Hershey

Only three hours away from New York City and two hours from Philadelphia, the small central Pennsylvania town of Hershey offers golf and outlet shopping, but the reason to visit is for the chocolate. The self-proclaimed "Sweetest Place on Earth" is where Milton S. Hershey built his chocolate empire during the Great Depression, and it's where his factory employees and their families lived. Today, Hershey draws in families with its top attraction, the 110-acre Hersheypark theme park. While the factory has since moved just outside of town, you can still fill your cocoa craving at Hershey's Chocolate World for a trolley tour through the chocolate-making process. You get a silver-wrapped Kiss at the end, but visit the store to load up on the real treats.