Berks Connect
GardensHershey, Harrisburg and Lebanon

Hershey Gardens

Hershey, PA · 1 hour 13 minutes from Reading · Under $20 a person

hersheygardens.org|Day trips from Berks County
Hershey Gardens

Plan the day

Drive1 hour 13 minutes from Reading, 52 miles1 hour 41 minutes from Boyertown · 59 minutes from Hamburg · 1 hour 6 minutes from Morgantown
Where170 Hotel Road, Hershey, PAOpen in maps →
OpenOpen daily year round; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, open 9 to 3 on Christmas Eve, closed January 4 to 8 for maintenance9 a.m. to 5 p.m. most of the year; 9 to 6 from May 29 to September 6; 9 to 4 in February and most of January. Last entry to the Butterfly Atrium is 15 minutes before closing.
AdmissionRegular (ages 13 to 61) $17.50, seniors 62 and up $16.50, juniors 3 to 12 $13.50, ages 2 and under free; tickets good any time, no timed entry (as posted October 2026)
Good forlittle kids, big kids, adults, couples, older adults

Hershey Gardens is a 23-acre botanical garden in Hershey, PA, across from The Hotel Hershey. It opened in 1937 and includes a rose garden, theme gardens, a Children's Garden and an indoor Butterfly Atrium.

The Butterfly Atrium inside the Milton & Catherine Hershey Conservatory is tropical and indoors, which makes this a garden you can visit in January. Outside are 3,000 roses in 115 varieties, theme gardens and a Children's Garden. Tickets are good any time during open hours with no timed entry, so it pairs easily with the rest of Hershey.

Before you go

Free onsite parking. Tickets may be bought online or on arrival and are good any time in normal hours, no timed entry. A combo pass with The Hershey Story is sold in person only, not online. Some outdoor areas may close in icy winter weather.

Coming up

Pumpkin Palooza runs October 17, 18, 24 and 25, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with hand-painted pumpkins on display and trick-or-treat candy stations.

Official site →Tickets →

Checked October 8, 2026 on the official site. Hours, prices and seasons change, so confirm there before a long drive.

More gardens worth the drive

Morris Arboretum & Gardens
GardensPhiladelphia and Camden

Morris Arboretum & Gardens

Philadelphia, PA · 1 hour 7 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Morris Arboretum & Gardens is a 92-acre public garden in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, PA, open daily year-round with seasonal exhibitions.

Nemours Estate
GardensNorthern Delaware

Nemours Estate

Wilmington, DE · 1 hour 16 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Nemours Estate is the 77-room mansion, chauffeur's garage and 200 acres of French-inspired formal gardens built for Alfred I. duPont in Wilmington, DE.

See every one of the gardens on the list →