giant store, and that seemed like enough to make a few hours super fun.
And then I saw it.
The opportunity to make our own chocolate bars.
HUZZAH!
I have some thoughts about the whole experience. Mostly it's worth it because you do get to leave with a giant chocolate bar. You don't reallllllly get to make your own, though, since you're picking from a very limited menu of options. You pick a couple of filling, whether or not you want sprinkles, and design your packaging. "Making" it is a bit of a stretch since it's a conveyer belt and automated process. Also, it's stupid expensive. Like, super stupid expensive.
Still, it's pretty cool. Just ask Mila.
Mila is going to be talking about how cool it was to make her own chocolate bar for the rest of her life. She loved every second of the experience, especially the seconds that involved eating. And the best part?
Mila says the name of the place we went to is "World of Happiness."
Indeed, Mila. The place where they make the chocolate is the "World of Happiness."