5 Travel Gems Near America’s Largest RV Show in Hershey

There are RV shows, and then there’s Hershey. Officially known as America’s Largest RV Show, this annual gathering turns the Giant Center grounds into a small RV nation made up of fifth wheels, toy haulers, travel trailers, motorhomes, travel gadgets, regular gadgets, cooking knives (have you ever been to an RV show without them?), awnings, and people debating whether they really need an outdoor kitchen. 

Spoiler alert: They probably do. 

 The 2026 show runs September 16–20 with nearly 1,500 rigs from 40 manufacturers and a first look at the 2027 models. For shoppers, owners, and anyone who enjoys seeing how many cupholders fit inside a Class C, Hershey is a very big deal. I’ve been to Hershey, and the town is all the way committed to their chocolatey theme. Streetlights wear Kiss-shaped caps. On most days you can literally smell the chocolate in the air. So don’t let your visit be all rigs with no roaming. These five nearby gems put the chef’s chocolatey kiss on a proper Pennsylvania getaway. 

1. Slow Down at Hershey Gardens 

Distance from the show: A few minutes 

Best for: A quiet morning or post-show reset 

Plan on: Two to three hours 

 If you’ve seen enough rigs to make every floor plan blend into one beige blur, Hershey Gardens is a visual reset, with 23 acres of flowers, trees, and breathing room overlooking town. The gardens were founded in 1937 with Milton Hershey’s request for a nice garden of roses. That patch is now 3,000 roses across 115 varieties, plus theme gardens and a hands-on Children’s Garden. The indoor, tropical Butterfly Atrium makes this an especially good call if September turns soggy. The Atrium is open daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

What Makes It Great: Close, quiet calm, and zero discussion of gross vehicle weight ratings. 

 2. Meet Your Rig’s Ancestors at the AACA Museum

Distance from the show: A hop, skip, and a jump 

Best for: Anyone curious how we got from bus to bunkhouse 

Plan on: Two to three hours 

 If you just can’t get enough travel vehicles, drive a few minutes down the road and see where the whole idea started. The AACA Museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate covers cars, trucks, motorcycles, and buses. It has 3 levels, and for RVers, the lower level is the draw: a bus collection with more coaches parked outside, some of them over a hundred years old. 

Stand in front of one and the RV family resemblance shows up fast. Long body, high floor, storage bays underneath, everything organized down one center aisle. Class A owners will recognize the bones. Open daily, 9 to 5 p.m. Admission runs $18 for adults, $15 for seniors 61 and up, and $10 for kids 4 to 12. The building’s fully wheelchair accessible, and it closes occasionally for private events, so check before you drive over. 

What Makes It Great: The one stop in Hershey where you can look at your rig’s big-wheeled-great-grandfather.

3. Go Underground at Indian Echo Caverns

Distance from the show: About 15 minutes 

Best for: Families, rainy days, and hot afternoons 

Plan on: Around two hours 

 In Hummelstown, three miles west of Hershey off Route 322, Indian Echo Caverns at Echo Dell delivers a different kind of Pennsylvania scenery — mostly the kind underneath Pennsylvania. Tours run about 45 minutes, closer to an hour door to door. It’s a steady 52 degrees down there, so bring a sweatshirt even if the surface says shorts and sandals. Skip the sandals, too — they recommend sneakers, boots, or anything that covers your toes. 

Show week falls after Labor Day, which puts the caverns on their shorter schedule: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., last tour at 4. Stairs and narrow passageways mean no wheelchairs and no strollers. Above ground: free picnic areas, a playground, gem mining, and a petting barnyard. Parking is free. Pets can ride along if you carry them the whole way; no leashes — worth knowing if your co-pilot has four legs. 

What Makes It Great: Close enough for a half-day, cool in every sense of the word, and pleasantly free of sales reps asking whether you’re ready to buy today. 

 4. Tour the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg

Distance from the show: About 20 minutes 

Best for: Architecture, history, and an inexpensive outing 

Plan on: Half a day 

 Harrisburg gets treated like the exit you pass on the way somewhere else — that’s a mistake. The Pennsylvania State Capitol is a National Historic Landmark in the American Renaissance style, crowned by a 272-foot dome inspired by Michelangelo’s design for St. Peter’s Basilica. Inside: stained glass, murals, ornate chambers, and enough gold to make the fanciest class A look tastefully restrained. 

Guided tours run around 45 minutes and cap at 40 guests, so book ahead if you’re booking around show schedule. Walk-ins get in when there’s space for ya. One catch for show week: self-guided tours aren’t permitted on weekends or holidays, so a Saturday or Sunday visit means scheduling the guided tour or nothing. 

Leave the rig at the campsite and take the tow vehicle. Downtown streets and parking garages are much happier when you’re not navigating your 35 feet of home-on-wheels. 

What Makes It Great: Serious architectural drama without consuming an entire day — or your entire travel budget. 

 5. Give Gettysburg the Full, Respectful Day It Deserves

Distance from the show: Roughly one hour 

Best for: History-minded travelers and first-time Pennsylvania visitors 

Plan on: A full day 

Gettysburg National Military Park is far more than just a place to drive by. It’s one of the most consequential landscapes in American history, and it warrants more than a hurried selfie between show sessions. Start at the Museum and Visitor Center. The battlefield itself is free, while the museum, film, and Cyclorama painting require admission. There’s a self-guided auto tour, or you can explore with a licensed battlefield guide. 

Leave time to hop out of your vehicle, because Little Round Top, Devil’s Den, the High Water Mark, and the National Cemetery make more sense with the sights, sounds, and smells of the ground itself. Little Round Top reopened in 2024 after a two-year rehab project that changed the parking setup, so check current guidance first. 

Take the tow vehicle here, too. Roads are narrow and this is one day when you’ll be happy to be nimble. 

What Makes It Great: Genuine historical weight on a trip otherwise measured in slide-outs, solar capacity, and countertop space. 

Make the Most of Your Hershey RV Show Trip 

 The Hershey Show is delicious, to say the least. It’s one of the best shows in the country. But if you have room in the itinerary, the gardens, buses, caverns, and battlefields are the reason the trip becomes something bigger. And if the whole drive smells faintly of chocolate, consider that your reward for making the drive.