Food is acceptable, even good, but certainly not gourmet; about $20 per person for lunch. You're really paying for atmosphere and entertainment. Home of Broadway's singing waiters. They'll take an order, deliver lunch or dinner to your table, recommend a dessert, and between it all hoist a microphone and belt out a song karaoke-style for assembled patrons. Photographs are allowed, even encouraged.

Hershey's Chocolate World, a large building on the west side of the HersheyPark amusement complex in Hershey PA, presents a fun and somewhat free activity for visitors. It's worth budgeting 1 to 3 hours to take it in.

Chocolate World actually consists of five components. Best-known is Hershey's Great American Chocolate Tour, a free, enclosed, Disney-like ride through a simulated factory that explains how Hershey chocolate products are manufactured.

For those unfamiliar with how chocolate is made, the tour is entertaining and worthwhile.

It begins as visitors walk up a curving ramp. A video, presented on high-definition screens that line the ramp walls, explains the conditions under which cocoa beans are grown and harvested. The ramp serves as a form of crowd and line control. At its end are ride cars constructed of molded fiberglass.

Once inside the cars, a automated audio presentation takes over. The cars move slowly over a pre-set path, traveling past simulations and models showing how the beans are prepared, how cocoa products are blended with other ingredients, and how various Hershey products are then manufactured. The ride is geared toward youngsters; along the way they meet singing dairy cows, talking Hershey-branded treats, lighted and blinking factory controls, and a bull that's a photographer. Look up toward the ceiling the ride's end, and smile! Each car is digitally photographed, and occupants can buy prints (without obligation) as they exit into the Marketplace. Don't forget your complimentary sample of Hershey's candy as you leave, handed out by attendants.

We (two adults in our 50s) visited Chocolate World during January 2008. It was warm and comfortable inside, in contrast to the winter cold outside. Our off-season visit was made enjoyable by smaller crowds, very short lines and, consequently, quicker service. We did not ride the trolley, see the movie, or pay for the Factory Works, although non-participants are allowed to mill around outside its machinery and watch others have their candies made. The trolleys are heated, but we did not deem the $12-$15 per person admission fee to be worth the price. The movie, at $4-$6 per person, may be worthwhile for those traveling with children age 12 or younger.

Parking during our visit was free. However, during HersheyPark's May-to-September peak season, a $6 parking fee is charged. Chocolate World is open year-round.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show, which began in 1917, is among the largest annual agricultural expositions in the United States. For those interested in farming, or who want to learn more about how foods reach the table, it's highly entertaining.

Better still, it's free. There is no admission charge to the show, although tickets are sold for a limited number of special events.

Parking at the Pennsylvania Farm Show costs $5 per car in state-operated lots. Hawkers sell a show program - complete with maps of the complex (yes, it's that big) and event schedules - for $3.

Hungry? Visit the food court with booths operated by various Pennsylvania agricultural groups. The state's cattlemen offer hamburgers; the dairy association sells thick milkshakes and deep-fried mozzarella cheese cubes; the bee-keepers serve up honey-topped ice cream sundaes, and .. well, you get the picture. Prices range from $3 to $9 per serving. A few provided free samples.

Behind the food court is a hall dedicated to the show's equipment and implement displays. Some, but not all, of these mammoth machines are accessible to visitors and make great backdrops for souvenir photos. During the 2008 show several of these provided educational entertainment with child-friendly activities and games. The games can be fun and keep family members occupied.

Visit the animal arenas (there are three in all) when events are scheduled. Events range from judging of all animals large and small to a full-fledged rodeo (on the second weekend of the show). The bowl-shaped arenas can hold from several hundred to several thousand people; seating usually is plentiful for all but the most popular events. Binoculars can be helpful. A camera with a good zoom lens is necessary for acceptable picture-taking.

Visit the animal pens between events. All kinds of livestock are housed there.

Other exhibit areas, and a second food court, are located in a wing of the complex to one side of the animal pens.

It's possible to visit most of the exhibits and pens, take in a competition or two in the arenas, and have a satisfying lunch in the food court all within the space of an 8-hour day. Weekends are the busiest times to visit, but also have the greatest number of scheduled events.

Hotel is located on the northbound side of US Routes 1-9 (Spring Street) near westbound North Avenue in Elizabeth NJ, within a mile of Newark International Airport. It seems popular with airline crews on layover.

The lobby and guest areas are opulent by mid-price standards, with rich-looking wood and marble finishes, and spacious. The hotel has a cafe, guest store, full restaurant and bar, both indoor and outdoor pool, fitness center, and business center. We didn't use the restaurant; cafe had varied menu choices but was slightly high-priced ($3 for a deluxe blueberry muffin). The printer was not working in the business center when it was needed, but staff provided an alternative at no added cost. Fitness center had several machines and was regularly occupied. Indoor pool was little-used, well stocked with spare towels; water was a little too cool. A $15 fee is charged for parking during every 24-hour period, which is common for some but not all neighboring competitors.

Room was of smaller size (16' x 14'), and was clean. Furniture was slightly worn, and carpet was stained. Internet service was free and worked well. Bottled water was supplied free. TV reception was clear and sharp. Bathroom toiletries were well supplied. Shower water pressure was strong and continually hot. Price was an acceptable value; we paid $95 for a Saturday night during November 2007 while attending a concert at Prudential Center in Newark NJ, five miles away.

Hotel is located on Morris Avenue at the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, on the south side of the Tropicana Casino and Hotel. It is a terrific location for beach-goers; right on the water, only steps from the famous Boardwalk and the ocean surf. Room was of smaller size (16' x 14'), and was clean. Bathroom toiletries were very well supplied. Air conditioner worked well, fan in the bathroom did not. Price was a great value for the location; we paid $61 for a Thursday night, and $91 for a Friday night (both without tax) during off-season October 2007 while attending a professional seminar. Avoid the hotel restaurant, Country Kitchen; it was over-priced and of poor quality. Staff was pleasant and helpful in responding to inquiries. Use extreme caution when logging on to hotel's free high-speed wireless Internet service; it was infected with a home page Trojan during our visit.

Hotel is located on the east side of Route 13 North in Salisbury MD, at the southern end of a heavily commercial strip surrounded by shopping centers, restaurants and competing hotels. If traveling south on Route 13, pass the hotel and get into the left lane to U-turn at the traffic light and return to its entrance. Rooms are of average size (24' x 14'), and are clean. Beds were comfortable. There were extra pillows in the room! Prices were somewhat lower than competitors; we paid $72 (without tax) on Labor Day Weekend 2007 for one night, which included a 10-percent discount as a franchise VIP Club member (AAA members receive the same discount). A continental breakfast was available in the morning. Staff was generally attentive; smiles were not their strong suit. Making reservations with Super 8 national toll-free was filled with miscommunication; beware.

Spent the night here in July 2007 en route to the PA Festival of the Arts in State College PA, 28 miles west. We were satisfied.

Staff is pleasant. Inside and outside are clean. Amenities are average but acceptable (high-speed wifi and continental breakfast free). Room rate ($63) was low compared to other lodging given the popularity of Arts Fest (it draws 200,000 people during a week) and vacancies were available.

Burnham-Lewistown are VERY rural, little to do here after 6 p.m. Short choice of nearby (within 2 miles) restaurants; a few sit-downs, most fast food. Shopping (groceries, daily items) close by (within 1 mile). Easy on-off to Route 322, the four-lane limited access highway to State College.

Lower your head as you enter Saron, one of the large "houses" on the grounds of The Ephrata Cloister in Ephrata PA. The ceilings inside are only a few inches higher than 6 feet, and the doorways between rooms are several inches lower. Just why is one of the intriguing mysteries of this historic but now abandoned experimental religious community in rural Lancaster County.

Docents explain that historians once thought The Cloister's mid-1700s residents were significantly shorter than Americans today. But archeologists who unearthed skeletons of the same time period from the battlefields of Valley Forge, only 60 miles away, note humans then weren't THAT much smaller. So prevailing theories about the lack of ceiling height now tend toward piety: short doorways, it's believed, encouraged residents to bow their heads in honor to their Creator.

It is among several curiosities of, and hardships willingly endured during, life in The Cloister. It operated between 1732 and 1813 and was led by Conrad Beissel, a disaffected member of the German Anabaptist group known as The Brethren. Beissel and his approximately 300 followers preached hermitage, the value of celibacy, and worshiped on Saturdays rather than Sundays. They promoted creative expression, and were proficient in music, calligraphy and printing.

The Cloister's history, its cultural and religious impacts within Pennsylvania, and its industrious self-sufficiency all are displayed at a 28-acre portion of the original complex on the outskirts of the city. The site is a National Historic Landmark with many restored buildings, guided and self-guided tours, an introductory movie, a museum store, and special events scheduled throughout the year. Volunteers in period garb are occasionally available to re-create the experience of life there. A capella choral concerts are sometimes held in the Saal, a meetinghouse.

In March 2007, admission prices ranged from $7 for adults to free for children age 6 and younger. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more with advance reservations. Guides are knowledgeable and cheerful. Viewing the movie before touring the grounds is suggested; it gives important context to the visit. Plan 60 to 90 minutes for a visit; more if you are interested in early American or religious history, period architecture, primitive decor, herbal gardening or weaving.

Museum store sales provide financial support for The Cloister, but its inventory is limited. There are no food or refreshment sales on the grounds, but many restaurants within a mile or less. Parking is free.

At first glance the Battle Monument in Trenton NJ, about a half-mile north of downtown and the New Jersey State House, looks like most other stone-and-bronze mementos of history. Don't be fooled; it holds a surprise.

Inside the 148-foot-tall spire -- which commemorates Gen. George Washington's two victories over Hessian regiments in Trenton on Dec. 26, 1776 -- is a tiny elevator that takes guests to a balcony atop the monument. The platform sits just beneath and circles a pedestal on which the figure of Washington stands, pointing to the city below. From that perch, visitors see what the general would have seen: a panoramic, 360-degree view of Trenton.

The elevator replaces a former staircase. It's slow and creaky, but steady, in its ascent and descent. Unfortunately, it holds only five people (four guests and a State Parks Service operator), so the number of visitors on the balcony at any time is restricted. During much of the year, that's probably not a limitation; one operator reports the monument gets few vistors weekly. The balcony, built in 1896, does not seem wide enough for a wheelchair.

Visiting the monument is free. However, it is open only for a few hours daily from Thursday through Sunday during the summer, and only on weekends during the winter. Call ahead to the Trenton Visitors' Bureau for days and times. Be aware, too, that the neighborhood surrounding the monument isn't the most inviting, but as of late December 2006 is being revitalized and shows improvement.