Harrisburg (Visited in 2021) – Located on Susquehanna river, Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. The capitol building is in my opinion the grandest of all capitols in United States and a “Palace of Art”. The building was designed by architect Joseph Miller Huston in 1902 and completed in 1906 with decorative Renaissance themes throughout. We took a 1-hour guided tour of the capitol after which we spent another hour admiring the outside and inside of this gorgeous building on our own.
The Capitols centerpiece is the spectacular 272-foot tall, 52 pound dome inspired by Michelangelo’s design of St. Peters Basilica in Rome. The sculpture at the top is a female figure representing Pennsylvania and is a gilded bronze statue.
Rotunda – The dome interior is just breathtaking.
Many of the rotunda’s design features were borrowed from the Paris Opera House including the Grand Staircase and the 3-tiered gallery. The floor of the rotunda is covered by Moravian tiles. It is interspersed with tile mosaics illustrating the states history, animals, industries, occupation, and modes of transport.
The Senate – 50 senators meet in a room that incorporates French Renaissance design.
House of Representative – 203 members meet in the room which incorporates Italian renaissance design.
Harrisburg riverfront park – The riverfront park is 4 miles long and follows the Susquehanna river. The park is full of sculptures, monuments, a sunken garden, and a floral and rock peace garden. The Walnut Street Bridge, also known as the People’s bridge spans the Susquehanna river.
Hersheypark (Visited in 2012) – Hersheypark is a chocolate-themed park offering rides and entertainment about fifteen miles east of Harrisburg. The park was founded in 1906 as a leisure park for the employees of the Hershey Chocolate Company. There is also a beautiful Hershey Gardens nearby where you can relax and walk around enjoying the many varieties of flowers and colorful butterflies.
You can visit the Hershey Chocolate World which has a large candy store. You can also take a free, 30-minute tour that takes visitors from cocoa beans to wrapped candy bars. The tour includes roasting cocoa beans, smelling milk chocolate, and seeing conveyor belts with candies.
Overlooking the town of Hershey, Hershey Gardens opened in 1937 with Milton Hershey’s request to “create a nice garden of roses.” More than 85 years later, the small rose garden has blossomed into 23 acres of botanical beauty providing visitors with unique experiences and enriching opportunities.
There’s also 75-minute Trolley tour around Hershey that you can enjoy. The ride takes you through the town of Hershey and all the historical sites that Milton Hershey created, from his birthplace and the original HERSHEY’S Chocolate factory to the famous HERSHEY’S KISSES streetlights and his historic home, Highpoint Mansion. And during your ride, sample the flavors that made Mr. Hershey famous too!
Another building you will pass by on this tour is the Milton Hershey School Catherine Hall located on Pat’s Hill. The building is named in honor of Catherine Hershey and features prominent portraits of Catherine and Milton Hershey in the building’s auditorium. Originally constructed in 1934 as a junior-senior high school for grades six through twelve, the building has undergone a number of renovations and name changes over the years before being completely modernized and refurbished in 2007.
