Travel Time

By: Barbara Killmeyer

I know that June through August are the biggest travel months of the year, but September can be a wonderful time to take some time off for a vacation. There are so many places that are not so very far away and can be reached in a few hours driving time.  

I recently went on a girl’s getaway with a friend and we had such a good time. Our destination was Hershey PA and instead of taking the turnpike we decided on a more scenic trip so we traveled on Route 30 which took us through the mountains and through some smaller towns where we were able to stop for breakfast and lunch at small local restaurants where we found good service and good food.

Once we arrived in Hershey and checked into our room at the Springhill Suites we were set to see the sights, but first we needed to have dinner. We made the mistake of not asking for a recommendation but went on our own to a restaurant in another hotel that sounded like it would be good. The food was good, but the bill for the two of us, including one glass of wine each, was $90. It was a lesson well learned. From then on we asked for suggestions from local people or from the front desk at our hotel and we were rewarded by enjoying good food at reasonable prices.

We did two activities that were perfect for seniors and were really so much fun. The first thing we did was visit The Chocolate World. There is no admission fee for this and there is a free tour of the chocolate factory. This tour involves no walking since you are seated in a car and ride all through the tour. There is also no fee for this. It was fun and informative and at one point on the tour your picture is taken which you can purchase as a keepsake. There is also a very large area filled with all sorts of gift items if you want to take something home for yourself or someone else. The second fun thing we did was to take a 45 minute trolley ride through Hershey while two “conductors” give you information about the area and about Milton Hershey who started the Hershey Company. One of the “conductors”, the young man, was very funny and kept everyone laughing as he changed costumes and kept everyone laughing by portraying different characters. There were song sheets on every seat and we sang a lot of good old songs.

I’m sure there are many other places not too far from the Pittsburgh area where you can spend a few days relaxing and enjoying what the area has to offer. Sometimes a couple of days are all we need to relax and re-energize to get back into our routine.

Enjoy!