Last Updated on August 20, 2021 by Nabila
When visiting Hershey Park, it’s smart to inquire about parking before you get there. While their designated parking lot isn’t overly expensive, these fees definitely add up, especially if you’re visiting the park on multiple days. With a bit of research, you can easily find a parking tip or policy that saves you money. Keep reading to discover new tips and tricks for Hershey Park parking!
Where to Park at Hershey Park?
The easiest (and most expensive) parking option is their designated lots. How much is parking at Hershey Park? Regular parking costs $15, and season pass holders may park for free. Depending on the spot you get, it will take 5–10 minutes to walk to the entrance. There are trams available for far parking spots.
Hershey Park also has a helpful app you can download to remember where you parked.
Prices for Parking at Hershey World
FREE – Season Pass Holders
FREE – Vehicles with 15+ passengers
$15 – Regular Parking (No Season Pass)
$20 – Campers & Oversized Vehicles
$25 – Preferred Parking
Hershey Park Handicap Parking
Disabled Parking is available in all Hershey Park lots. There are also accessible trams for a convenient ride to the front gate.
Avoiding Parking Fees
Although the daily parking fee isn’t as expensive as parks like Disneyland or Disney World, there are a couple of ways you can save the cost and get free parking at Hershey Park.
Stay at a Hotel with Free Shuttle Service
If you plan to stay at a nearby hotel, try searching for a HersheyPark hotel that offers free shuttles to the park! These are able to drop you near the entrance, so you also get a shorter walk compared to parking in the designated lot. You can pick a HersheyPark hotel for the full experience, or a cheaper nearby hotel nearby that offers a shuttle service.
See the list below for a few examples:
- The Hershey Lodge
- Hotel Hershey
- Days Inn by Wyndham Hershey
- Springhill Suites by Marriott
Hershey Park Parking Coupons
Many locals purchase tickets at a local Giant grocery store to get discounted prices. Additionally, they sometimes have ticket deals that come with a free parking pass as well.
If you don’t already have your tickets, make sure to check a nearby Giant! It’s a great idea to have your tickets before you get to the park so you don’t have to wait in line to purchase them. You can go straight to the entrance gate if you’ve already purchased your tickets.
Park at Chocolate World
Chocolate World has separate parking closer to the entrance of Hershey Park, plus it’s free for the first 3 hours. After this, it gets expensive, so we don’t recommend parking here unless you plan to spend under 3 hours at the park.
Downtown HersheyPark Parking
There is a free parking deck in downtown Hershey near the post office. After parking here, you can walk down Ridge Road / Park Blvd to Chocolate World. This is slightly over 1 mile away, so it will take almost 30 minutes to walk there. There is a free shuttle that runs between the Hershey Story Museum and Chocolate World that you can try to catch to cut your walk down by 10 minutes. However, it’s only available on weekdays during museum operating hours.
If you choose this option, make sure to consider if you want to walk home for 20–30 minutes in the dark.
Additional Hershey Park Tips
Aside from parking, there are other Hershey Park tips we’d like to share that can save you money and time.
- Next-Day Admission Policy – Hershey Park allows you to enter the park the evening before (2.5 hours before closing) with a next day paid admission. Although you still have to pay for this parking, you’re able to reuse it the following day. This can give you extra time at the park and help you plan what you want to do the next day. It will also be helpful to download a Hershey Park map ahead of time for planning purposes.
- Purchase Tickets Ahead of Time – As we mentioned earlier, purchasing your tickets ahead of time can save you time at the park. You won’t have to wait in potentially long lines to purchase tickets.
- What can you bring into Hershey Park? The park doesn’t permit food or drinks inside the park except for a sealed water bottle (unless you have special dietary needs). All bags are subject to search by security. If you’re visiting the water park, make sure to bring your own towels as the park doesn’t provide them.
Bottom Line
Overall, Hershey Park parking isn’t too difficult or expensive. Although you can definitely find free parking nearby, their regular parking fee isn’t unreasonable, so it might just be easier to use their parking lots. We hope you have a great time at the park!