Healthy Dining at Hershey Park

Can you find nutritious food at an amusement park? Check out the many healthy dining options I discovered at Hershey Park!

Healthy Dining at Hershey Park

Disclosure: I was provided with (4) 1-day admission tickets to Hershey Park to explore their healthy dining options. I was not paid to write this post and all opinions are my own.

Healthy Dining at Hershey Park is pretty easy with many protein and fiber-rich choices including a dedicated gluten-free, nut-free food stand for allergy-friendly eats.

When you think about traditional amusement park food, what comes to your mind? For me, it’s pizza, fries, burgers, chicken nuggets, ice cream and funnel cake. I usually dread eating at these locales due to the usual lack of anything green or healthy. Fortunately, on a recent visit, I discovered several options for healthy dining at Hershey Park.
Can you find nutritious food at an amusement park? (#ad) Check out the many healthy dining options I discovered at @Hersheypark including #glutenfree #nutfree and #allergenfriendly menus. Share on X

Last week, we sent our eldest off to college for the first time, and instead of just twiddling thumbs at home waiting for the big day to come, we decided to take a quick family trip to Hershey Park. My kids LOVE roller coasters and this park is known to house some pretty amazing ones.

Skyrush at Hershey Park

As a dietitian, I cannot help studying all the dining options available at every amusement park. I feel like I’m on a treasure hunt to find healthy choices for both meals and snacks. I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of both allergen-friendly, gluten-free and produce rich menu items Hershey Park has to offer.

Due to time constraints, we only sat down for one full meal in the park and we chose the Gourmet Grille because of its variety of cuisines for the whole family. Luckily, none of us have dietary restrictions so that didn’t play into our decision making. They offer a few leafy green salads, a quinoa salad and a broccoli salad. I chose a burrito bowl loaded with lettuce, chicken, beans, small amounts of rice, corn and cheese all topped with salsa. It fit the bill for my protein and fiber preferences with produce to top it off. The Gourmet Grille also offers gluten-free quesadillas and pizzas. I was also impressed that their chicken parmesan sub was made with grilled chicken vs the traditional fried variety. Little victories.

Gourmet Grille – Healthy Dining at Hershey Park

Chicken Burrito Bowl at Hershey Park

Along the way, I spied several ads for unsweetened applesauce cups, fruit cups and fruit smoothies. I even found one of my favorites- a frozen banana dipped in dark chocolate with nuts.

Healthy Dining at Hershey Park

Healthy Dining at Hershey Park

Technology is your friend!

Hershey Park has a fabulous app that lists all the dining options based on the proximity to you in feet and even includes a real-time walking map to get you to the destination. You can quickly check menu items with all the ingredients included in the app to avoid trekking to a destination that doesn’t have what you want or need.

Hershey Park Dining App

If anyone in your family has food allergies, The Outpost is a dedicated gluten-free and nut-free stand with all declared allergens clearly marked on the menu board.

Allergy friendly food at Hershey Park

Near the front of the park is a Kosher Mart to serve the park guests who prefer Kosher food. If we had time, my choice would have been to try their falafel and hummus or the quinoa edamame salad. Beans and whole grains get two thumbs up from me.

Other notable items throughout the park are:

Overlook Food Court: offers gluten-free options such as black bean burgers, quinoa bowls, rice noodle bowls, pizza, chicken tenders and rolls/flatbreads.
Also on the healthier side are a vegetarian quinoa and hummus wrap or an unfried buffalo chicken wrap.
Gyro.GRK features a vegetarian beyond burger gyro which sounds delicious.

For an old standby, Subway is one of my go-to fast food meals for their lean proteins, whole grain breads and the multitude of veggies available to load up your sandwich. There are 3 locations throughout the park.

Don’t forget your treat! I mean, you’ve likely walked many miles throughout the day.

Of course, when at Hershey Park, a little chocolate is in order. My indulgence was an easy choice because my childhood favorite was soft serve vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate shell. It did not disappoint! My other must-have is a chocolate dipped apple. No guilt here, choose what you enjoy and really savor it. (The apple came home with me for later)

Vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate- Hershey Park

Chocolate Dipped Apple at Hershey’s Chocolate World

What’s your favorite amusement park food? Please share!!