Laughing Lindsay

Travel Reviews, Giveaways, & More!

Where to Stay in Hershey, PA

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If you are planning a trip to visit Hersheypark and are wondering where to stay in Hershey, PA, allow me to recommend the two official Hershey resorts: The Hotel Hershey and Hershey Lodge!

Where to Stay in Hershey, PA

I previously posted a review of Hershey Lodge and I reviewed The Hotel Hershey. So, you should be familiar with those resorts. However, today I’m going to break down why I recommend staying at one of these resorts if you visit Hersheypark and when I prefer one over the other.

Stay at an Official Resort

A stay at an official Hershey resort entitles you to some pretty awesome perks! For starters, there’s a shuttle that will take you to the park and Hershey’s Chocolate World! Additionally, both places host chocolate bingo where you can win some tasty chocolate! I also love that you can meet your favorite candy characters in the lobby of these resorts from time to time! I don’t know of any other resorts that can provide that type of entertainment! Plus, your stay at an official Hershey resort includes tickets to the Hershey Gardens and Hershey Story museum!

Another thing I want to point out that isn’t necessarily a perk, but something to keep in mind. One morning of our trip that wasn’t a park day, we thought we would drive around town to find somewhere to eat breakfast. However, we didn’t find much. We ended up eating at The Circular at The Hotel Hershey and really enjoyed the meal. So, staying at an official resort guarantees that you will have easy access to tasty food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! If you stay elsewhere, you might have to hunt for your next meal, particularly breakfast.

How to Choose

If I’ve managed to convince you that you should stay at an official Hershey resort, then you may be wondering which place to try. I would suggest staying at the place that best fits your needs. For instance, Hershey Lodge tends to be a bit cheaper and more family-friendly. The Hotel Hershey is a fine place for adults only stays or someone wanting a nicer hotel experience. However, I don’t think you can go wrong with a stay at either resort!

So, how do you decide where to stay in Hershey, PA?

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando: Tips for Anxious Folks

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I tend to be what you might call an anxious person or easily spooked. However, I recently had a trip booked to Universal Orlando Resort during their annual Halloween Horror Nights event and decided to brave the event (along with my sixty-something year old mother). So, here are my tips if you are considering attending the event but are skittish and need some support.

Halloween Horror Nights for Anxious Folks

Halloween Horror Nights for Anxious Folks

Halloween Horror Nights, or HHN, is Universal Orlando (and technically Universal Hollywood’s) top tier scary fall event. They have some of the best themed haunted houses each year and really set the standard for what a scary event should look like. However, it’s supposed to be scary and because of that, it scares people (myself included) away. I’m here to say that the event is doable for anxious people and here’s how I did it.

  1. Arrive early. I believe it eased my anxiety knowing the park layout as well as scare zone locations prior to arriving to the park. I also recommend seeing the park in the daylight to acquaint yourself with the scare zones and theming ahead of time.
  2. Ease into it. I started with the front scare zone (Horrors of Halloween) and headed to get some food. The event has really been stepping up its game in the food department, so I knew which foods were must-gets for me and I got them immediately. I mean who doesn’t love starting an event with a pepperoni and cheese pizza skull and red velvet cake pop?! Then, I ate my goodies while taking in the nearest scare zone (Sweet Revenge). It was fun to watch the scare actors attempt to scare people and listen to the special effects being played. This was a nice way to ease into the scares.
  3. Watch a show. Next, after another scare zone or two, we watched a few shows. I will admit that the Halloween Nightmare Fuel Wildfire show has suggestive material and is not for everyone. However, I really enjoyed the music before and during the show. Plus, the show was really entertaining and not scary at all. I also watched Ghoulish, the waterway fountain show, which isn’t scary either. It was neat and kind of relaxing to view.
  4. Brace for darkness. The park takes on a more scary vibe once it gets dark. So, all of the research and prep comes in handy when you are running into massive crowds and thick fog in the park. Just don’t panic and keep walking. If you look scared, I think the actors are more likely to try to scare you. Just keep walking. Looking straight ahead seemed to help me. Meanwhile, they tried to scare my mom several times. Ha!
  5. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. The waits for the haunted houses were over an hour the night we went. So, we actually didn’t even attempt to visit any. I don’t regret it necessarily, but just know that the experience is what you make it. If you want to be scared, you certainly can be. If you just want to enjoy an adult evening at a theme park, you can do that as well.

So, there you have my tips for surviving Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando as an anxious person. Do you have any other tips? If you definitely can’t handle a few frights, might I recommend the much calmer and more family friendly SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween or even Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party?

SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween

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Back when I did the Dine with Orcas in February, I became a SeaWorld Orlando passholder. So, last week I made a return trip to attend the SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween event! It’s an all day event included in the price of admission on Saturdays and Sundays in September and select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in October until October 31, 2022. Continue reading to see what all there is to do at this event!

SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular

SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular

What makes the SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular event different from lots of other Halloween events is the fact that it’s included in regular park admission and it’s held during the day. So, that may make it more appealing to families. However, it can also make it more crowded and you can expect more upcharges to this event because it’s a “free” event. It also means you will have to deal with the high temperatures that a fall day in Orlando can bring.

Count von Count Spooktacular Breakfast

One fun way to begin your day is by attending the Count von Count Spooktacular breakfast! It’s an add-on event, priced at $34.99/adult and $18.99/child. However, annual pass discounts apply. My mom and I decided to book this breakfast since we needed to eat something and this seemed like a fun experience.

I will admit that the breakfast was a little confusing. You have to show your breakfast reservation to get through the park to the restaurant hosting the breakfast. Then, you will be seated at a table and shown the buffet. You can get as much as you want to eat! What wasn’t exactly clear in the registration is that this breakfast includes a meet and greet with several Sesame Street characters and a short two song dance routine from some characters at the very end. So, don’t leave until you see them dance and you get to meet Count von Count himself! Otherwise, you aren’t getting the full experience! Unfortunately, I saw a few families leave before the show and meeting Count von Count and I felt like they didn’t get their money’s worth.

I will say that the breakfast itself was pretty good. I enjoyed the French toast sticks, yogurt parfait, and biscuits with honey butter! They also had eggs, bacon, and sausage! It was easy to find something everyone enjoys.

It was really fun to meet the Sesame Street characters! Since it’s the SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween event, Elmo is dressed up in a skeleton costume! Super cute! Zoe also had a special dance costume on! I also absolutely adored meeting Oscar the Grouch in his trashcan! Then, you top that off by meeting Count von Count. So, if someone in your party is into Sesame Street characters, this meal is definitely worth it.

Trick or Treat Trail

What’s a Halloween event without some trick or treating? Now, this is technically another add-on for this event as you must purchase a special Halloween event bag for $3.99 (passholder discounts can be applied) in order to receive candy. However, the kids seemed to be having lots of fun. I will caution you that on the day I went, they were somewhat stingy with the candy. Meaning, they gave out 2 pieces to each person at a time. So, if you plan on returning home with a full bag of candy, it’s going to take some work!

I did like that they had signs posted stating which specific candy was being given out at each stand. That makes it easy to avoid a candy you dislike or to deal with allergies. Also, adults are also allowed to trick or treat, if you purchase the bags! I didn’t see any chocolate being given out here. This is more Smarties/Sweet Tarts types of candy.

Meet Characters

Another neat thing about SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween is the opportunity to meet unique characters! They have a Pumpkin Garden where you might even meet a Pumpkin Princess! You can also line up to meet pirates and mermaids! I thought it was a fun aquatic spin on Halloween! Lastly, you can see scarecrows at a DJ Dance Party!

I did want to note that I saw a booth for cookie decorating and crafts, but I never actually saw the booth open during our visit. I believe the cookie decorating kit costs extra, but the crafts are included. I’m not sure what either event offers since I didn’t see it going.

If you are considering a fall trip and want to experience some Halloween fun without the scares, then SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular might be for you.

Fall at Dollywood

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From September 20th until October 30, 2023, you can experience fall at Dollywood with their Harvest Festival and Great Pumpkin LumiNights! I have visited during this time of the year twice before and currently have plans to attend later this season! Here’s a look at what you can expect when you visit.

Fall at Dollywood

Fall at Dollywood

I recently told you all about my favorite things to do at Dollywood, no matter the time of the year. However, today, it’s all about fall! Fall at Dollywood is one of my favorite times to visit the park. You have the Harvest Festival to enjoy the during the day and Great Pumpkin LumiNights to view at night! I will go into more detail as to what that means below. Suffice it to say, Dollywood serves as the perfect backdrop for your autumn visit to the Great Smoky Mountains during the day and lights up at night for more fun!

Harvest Festival

Now technically a lot of the fake pumpkin decor is set up for the Great Pumpkin LumiNights. However, you can still view these amazing sights during the day. Plus, it ‘s fun to see things both during the day and then light up at night. Additionally, in recent years Dollywood has started to bring in huge real pumpkins to display. They lovingly refer to them as Colossal Pumpkins and make for great pictures since they really are as big as humans!

No festival is complete without food and entertainment. You can once again buy a tasting pass and experience several items from this year’s festival. Last year, I enjoyed their sweet corn hushpuppies with aioli and apple dumpling with ice cream. Both of those items have returned for 2022, so you can try them too. I also highly recommend checking out some live entertainment during your visit as they tend to rotate out groups from season to season.

Great Pumpkin LumiNights

Once the sun goes down, it’s fun to wander around the park again and see everything come to life! This is NOT a scary event, rather it’s a fun light-hearted event complete with lights. They have added a new section this year called Hoot Owl Hollow, which I am looking forward to seeing. It’s supposed to be a big owl surrounded by smaller ones, all made out of (fake) pumpkins! It really is amazing how many things they can make out of pumpkins! Don’t miss their pumpkin frogs!

Fall at Dollywood is filled with fun, day and night! I typically do a lap or two around the park during the day to enjoy all of the sights, sounds, and tastes of the Harvest Festival. Then, I usually take a mid-day break and return around sundown to do a final lap to experience Great Pumpkin LumiNights. So, what’s your favorite thing about fall at Dollywood?

If you are planning a trip to the park during a different season, here are my posts on those events:

What To Do in Fall in Gatlinburg, TN

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If you ever considered visiting the Great Smoky Mountains during the fall, here’s a great list of fun things to do in fall in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN! The Smokies are a great place to visit, particularly during the fall months as you can witness the seasons change in the mountains and lots of places fully embrace nature’s beauty with their own fall festivities!

Fall in Gatlinburg

Fall in Gatlinburg

Most of my list of favorite things to do in the Great Smoky Mountains during this time of the year are in Gatlinburg. However, I am including a bonus at the end, which is worth the drive to Pigeon Forge. Without further ado, here’s my list of things to experience when it’s fall in Gatlinburg, TN!

  1. Anakeesta – Like most of the places on this list, Anakeesta is a great place to visit no matter what time of the year it is. It has gorgeous views of the mountains all over the park. Plus, they have seasonal decor that changes on top of their neat mountain themes.
  1. Take a walk around downtown Gatlinburg – The town of Gatlinburg has different seasonal statues it puts out. During the fall months, you can see adorable pumpkin people all over town! It’s fun to just walk around and view them all. There are even several themed to the businesses they are located near.
  2. Ober Gatlinburg – Ober Gatlinburg has lots of different activities you can do, depending on the time of year that you visit. I highly recommend riding the chair lift up and taking in the view of Mt. Harrison! I also recommend experiencing OktOBERfest here with the live music and tasty German food!
  1. Gatlinburg SkyLift Park – Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to visit this place as of yet. However, I’m hoping to visit this fall to take in their view of the mountains, cross the SkyBridge, and walk the SkyTrail.
  2. Great Smoky Mountains National Park – I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the beautiful National Park here. It obviously has great views for experiencing fall in Gatlinburg and abundant hiking trails.

Bonus: Visit Dollywood in Pigeon Forge to experience their Harvest Festival and Great Pumpkin LumiNights! Fall at Dollywood is one of my favorite times to visit. In fact, I have a whole other post on it you can read by clicking that link.

So, what do you think of my list of things to do in fall in Gatlinburg? Did I miss anything?

If you are planning a trip to the area during a different time of the year, here are my other posts to help you plan: