Hershey Show

Wow I just checked Encore to see what sites were to the public at Thousand Trails and it came up $50. I had meant check the ad for the Hershey Show dry camping as I haven't entertained camping on the grounds for several years.

I don't believe you are going to see any better deals than you could negotiate on a normal sale. But you can learn from the dealers there how far they are willing to go to sell a particular model. I use shows like Hershey to settle on a floor plan and/or manufacturer. I wouldn't buy there because rarely do they have exactly what I want.

Pick out your next RV, select the options you want, and then send a RFQ to six or so dealers (including the one at the show) and see what you get. Often the best deal is someone you never thought of.

Bea PA wrote:
You can dry camp at the show for about $20 a night, see the show ad. We stay at the Hershey Thousand Trails( Lebanon PA) about 7 miles away.

It looks like they charge $35 with a tow car unless I read the ad wrong?

Show deals to me are a bit of a myth. In my experience any dealer will offer a “show” deal months later if they have the inventory. Frankly I’d rather carve a deal and order a unit than buying one that folks have tramped through for a week. Last year we went the last day and the wear and tear of a week of show flow was very noticeable, broken blinds, doors, bin doors and I can’t imagine how filthy it would be. A deal is a deal at a show or not.

Shows are a great place to look and touch just about any RV you are considering and gather information. Strike a deal, walk away and they will follow up a week later. Don’t trust “it’s today only”. Hogwash. They want to sell units, and if they don’t honor the deal, the dealer down the road will. Show prices are great don’t get me wrong, and if you find what you are looking for, can seal a deal you are happy with then go for it. But don’t think that price can’t be had after the show. It can.

How much better are the deals at the show than just a typical RV show?

You can dry camp at the show for about $20 a night, see the show ad. We stay at the Hershey Thousand Trails( Lebanon PA) about 7 miles away.

Great show!

If you're doing some serious shopping I'd said plan on two days. There are hundreds of RV's and the arena has tons of RV supply vendors inside.

We camped at Country Haven in New Holland since we were also going to be spending a few days roaming around Lancaster. Nice campground but it's 45 minutes from Hersey so I'm sure there are places to camp that are closer.

Hello there
We went a few years ago.Great show we ended up buying a new trailer there thought I got a good deal but who knows.There are so many trailers motor homes there I'm sure you will find one you like.We stayed in Lancaster mill stream campground real nice place.Takes about 45 minutes to Hershey .Hershey has it's own campground but that train that goes through there gets old quick.Have fun!
Pat

I can maybe answer a few of your questions.

This will be our fourth year attending and third time camping there. Best way to see the show is to stay over night either camping or the other way. If you are shopping you might even need more than one day, the show is that big. The weekend it's packed. If you can get there Thursday the crowd maybe a bit less.

Our first year, 2010, was at a hotel in Harrisburg. Second year, 2011, was with the coach with reservations at Hershey High Meadow CG just down the road. Problem was they were flooded the week prior and had to cancel ALL reservations. Ended up in the back end of Elizabethtown KOA. The site wasn't exactly to my liking but is was a week before the show. Last year we stayed at Gifford Pinchot SP which was great. This year we're going a bit further north Little Buffalo SP.

Last year and the first year we attempted to drive to the show on US 322 east out of Harrisburg. 10 mile long parking lot. Coming up out of Elizabethtown into the back side was pretty smooth. This year we're going to see how the traffic is coming in from the north. Note to self, go easy on the morning coffee. You can boondock at the show. Details can be found HERE.

Not sure about deals. The factory sales reps will be on site but you will be negotiating with a local (Mid-Atlantic) dealer. At least that was my impression.