You didn’t think I’d let the whole month of January go by without posting something BIG? Well, up until a few hours ago, I did. Work (you know, all the other writing I do) has been crazy-in-a-good-way this month.

But I can’t ignore the fact that the winter doldrums have set in, and so I want to offer a suggestion to anyone looking for a fun day trip or weekend getaway: Hershey, PA. True, the Hersheypark amusement park is still closed for the season, but there are other year-round attractions in town. My favorite of which is Chocolate World, home to the world’s largest selection of Herhsey’s products.

First, there are the attractions, like the Great American Chocolate Tour, a free ride with a free sample at the end. I can honestly say that I still have memories of this ride from a trip I took there as a five-year old. Hey, it’s the enduring power of chocolate. Of course, it’s been updated, and stars three singing mechanical dairy cows. That “Hershey’s Milk Chocolate” jingle will stick in your brain for days.

For a fee, you can also catch “Hershey’s Great Chocolate Factory Mystery,” a fun action adventure movie in the 4D theater, or the “Hershey’s Create Your Own Candy Bar” area, where you get to customize your own chocolate bar. (Hope you look better than me in a hair net.)

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Some updates on our Go BIG travels, news, and links to sites we like!

First order of business today…me begging for your vote!

I’m not ashamed to say that I nominated myself to be on Babble.com’s list of “Top Twitter Moms” under my Twitter handle, “GoBIG_GoHome.” I’m trying to get some publicity for the blog. Currently, I’m ranked around #65. 

If you are willing, could you please go to this page by clicking here to vote for me?  Search for me on page 2, listed as “GoBIG_GoHome.” If you click “Like,” my ranking will improve tremendously! THANKS!!!

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We’re very excited to be the FIRST guest bloggers on The Wanderlists!  This is a a great site dedicated to exploring the world with kids by your side. Check out our post here.

Our guest post for Trekaroo also came out this past week! We’re spreading the word about BIG family fun!

We were also hugely, largely, bigly (okay, not a word) flattered to be included on this list of fun family travel links on the Travels with Children blog.

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Last Thursday the kids were off from school, so we went into NYC for a day of fun in and around Times Square. Our agenda included Madame Tussauds’ wax museum (creepy), the new Pop-Tarts World (sugary), Bryant Park (lovely), the Hard Rock Cafe (yummy), Midtown Comics (super hero-y), and the Hershey’s Store (chocolately)! 

To our delight, we noticed a couple of “world’s largest” items in Hershey’s…

I’ve trained them to sniff out and locate the largest pieces of chocolate they can find. In this case, the “World’s Largest Hershey’s Bar,” five lbs. of choco-heaven. Good job, kids. Now put it back.

It’s the “World’s Largest” Hershey Kiss! Actually, it’s a huge, hollow Kiss containing a bunch of individually-wrapped Kisses inside it. Commence salivation.