TheBurg

28 | theburg | 06.16 i t's a town famous for children and chocolate. So, I asked myself, "What would a grown-up do for an entire weekend in Hershey?" en I set to find out. e answer, as it turned out, was "a lot." Over the course of two days, I packed in a brewery tour, a wine tasting and a massage. I visited an antique car museum and outlet stores. e weekend did not lack for kiddies and candy. Both were everywhere. But there's much more to a visit to the town that Milton Hershey built than accompanying screaming teens on rollercoasters or drooling over candy bars at Chocolate World. trANquIL StAte I began my adult-only weekend on a relaxing note—a massage at e Hotel Hershey. ese spa services do not come cheap, but they include access to a fitness center, a quiet room and an aromatherapy room. In fact, when I checked in, I was told, "Feel free to enjoy the spa for as long as you like. We're open until 8 p.m. tonight." If you insist! I turned my hour-long massage into a three-hour indulgence, starting with a leisurely backstroke in the hotel pool under skylights I used to mark my distance to the wall. I de-stressed further with 15 minutes in the whirlpool. Only then did I make my way to my appointment, already relaxed instead of my usual— rushing from my car and arriving in a nick of time. When the treatment was over, I floated in a Zen, post-massage state to the quiet room overlooking the hotel's back gardens, joining others wearing butter- yellow robes just like mine. I served myself peppermint tea and a chocolate chip muffin before sinking my tranquil self into a chair and picking up my Kindle to read a book. Nothing disrupted the peace. Not the people whispering to each other, not the sound of trail mix dropping into little plastic cups—and certainly not the chirping birds outside. My next move was a rookie mistake. Realizing I had about an hour before meeting friends at the CrossWinds Winery, I decided to squeeze in a quick visit to the Tanger Outlets off Hershey Park Drive. at revved me right back up as I scrambled to try on clothes and then, realizing I was running late, bolted out. Luckily, a tasting of five wines for $5 had a calming effect. As I slowed down again, sipping Rieslings, a Chambourcin and more, owner Linda Jansen happened in, chatting with the winery's staff and visitors. Jansen and her husband Ed have been winery owners for about a year, she said, and the experience has "been awesome." e couple actually began growing grapes for others more than two decades ago but never expected to open a winery. "ings just kind of fell into place," she said. It was a delight sampling the fruits of their labor, while listening to Jansen tell the story of how they happened on a house just outside Hershey that became their tasting room, allowing them to go from grape vendors to wine-sellers. AutoS & ALeS Our mellow winery visit served as a cocktail hour before dinner at e Mill, a four-level establishment in a red-brick building dating to 1880 that used to be a grain warehouse. If I didn't notice the building's convenient location next to railroad tracks when we parked, I was reminded soon enough when a train sped by out back while we were dining. First, I saw it out the window. en I noticed the overhead lamps flicker momentarily. It was an intriguing reminder of the importance of a century- old mill having a good location to receive and send goods. I was just as happy to have the 21st-century conveniences of a car and dinner made to order, and I soon turned back to relishing my English fish pie and, after that, the gooey ice-cream-on-waffle concoction that the three of us shared. e next day brought more grown-up adventures. My friends and I met up in the morning at the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum for a two-hour stroll through car, bus and motorcycle history. e museum houses vehicles both familiar and exotic—from the bus seen in the 1994 movie "Forrest Gump" to an enormous 1968 Chevy Bel Air Stageway station wagon to a crashed-up Volkswagen Beetle sporting a big "53" on the front that had starred in the "e Love Bug" in 1968 and the 1974 sequel "Herbie Rides Again." Part of the museum's permanent collection is the Cammack Tucker Gallery, home to cars and parts from the Tucker, a car many people learned about from a 1988 movie called, "Tucker: e Man and His Dream." A 5-year-old boy with a special connection to the brand was visiting, accompanied by his mother and uncle. "e little boy right here is named for the Tucker car," said Tasha Mangin, his mother. "His dad's obsessed with it and his grandfather was, too. So we came to see it." She pointed out the special feature of the Tucker— its three headlights. From the museum, we took a short drive to Tröeg's Independent Brewing. I'd made reservations for a 2:30 p.m. brewery tour a couple of weeks earlier. With room for only 10 people per group, the tours fill quickly. e tasting room has a beer-hall feel and sports several long, shared tables in its large space. We managed to find a place to sit during the busy Sunday lunch hour by hovering near a family with young children who were finishing up at a table for four. e mother did her best to clean up spilled Cheerios, straw papers and other debris before departing apologetically. Cheerful brewery staff came along quickly with a broom and cloths and finished off the rest. Children at a brewery? Yep, plenty of them. Tröeg's welcomes children, even provides a kid's menu. Being adults, we chose from a list of very grown-up entrees like mushroom and parsnip tart and cast iron chicken and pheasant pie. no kids? no CHoColaTe? no ProBleM! What's a grown-up to do in Hershey? bY eLLeN PerLMAN CrossWinds Winery

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