Friday, June 17
First Toll Road
We left New Stanton outside Pittsburgh around 10 am and headed toward Dillsburg in Eastern Pennsylvania along the Pennsylvania Turnpike. This was our first toll road of the trip and I was glad that I had obtained an EZ-Pass for the trip.
It was a beautiful day, and we had a very nice drive. We climbed and fell over 2000 feet as we drove through the Allegheny Mountains, but the grade was never very steep. We drove through four tunnels, and at the end of every tunnel, we were blinded by the sun at the very moment there was a sharp turn to follow the road. Near the crest of the mountains, we got some good wind gusts that kept Lisa alert. A couple of miles from the campground, some unexpected construction blocked our route, so Lisa had to take a detour with some sharp turns to get us to our final destination.
Walmar Manor Campground
Our campsite was behind a mobile home park called Walmar Manor in Dillsburg, between Harrisburg and Gettysburg. When we arrived at the office, they had our registration information posted on the door and a phone number to call. Our site was a long gravel site in the corner of an area that was strictly for travel trailers. There was no shade, and it was not very level, so we had to use our leveling blocks. The campground was clean, and though there were many seasonal campers and some very old trailers, we did not see any messy sites.
Haines Shoe House
After setting up the camper, we took off to see the Haines Shoe House, located about an hour away and down some very hilly roads.
The Haines Shoe House is a shoe-shaped house built by shoe salesman Mahlon Haines in 1948 as a form of advertisement near the Lincoln Highway. The house is 25 feet tall and contains five rooms. Haines never lived in the shoe, and it was rented out to elderly couples and newlyweds. A living room is located at the toe, the kitchen at the heel, and two bedrooms at the ankle. An ice cream shop is now located in the instep.
We bought tickets at the ice cream shop to tour the house. They gave us a brief speech about the house, and then we were released to walk inside the shoe alone. It was a lot bigger inside than I would have guessed. It was fully furnished, and various artifacts and information about Haines were on the walls and shelves. They also had some of his collections, such as various Boy Scout awards. Outside the shoe, there was even a little shoe doghouse. It was all very cute.
Graybills’ Route 30 Diner & Dairy
It was about 4 pm when we left the Shoe House, so we decided to take the Lincoln Highway back to the camper and find a diner for dinner. We found a place called Graybills’ Route 30 Diner & Dairy on Google and headed that way. The diner was more of a small country restaurant than a 50s diner, though it did have a sit-down counter. Based on those we saw eating there, it was a favorite of the elderly crowd. I had the hot turkey and potatoes at the waitress’s suggestion, and Lisa got her chicken fingers. The food was good, and the atmosphere was charming. Though the word “dairy” had appealed to us when we chose the restaurant, we were too stuffed to get ice cream at the end of our meal.
Evening
We got home at about 8:30 pm.
Saturday, June 18
West Shore Farmers Market
We had passed several roadside advertisements for Farmer’s Markets the previous day, so we decided to visit one this morning. The largest one I could find was the West Shore Farmers Market near Harrisburg.
We left the camper around 8:15 and arrived at the market about 30 minutes later. It was located in a large warehouse, which was already quite busy. The first floor consisted of food vendors, and the second floor had permanent shops that sold crafts. We took about three laps through the market to admire all the various products for sale. Some stalls were serving breakfast, and they were packed. I bought expensive apples from an Amish vendor and an Apple Fritter from another. Lisa bought a large pretzel. We then walked through the second floor before heading out.
Paulus Farm Market
We then headed over to Paulus Farm Market. This ended up being a small farm market attached to a playland and a petting zoo with an admission fee. We did not want to pay to get into the playland area, so we only walked through the farmer’s market before heading back to the camper.
Dillsburg Farmers Market
On our way back, we found the Dillsburg Farmers Market still open in a historical site called Dill’s Tavern. It was a very small community market with about a dozen vendors. We walked through the stands and briefly talked with one vendor promoting his brewery, but we did not buy anything. The Lion’s Club was cooking some great breakfast sandwiches and sausages, but we were still too full from our pretzel and apple fritter.
Afterward, we walked through the open historical buildings. We met a man dressed in 18th-century clothing in the gift shop and talked with him about the buildings and the history of Dillsburg. One important takeaway was that there was no relationship between the city and dill pickles other than they drop one on New Year’s.
Turkey Hill Experience
We dropped off the apples and the uneaten half of my huge apple fritter at the camper and then headed to the Turkey Hill Experience, about an hour away. We had to go online to buy tickets for a specific arrival time, and we arrived about 15 minutes late, so we were a little stressed. I had underestimated the time it would take to get here, and the winding roads and having to follow a slow travel trailer for a brief time did not help me make up time. But we were able to check in without a problem.
The Turkey Hill Experience is a visitor center for Turkey Hill that makes iced tea and ice cream products. There is an admission fee, but retired military members receive complimentary admission. They even gave me a little lapel pin.
Though the exhibits were made for children, there was still fun stuff for adults. Lisa and I milked a mechanical cow that squirted milk (actually water). We designed our flavor of ice cream and then the packaging for it on a computer terminal. We played several silly video games, took Lisa’s photo while she sat in an old milk truck, stood in a simulation of a cold refrigeration room, and made a commercial in a green room. There were lots of displays on the walls about the production and sales of their products. Two highlights were the free iced tea stand and the free ice cream stand. The ice cream stand only had eight flavors, but Lisa and I went up there twice anyway.
Hunsecker Covered Bridge
After leaving the Turkey Hill Experience, we headed to Strasburg, where we had tickets to ride a train. Along the way, we stopped off at the Hunsecker Covered Bridge. The bridge spans the Conestoga River and is 180 feet long, making it the longest single-span covered bridge in the county. We were able to drive across this restored 1843 bridge.
Strasburg Railroad
When we arrived at the Strasburg Railroad, it was very busy, and we were directed to an overflow parking lot in a field. We discovered that they had a special event featuring Thomas the Train Engine. We had to walk through the event area to get to the train station, where we saw all the fun activities and all the excited children.
The Strasburg Railroad is America’s oldest operating railroad. We had First Class tickets for a 45-minute roundtrip ride through Lancaster County in a Victorian Parlor Car. The train was an authentic steam locomotive. We were the last car for the first part of the trip and the first car during the return trip. Besides sitting in luxury, we had waitress service, so we each had a beer during the trip. Lisa had a Yuengling Lager, and I had a Hershey’s Chocolate Stout. Our short trip took us past several Amish Farms, and we saw them busy working in the fields. Often, they were using tractors, but we saw one older man using a plow pulled by a mule. We also passed a Farm Adventure park that was very busy. The train switched direction by moving the locomotive from one end of the train to the other, so since we were at the end, we could watch them connect the locomotive to us for the return trip. We were warned, though, that the locomotive spewed hot ash, so we needed to beware.
Three Mile Island
We decided to follow the Susquehanna River most of the way back to the camper. While driving along the river, we suddenly found ourselves next to the shutdown of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. Lisa and I grew up hearing about the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island and how much it affected everyone’s view of nuclear power, so it was surreal seeing it. Though the last reactor was shut down in 2019, it was still very imposing and frightening. The ivy-covered training center near our pullover just amplified how this part of our history was disappearing.
Low Allen Diner
We followed the Susquehanna River to Harrisburg and turned south toward the campground. Since we had passed a lot of 1950s diners in the area, we decided to eat at one we saw near our campground.
When we arrived at the Low Allen Diner in Camp Hill, PA, it was not as vintage as I had hoped. It ended up being more like a Denny’s Restaurant, but it had a large menu, and the food was good, so it hit the spot.
Evening
We were back at the camper around 8 pm.
Sunday, June 19
It was a beautiful, cool morning with the high expected to be in the 70s again. Unlike the day before, the skies were clear blue without a hint of rain. We took off from our camper a little earlier than usual because we had tickets to Hershey’s Chocolate World at 0900, which was about an hour away.
Hershey’s Chocolate World
Hershey’s Chocolate World is a large visitor center built to replace the Hershey chocolate plant tour. Inside this center was a large retail space, restaurants, and several chocolate-themed attractions. It brags that it has over three million visitors a year. We got there about 30 minutes before it opened and got a nice shady parking spot. We hung out in the truck for about 15 minutes before walking to get in line. I was glad we did because the line grew quite large before they opened.
4D Chocolate Movie
I bought us a combination ticket online that included most of the paid attractions. Our first attraction was the 4D Chocolate Movie that started shortly after it opened. It was a cute 30-minute show that started with us standing in a waiting room and watching a movie on a screen inside picture frames where Hershey, Kiss, and Reese told us about a mysterious theft problem they have in the factory. We were then let into the theater, where we watched a 4D movie that made our seats rumble and several times got squirted with water. The movie was cute but made for the very young. They gave us a candy bar at the end.
Retail Area
After the movie, we had about 30 minutes before our next attraction, so we walked around the retail area. It was huge! We saw many different candy types we had not seen anywhere else. We also saw many t-shirts and other merchandise with various Hershey’s candy labels. We were hooked and knew we would be back to walk through the store again.
HERSHEY’S Unwrapped
Our next event was a theatrical show where we learned the art and science of chocolate tasting. We were given a tin of various Hershey chocolate products and a team of energetic “tasteologists” walked us through the different types and tastes of chocolate. It was also aimed at the very young but was cute and funny.
Create Your Own Candy Bar
After leaving the show, we headed to the “Create Your Own Candy Bar” attraction. We were given a hairnet and an apron, and then we used a computer console to design a candy bar and wrapper. We had a choice of milk or dark chocolate, various fillings, and then whether we wanted sprinkles. We then watched a candy bar shell go down a conveyor, getting filled, covered with chocolate, sprinkled if selected, and then packaged. The process was very slow, but it was interesting. The staff said it was the busiest they had seen that year.
Hershey’s Chocolate Tour
We then rushed over to Hershey’s Chocolate Tour, which was the only free attraction there. There you sat in a car that took you through “the factory” to feel the warmth of roasting cocoa beans, smell rich milk chocolate, and watch thousands of candies twist and turn on conveyor belts. It was the best attraction by far. At the end of the ride, we were given another candy bar.
Lunch and Another Walk Through Retail Space
We needed a break, so we went back to our truck to put our candy away and enjoy lunch.
After lunch, we went back inside to walk again through the restaurants and retail store. In the restaurants, we enjoyed looking at pastries, the giant smooshed smores, and the giant “Stuff your Reese’s Cup.”
We enjoyed looking at all the unique candies, many of which were only available in this store. We saw many people spending hundreds of dollars on candy and other retail items. We bought some t-shirts, a thermos water bottle for Lisa, and some fun candy.
Hershey Trolley Works
Our paid activity was a historic trolley tour at 2:20 around the town of Hershey. We saw several historical sites in the town he created, including his birthplace, the original Hershey’s Chocolate factory, the famous Hershey’s KISSES streetlights, Highpoint Mansion, and Founders Hall at the Milton Hershey School.
Building Under Glass
After the trolley tour, we drove around the town to see some additional attractions. One was a 1732 log Presbyterian Session House that sits in a glass enclosure in the parking lot of the Derry Presbyterian Church. The outer glass building was built in 1929 by M.S. Hershey to preserve the historic structure.
Hershey Gravesite
We went up to the Hershey Cemetery to see the gravesite of M.S. Hershey. Also near the Hershey family plot were the graves of the students who have died in the Hershey Industrial School, including a recent one from a female student.
Gravity Hill
We decided to visit a gravity hill near Lewisberry on the way home. When we got there, we had to drive around for a short time to find a gap in the traffic so that we could stop and put our truck in neutral at the stop sign, but when we did, the truck appeared to roll uphill or backward. It was freaky even though we knew it was an illusion.
Evening
We went home around 6 pm and watched some documentaries on Gettysburg on YouTube to prepare us for the next day.
Monday, June 20
Utz Potato Chips
We headed down to Hannover to walk through the Utx Potato CHip factory. Hannover used to have several factory tours available pre-COVID, but this was the only one available to the public.
When we parked our truck in the visitor parking lot, we saw large semi-trucks unloading potatoes into the factory’s basement. We climbed some steps into a reception area where a few display cases were talking about the history of Utz and a receptionist. After we explored the displays, the receptionist guided us to a walkway that overlooked the factory floor, where we saw them making and packaging the potato chips from start to finish. There was an audio console for each section, though it was sometimes long-winded and a little hard to hear. Lots of flavors were being made and packaged simultaneously, so it was interesting seeing the operation. We were concerned about how hard they were pushing down on the chip bags as they packed them, but the receptionist later told us that they were warm and very pliable while they packed, so breakage was not a concern.
We were given a bag of chips at the end and talked with the receptionist about the manufacturing process, the other Utz products being made in nearby factories, the working conditions, the evolution of their logo, and various other things.
Gettysburg Heritage Center
Around 11:30, we headed to Gettysburg. The city had many tourist traps, bread and breakfasts, and restaurants everywhere. We both commented about how much fun it would be to stay there.
Our first stop was the Gettysburg Heritage Center, which told the story of Gettysburg from the viewpoint of the residents. They had many stereoscopic displays and movies where we had to wear 3-D glasses. One of the exhibits explains that much of the day’s photography was taken to be viewed in a stereoscopic viewer, which explains the 3D glasses. There were plenty of well-done displays and even a cellar where you experienced what it was like to be hiding as the battle commenced outside on the streets. In the end, we watched a film in a big theater with a large diorama with full-size mannequins on a battlefield. Surprisingly, the diorama is only illuminated for a short time during the film. Overall, it was a good stop.
Gettysburg Battlefield
We then drove around the battlefield using an audio app I had downloaded from the internet. The app directed us around the battlefield chronologically through the main three days of the battle. The battlefield was filled with hundreds of colossal monuments and other markers for each unit that fought in the battle. The audio tour did a pretty good job of helping us visualize the battles. We stopped frequently and walked around the various battlefield positions, and looked out at the fields before us. Seeing the distance and the terrain that the soldiers had to traverse under a hail of gunfire was surreal.
It took us several hours to drive around the battlefield, and unfortunately, we stopped at the National Park Visitor Center just as it closed. The crowds were still quite large around the center, so it was disappointing that they closed at 5 pm instead of dusk when the park closed.
Blue and Gray Bar & Grill
We then decided to eat at a nearby restaurant called the Blue and Grey Tavern. After finding a parking place about three blocks away, we waited at the bar for a short time for a table to open. It was $4 margarita night so we ordered some margaritas, which were excellent.
Their menu was themed after the Battle of Gettysburg. Lisa had the General Winfield Hancock hamburger (Union), and I got the General John Bell Hood hamburger (Confederate). Lisa’s burger came with Unity fires, mixed with regular and sweet potato fries. The hamburgers were very good.
Evening
We drove home, got some gas at 22 cents a gallon discount from GasBuddy, and settled in for the evening. We looked over our schedule for the next day and then watched a movie called “Amish Grace” about a school shooting that occurred at an Amish School in Lancaster County, PA. It was a somber but good movie.
Tuesday, June 21
We took off with the camper around 11 am and headed northeast.