Went to see an event here last night with my partner. A few disclosures:

• Coming from over 2 hours away
• Last minute trip
• I did read all policies sent to me in an email beforehand
• I am a physically disabled person, my disability affects my legs/walking but I am able to use stairs with a railing/support if needed

I am a huge fan of Hersheytown, PA usually. The theme park and other areas I have been to my whole life have always been really pleasant and mostly accommodating. I’ve even thought about living here someday because of my love of the town itself and theme parks in general.

All that said, I probably will not make it back to the Hershey Theatre any time soon- at least not without extensive planning.

Pros:

• Parking was very easy. Plenty of handicap spots available
• The historic building is incredibly beautiful and well kept. Really enjoyed the inside of the theatre.
• Fairly easy to queue outside, line moves fairly quickly when doors open -the show we came to see was fun

Cons:

• my partner was stopped from going inside / had to go back to put his fanny pack in the car, and then go back to the line because the bag was barely over the stupid block they use to measure the 5 by 8 bag policy. And because his was deemed too big, I went with him too because I knew my crossbody was not going to cut it either. I did read the email, I did see the warnings but we both thought that our bags were small enough. Those “extra” edges are unusable space anyway! I understand security is extremely important these days, but I think they are way too strict, especially when they also make you take everything out of your bag anyway and walk through a metal detector. I’m not saying a huge bag should be allowed, but average/small fanny packs or crossbodys should be allowed these days. I have never had a problem at any other venue I have gone to with my crossbody. You can however bring a clear bag of any size 🙄 so I guess that’s what I have to do next time. I just hated being inconvenienced and again having a disability and standing in line a longer time once we stuffed our pockets was ridiculous.

• Once we finally got inside, I had to use the bathroom, and was happy to see the handicapped accessible one, BUT it was not stocked with toilet paper!!!

• As a person with a disability, I asked about an elevator and was coldly told there was none and I had to use the stairs to get to my seat in the balcony. Luckily again, I can use stairs ( with railings) and my partner was there to help, but if I was a wheelchair user or just someone who could not do stairs, getting last minute tickets I would be out of luck. I understand it is an historic building- i was told by another usher there that they have spots for wheelchair users on the first floor, but you have to buy an accessible ticket online. The way ticketmaster is these days it’s extremely hard for you to grab accessible tickets without acting quickly when tickets go on sale. Maybe you could call ahead if you have needs, but of course me going last minute I didn’t do that. Again, I’m lucky I could do stairs but I’m just thinking about others disability needs. The venue definitely needs to have stronger disability plans in place if they can’t change the historic building. (Which I personally believe is a dumb rule/law that is discriminatory because elevators / changing for accessibility should be a thing everywhere. It will not affect the beauty of the building) Also, the upper balcony did not have railings to get to your seat- either put railings in or hire ushers that are willing to help)

• Overall the staff was cold, unwelcoming and treated me like a waste of space.

I do recommend visiting Hershey and Hersheypark, but unless you are able bodied, super prepared for the rules or like being treated like a second rate citizen, avoid this Hershey Theatre venue.