Trip ideas while visiting Hershey in Pennsylvania
Hershey Gardens is a 23-acre botanical garden perched on a hilltop overlooking the town of Hershey, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a rose garden at the request of Milton S. Hershey in 1937, the gardens have since grown into one of central Pennsylvania’s most beloved horticultural attractions. What began as a small plot of roses requested by Milton Hershey’s wife Catherine has blossomed into a diverse botanical destination featuring themed gardens, rare trees, and seasonal displays that draw visitors from across the region. The gardens offer sweeping views of the Swartara Creek valley and the surrounding countryside, with carefully manicured landscapes that change dramatically from spring through autumn.
The origins of Hershey Gardens trace back to 1937 when Milton S. Hershey fulfilled a simple request from his wife Catherine, who wanted more roses in their lives. Hershey commissioned landscape architect Ralph E. Griswold to design a formal rose garden on a hilltop parcel near the Hotel Hershey. The garden opened that same year with 3,500 rose bushes and immediately attracted visitors from neighboring towns and states. Over the decades the gardens expanded well beyond roses. In 1969 a Japanese Garden was added, featuring traditional stone lanterns, a koi pond, and carefully pruned evergreens arranged according to Japanese aesthetic principles. The Butterfly House opened in 1998 as a seasonal exhibit housed in a glass atrium where hundreds of tropical butterflies from around the world flutter freely among nectar plants.
Visitors typically begin at the welcome pavilion where staff provide maps, bloom guides, and tips for navigating the 23-acre property. From there paved pathways lead downhill through the Seasonal Display Garden, where tulips erupt in April and May followed by a rotating sequence of annual flowers that peaks in midsummer. The Butterfly House is open seasonally from late May through mid-September and remains the single most popular attraction on the grounds, immersing visitors in a tropical environment where 400 to 500 butterflies representing species from Central America, South America, Africa, and Asia glide through warm, humid air. Photography enthusiasts find the Rose Garden especially rewarding during the June bloom peak when more than 3,500 rose bushes representing over 275 varieties burst with color and fragrance.
The Rose Garden spans the highest elevation of the property and features roses planted in symmetrical beds radiating from a central fountain. The collection includes hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras, climbing roses, and antique shrub roses representing centuries of rose breeding. Peak bloom typically occurs in early to mid-June, though many varieties continue blooming into October. The Japanese Garden sits in a sheltered hollow with a koi pond at its center, where stone paths curve past a traditional Japanese lantern, a small wooden bridge, and carefully shaped azaleas and Japanese maples that blaze with crimson foliage each October. Just outside the Butterfly House, the Butterfly Garden uses host and nectar plants to attract native Pennsylvania butterflies including monarchs, swallowtails, and painted ladies.
Walking the gardens is the primary activity, and the mile of paved pathways accommodates strollers, wheelchairs, and comfortable walking shoes alike. Benches placed at regular intervals invite visitors to pause, and several observation points along the hilltop edge offer panoramic views toward the Hershey smokestacks and the Blue Mountain ridgeline beyond. The gardens connect thematically and physically to other outdoor attractions in the Hershey area. The Hershey Trolley Works tour passes the gardens as it circles town, and the property sits within a short drive of Memorial Lake State Park and the Boyd Big Tree Preserve, where visitors can enjoy hiking or kayaking.
Beyond the core gardens, Hershey Gardens hosts several seasonal events that draw repeat visitors. Springtime in the Gardens in April celebrates the explosion of tulips, daffodils, and flowering trees with guided tours and children’s activities. Pumpkin Glow in October transforms the grounds after dark with hundreds of illuminated jack-o-lanterns carved by local artists, accompanied by live music and seasonal treats. The Hershey Horticulture Society holds regular workshops and lectures covering topics from rose care and pruning to native plant landscaping and container gardening. The gardens also offer a popular Rose Garden Party fundraising gala each summer, a ticketed evening event with cocktails and sunset tours of the roses in full bloom.
The gardens are open daily from April through December, with limited weekend hours during the winter months. Late May through early June brings the spectacular rose bloom and the opening of the Butterfly House, making this the most popular period to visit. April and early May deliver a different kind of beauty as thousands of tulips, daffodils, and flowering crabapple trees create waves of color across the hillside. September and October offer comfortable temperatures, smaller crowds, and the autumn transformation of the Japanese maples and ornamental grasses. Early morning visits on weekdays provide the quietest experience, while weekends and holiday periods attract the largest crowds.