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When most people think about theme park vacations, Orlando is usually the first destination that comes to mind. But if you’re a roller coaster enthusiast looking for an affordable road trip packed with thrills, Pennsylvania might be one of the best-kept secrets in the country.

Over Memorial Day weekend, my husband and I set out on a five-day Pennsylvania theme park road trip that included four amusement parks, multiple hotels, and over 1,000 miles of driving. Along the way, we visited Hersheypark, Dorney Park, Kennywood, and Knoebels while using a combination of travel rewards, season pass benefits, military discounts, and credit card perks to reduce our costs.

In this guide, I’ll share our complete itinerary, favorite rides, cost breakdown, and exactly how we used points and travel hacks to save money.

Our Pennsylvania Theme Park Road Trip Itinerary

Day 1: Travel Day and Marriott Free Night

After work on Thursday evening, we loaded up the car and started the drive toward Pennsylvania.

Instead of driving all the way to our first park, we stopped overnight at the Courtyard by Marriott Mahwah.

This stay cost us nothing out of pocket because we redeemed a Marriott Free Night Certificate.

If we had paid cash, the room would have cost approximately $185. Another option would have been redeeming about 27,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. The annual fee for this card is $95, which is still a steal for a free night and 17x points at Marriott. 

Starting the trip with a free hotel night immediately lowered our overall vacation costs.

Day 2: Dorney Park

The next morning, we headed to Dorney Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Dorney often gets overlooked in favor of larger parks, but coaster enthusiasts know it has an excellent collection of thrill rides.

Dorney Park Cost

One of the biggest money-saving wins of the trip came from our Six Flags Gold Pass.

Because Dorney Park is included with our pass, admission and parking were completely free.

Our Cost: $0

Retail Value: $120 for two tickets and another $20 for parking

Favorite Rides at Dorney Park

We arrived before opening and immediately started working our way through the major coasters.

Our favorites included:

• Iron Menace
• Talon
• Hydra
• Steel Force
• Possessed
• Thunderhawk

Iron Menace was the standout attraction. As Dorney’s newest roller coaster, it delivers excellent hang time and quickly became one of our favorite rides in the park.

Evening Preview at Hersheypark

After spending the day at Dorney Park, we drove approximately 75 minutes to Hershey.

One of the perks of our Hershey package was access to Hersheypark’s Preview Plan.

This allowed us to enter the park at 5 PM the evening before our official park day.

During our preview visit we rode:

• Candymonium
• Great Bear
• Fahrenheit
• Wildcat Revenge
• Lightening Racer – twice, once each side

Getting these rides completed the night before saved us valuable time the next day.

Day 3: Hersheypark

Hersheypark was the centerpiece of our entire trip.

The park has one of the strongest coaster lineups in the United States and has been on our bucket list for years.

Sweet Start Early Entry

We stayed at a Hershey owned hotel which meant our package included Sweet Start, which allowed us access to select rides before the park opened to general guests.

This helped us maximize our day and experience several popular attractions before crowds arrived.

Candimonium and the carousel are open to all guest but season pass holders and hotel guest can access the additional rides below until official park opening when all rides open.

Cocoa Cruiser

Comet

SooperDooperLooper

Skyrush

Twizzlers Twisted Gravity 

Favorite Rides at Hersheypark

Candymonium

Candymonium was smooth, fast, and packed with airtime.

Skyrush

Skyrush remains one of the most intense roller coasters we’ve ever ridden.

Great Bear

A fantastic inverted coaster that still holds up exceptionally well.

Storm Runner

The launch on Storm Runner is absolutely incredible.

Fahrenheit

The vertical lift hill is worth the ride alone.

Wildcat’s Revenge

Wildcat’s Revenge was easily one of the best roller coasters we experienced during the entire trip. This was my ultimate favorite. 

When Weather Changes Your Plans

Unfortunately, our Hersheypark day didn’t go exactly as planned.

Rain and weather interruptions significantly impacted operations throughout the day and closed the park 3 hours early.

While it was disappointing at the time, Hersheypark took great care of guests.

Because weather affected our visit, we received replacement admission tickets valid through January.

Those tickets are still sitting in our travel folder waiting for another Pennsylvania adventure.

ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park

Included in Hershey Park tickets you get access to the zoo which was nice since a lot of the park was closed for us due to weather. 

Our Hershey Package

We stayed at Hershey Inn and Suites and purchased a package that included park admission.

Cost: $1,038.96

Our tickets were $95 total and the rooms normally would have cost us $125 a night for the military discount and $175 without the military discount. Because it was memorial day the hotel cost significantly more. 

While this was the largest expense of the trip, it included accommodations, transportation to and from the park, parking, park admission, Sweet Start access, and Preview Plan benefits and tickets to the Hershey museum as well as the Hershey gardens. 

For coaster enthusiasts, the convenience was absolutely worth it.

If we chose to stay off site we would not have received sweet start and would have gotten in for preview for the last two hours instead of the last three hours.

Day 4: Kennywood

After checking out of Hershey Lodge, we drove west toward Pittsburgh for a day at Kennywood.

Kennywood is one of America’s classic amusement parks and offers a completely different experience than Hersheypark.

Kennywood Ticket Cost

Our Cost: $82.98

Retail Cost: $82.98

Why We Loved Kennywood

The park combines historic rides with modern thrills.

Our favorite attractions included:

• Phantom’s Revenge
• Racer
• Kangaroo

There is something special about walking through a park that has been entertaining families for generations.

An Unexpected Return to Hershey

After Kennywood, we made a spontaneous decision.

Instead of continuing to Knobles, we drove back toward Hershey.

Because weather had interrupted our Hersheypark day, we wanted another opportunity to experience the park.

We arrived in time to enjoy another evening preview session from 6 PM to 9 PM.

This turned out to be one of the best decisions of the trip.

Spark by Hilton Hershey Near The Park

After our evening at Hersheypark, we stayed at Spark by Hilton Hershey Near The Park.

The room rate was $118.

However, because I used my Hilton credit card, we received a $50 statement credit.

Our Cost: $68.93

Retail Cost: $118

Points Option: 40,000 Hilton Honors points

This is a perfect example of how small travel rewards can make a meaningful difference.

Day 5: Hershey Attractions and Knoebels

Since we already had gotten to experience the rides we missed during the preview from our replacement Hersheypark tickets we decided to save the tickets for another day as they are valid through January. We decided to spend the morning exploring other attractions in Hershey.

Hershey Story Museum

One of the benefits included with our stay was free admission to the Hershey Story Museum.

Learning about Milton Hershey and the town’s history added a completely different perspective to our visit.

Hershey Trolley Tour

We also purchased tickets for the famous trolley tour.

Cost: $56.90

The tour was both entertaining and educational and helped us better appreciate the history of Hershey. We got lots of history and chocolate samples on this 75 minute tour.

Chocolate World

No visit to Hershey is complete without a stop at Chocolate World.

The free chocolate ride remains one of the best family-friendly attractions in the area.

Knoebels

Our final amusement park stop was Knoebels.

For many theme park enthusiasts, Knoebels is considered one of the best parks in America.

After visiting, we completely understand why.

Military Appreciation Program

One of the highlights of the trip was taking advantage of Knoebels’ military appreciation program.

Each of us received a complimentary $40 book of ride tickets.

Our Cost: $0

Retail Value: $80

Why We Loved Knoebels

Knoebels offers:

• Free admission
• Free parking
• Affordable food
• Historic attractions
• Family atmosphere

It feels like stepping back into a simpler era of amusement parks.

We would love to visit again and utilize the camp ground and waterpark.

Be sure to secure all loose items in a zipper pocket or remove them and put them to the side. We lost some tickets on a ride because they flew out of my pocket. 

Trip Cost Breakdown

What We Actually Spent

Item	Cost
Marriott Mahwah	$0
Dorney Park	$0
Hershey Lodge & Tickets	$1,038.96
Kennywood Tickets	$82.98
Spark Hershey	$68.93
Knoebels	$0
Hershey Trolley Tour	$56.90
Total	$1,247.77

Retail Value of the Same Trip

Item	Retail Value
Marriott Mahwah	$185
Dorney Park Tickets	$120
Hershey Lodge & Tickets	$1,038.96
Kennywood Tickets	$82.98
Spark Hershey	$118
Knoebels Tickets	$80
Hershey Trolley Tour	$56.90
Total Retail Value	$1,680.84

Points Alternative

If you wanted to book portions of this trip entirely with points, you could have used:

• 27,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for Courtyard Mahwah
• 40,000 Hilton Honors points for Spark Hershey

Total: 67,000 hotel points

Was This Pennsylvania Theme Park Road Trip Worth It?

Absolutely.

Each park brought something different to the experience.

Dorney Park offered great thrills and excellent value.

Hersheypark delivered one of the best coaster collections in the country.

Kennywood provided classic amusement park charm.

Knoebels reminded us why family-owned parks remain so beloved.

Between travel rewards, military benefits, season pass perks, and credit card credits, we reduced our costs while still enjoying an unforgettable vacation.

The best part? We still have our replacement Hersheypark tickets waiting for another visit before January, making this trip an even better value than the numbers above suggest.

If you’re looking for a fun, affordable roller coaster road trip in the Northeast, Pennsylvania should absolutely be on your list.