Hershey area questions (Lancaster, Harrisburg, Gettysburg: travel, medical, home)

[WakeEmUp]

My husband and I took a trip to PA, Hershey area. We really liked it and we are considering moving! Very beautiful landscapes. I have a few questions for anyone familiar with the area.

1) How often do you find yourself going to Harrisburg for shopping/ activities etc...?

2) Is there an area of "cool" shops, off the beaten path?

3) How far does the bike path go? We could see it wrapping around the medical center but couldn't see where they went?

4) Is there a really nice movie theater somewhere?

5) Are there enough activities in and around Hershey or do you find that you are traveling to DC/Baltimore/NYC often for activities?

6) Does traffic get crazy? (We are in the DC metro area now, so I know it has to be better than that! but I don't want to be road raging for an hour and a half/ 10 mile commute!)

Thank you for any information you can give! We really enjoyed the area but didn't have the time to really explore Hershey and Harrisburg.

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by WakeEmUp

My husband and I took a trip to PA, Hershey area. We really liked it and we are considering moving! Very beautiful landscapes. I have a few questions for anyone familiar with the area.

1) How often do you find yourself going to Harrisburg for shopping/ activities etc...?

2) Is there an area of "cool" shops, off the beaten path?

3) How far does the bike path go? We could see it wrapping around the medical center but couldn't see where they went?

4) Is there a really nice movie theater somewhere?

5) Are there enough activities in and around Hershey or do you find that you are traveling to DC/Baltimore/NYC often for activities?

6) Does traffic get crazy? (We are in the DC metro area now, so I know it has to be better than that! but I don't want to be road raging for an hour and a half/ 10 mile commute!)

Thank you for any information you can give! We really enjoyed the area but didn't have the time to really explore Hershey and Harrisburg.

I don't live in Hershey but have spent plenty of time there so I'll try to answer some of your questions.

1) Hershey has a decent amount of its own shopping. Several grocery stores, a K-Mart, Staples and pretty much everything you want for your daily life. The Hershey outlets are also right there and have a good selection of mainstream and even some upscale retail stores. Mall shopping is done in Harrisburg.

2)An area of cool shops? I wish. Downtown Hummelstown (a few minutes away) has a few nick-nacky type stores. Downtown Harrisburg has some upscale independent retail shops in the Third and Market area.

3) I don't know about the bike path, but there are a ton of recreational opportunities. Check out the Capital Area Greenbelt, which is a walking/biking trail that circles the city of Harrisburg and runs part of the way along the lovely Susquehanna River.

4) Hershey has the Cocoaplex cinema which is decent and clean but very small. The Harrisburg Mall has the Great Escape movie theater which just opened up last Fall and is said to be the best movie theater in the state right now. It's a really nice place about 15 minutes from Hershey.

5) I travel to Philly/Balt/DC every few weeks just to go out clubbing and bar-hopping and because I love visiting other cities, but there's plenty to do around here. Harrisburg has its own bar/club and restaurant scene that rivals cities more than twice as large. There's also museums, Gettysburg and Lancaster nearby.

6) Traffic around Hershey is notorious for getting backed up before and after concerts at the Giant center and around 10PM when Hersheypark closes every night. It's a fact of life you will have to deal with. But otherwise the traffic in this area is nothing compared to larger cities. It's quite easy to get around with a car (which for better or worse is the reason that regional rail has yet to catch on).

[WakeEmUp]

Thanks for the quick reply! I'll have to check out the bike trail and the awesome movie theater on the next visit. The area seems really nice. I look forward to finding out more about Harrisburg...and the club scene! Any retro 80s nights?? That, of course, is the most important question to ask when moving to a new area

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by WakeEmUp

Thanks for the quick reply! I'll have to check out the bike trail and the awesome movie theater on the next visit. The area seems really nice. I look forward to finding out more about Harrisburg...and the club scene! Any retro 80s nights?? That, of course, is the most important question to ask when moving to a new area

Here's a couple links for you then:
Capital Area Greenbelt Association Home Page
.: Great Escape Theatres :.

lol about the 80's nights.....don't know about that, but I do know Dragonfly nightclub downtown has a 90's night (that's more my decade) on Wednesday.

[WakeEmUp]

Thanks for the links. The bike trail looks massive.

Okay, okay so 80s is just cool. You've got to love The Cure and Depeche Mode Plus, it's usually a good crowd. (but I will actually know the words and probably dances to the 90s songs)