To go to Hersheypark, or not to go? That was the question facing my coworkers and I during the lead up to our Monday, August 19, 2024 trip to the park. Forecasts showed anywhere from steady rain , to severe storms scattered throughout the day. It looked like rain was going to be inevitable, but would it be enough to ruin the day? That was the question we faced.
Ultimately, some of decided to brave the projections and see what Mother Nature had in store. Others decided to stay home. To each their own. I totally understand why people wouldn’t want to chance the day being washed out. For those of us who decided to go, however, we ended up having a blast – both in and out of the rain.
Jen & I Made the Most of a Rainy Day
Although Jen is not one of my coworkers, she was along for the trip. She was 100 percent against canceling and was eager to get back to Hershey. All this was true even though she had just spent a couple of days at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW) with her family. There’s no doubt in my mind that she’s a full fledged enthusiast at this point. She even has LogRide installed on her phone. So yeah… Who does that other than an enthusiast?
All kidding aside, Jen and I did a few laps around the park, getting in two dozen rides. We didn’t ride every coaster, with some being closed temporarily when we passed (Lightning Racer), us not wanting to ride it (Jolly Rancher Remix), or us not wanting to wait in the line for it (Laff Trakk). The rides we did get, however, were amazing – even the ones we did in the rain.
Storm Runner
We lucked out when walking by Storm Runner. There was no one in line with two train operations. Score! We ran up and rode two times, once in the front and once in the back. Both rides were awesome and I noticed that the launch sequence is timed perfectly to the word “Go” on the launch track now. For the last couple of years it felt like there was always a delay between the word “Go” and the launch. Not anymore.
Jen and I did try to get in a third ride later in the day, but the ride was shut down with us being the next to ride. It wasn’t raining, but we guessed it would be any minute. Hersheypark tends to close Storm Runner, Candymonium, and Skyrush during rain, regardless of whether or not there is lightning. My guess is due to these three rides being the fastest in the park and the pain some may feel being hit by rain drops?
Skyrush
For the first time in a while I got to ride Skyrush in the front seat. We did this early in the day, while taking advantage of the Sweet Start bonus hour. The queue was much shorter than it generally is throughout the day. We said, “Why not?” We followed that up with a ride toward the back before making our way toward Fahrenheit at the conclusion of Sweet Start.
Later in the evening we made our way back to Skyrush for a back row ride. That was a walk on and of course I took the infamous wing seat. I think I’m starting to notice the difference in the restraints now with more and more rides. While it’s still very forceful, the side to side motions feel lacking.
We wanted to do a third ride immediately following our second, but our train stopped on the brake run as it entered the station. The train going up the lift was also stopped. We sat on the trains for about 10 minutes before things were resolved. Jen was glad we weren’t the ones stopped on the hill. I, of course, wished we were. No one was evacuated. It was just a normal stop and go. I just wonder if the train on the lift still had the same airtime yank going over the top? Has anyone ever been stopped on Skyrush’s lift hill and then resumed? I’m curious.
Wildcat's Revenge
One of the rides that didn’t shut down in the rain was Wildcat’s Revenge. We rode this on three different occasions throughout the day. We did a few rides each time we were in the area before ending our day there when the park closed.
Our final ride gave us 10 on the day, which is the third time Jen has left Hersheypark with 10 rides on this RMC Hybrid. We wanted to try for 11, but the queue was roped off with two minutes left before closing. We were right there at the exit too. Oh well!
Even with the rain falling, Wildcat’s Revenge ran great. We rode in the front, back, and everywhere in between. We rode with our eyes closed for the heck of it one of later rides, which was wild. With so many rides on the coaster, however, I knew what was coming.
During our final rides a few were timed just right for us to go over a train entering the lift hill. We were also the train on the lift hill being passed over a couple of times. I can’t recall that ever happening before. Perhaps the ride ops know exactly when to dispatch a train to make that happen? We did sit in the station for a few extra seconds after restraints were checked and the all clear had been given. I’m leaning toward that being the case as the ride ops seemed proud of something going on. I think it was them passing the trains over one another at the base of the lift. Anyone else had that experience before?
Final Ride Counts
Candymonium (3)
Coal Cracker (1)
Comet (1)
Fahrenheit (1)
Great Bear (1)
Mix’d (1)
Music Express (1)
Skyrush (3)
SooperDooperLooper (1)
Storm Runner (2)
Wild Mouse (2)
Wildcat’s Revenge (10)
Zoo America (1)
Another Day Full of Rides, But Also Some Relaxation
Even scoring as many rides as we did, the four spells of rain we faced also gave us some time to relax. We enjoyed ice cream from Milton’s during the first storm – the same one where we got soaked making our way to the front of the park. On the third spat of rain, we made our way to the zoo. Rides were still going throughout the park, but we were close to the ZooAmerica entrance and decided to do something a little bit different than the norm.
We also squeezed in some time for Chocolate World afterward. We were ready to go home and get some rest, but not until we visited the nearby Arooga’s. We were starving and wanted something good to eat. Over the last couple of years, Arooga’s has become our go to place to eat after we leave the park. Be sure to stop by give them a try next time your in Hershey.
Hersheypark Photo Gallery - August 19, 2024
If you would like to use any of the images in the gallery above for your commercial and/or non-commercial projects, feel free to do so. I ask that you credit We Were Inverted whenever they’re used. I also ask that you do not alter the image or remove the watermarks. If you need any images/video resized or without the watermarks, please contact me directly.
CREW MANIFEST
The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:
Patrick
CAG
New Credit(s): n/a
Jen
Lieutenant
New Credit(s): n/a
