The story of Hersheypark's Comet might be said to begin twenty-three years before the wooden terrain coaster that Pennsylvania thrill seekers today enjoy actually opened. That tale began when Milton Hershey decided that it was time to bring in some serious thrills to his leisure destination and thus Herbert Schmeck and the Philadelphia Toboggan Company erected Joy Ride, an impressive wooden coaster for its day. Later on, Joy Ride was renamed Wild Cat (not to be confused with Hershey's 1996 Wildcat). However, as years passed and newer rides came to other parks, the Wild Cat eventually lost its ferocious bite. Revamping the coaster was ruled out, so the wooden structure came down with plans for something bigger. Those plans called for a new claim to fame for Hersheypark: the tallest, largest coaster ever seen in the Pennsylvania region, at eight-and-a-half stories in height, and with some 3,360 wooden track feet to its name. And that name? Comet - a word that would soon be associated with Hersheypark for thrill seekers like chocolate is with the name Hershey. So with the Wild Cat out of the way, construction began on the new wild ride and the Comet was completed in time for the 1946 season at Hersheypark, to the delight of Hersheypark fans and thrill lovers in the Mid-Atlantic. Indeed, the Comet was a hit, for its size and fifty-mile per hour speeds as much for its T-shaped layout tapping into the potential of the terrain at the edge of the park. The ride remained a favorite, becoming a major part of Hersheypark and the centerpiece of its own 'Comet Hollow' section of the park. 1978 Brought revamping of the ride, most notably in the area of the coaster's first and second drops.

Classic Philadelphia Toboggan Co. trains are boarded the Comet's station with riders sitting two-abreast with six passengers per car. The four-car train rolls from the station and then all twenty-four thrill seekers on board start straight up the chain lift and climb above Hershey's Comet Hollow section. At eighty-four feet, the track realizes that it's as high as it's going to go, and starts pulling into the first plunge. White crossbeams pass underneath as riders descend, curving slightly to the right as they go, towards a small creek below, then leveling out a good ten feet over the surface of the water. Comet starts pulling up into the sky and takes the train load over the crest of the second hill to level out for a tight flat turnaround along the border of Hersheypark. One-eighty, one-ninety, two hundred, and a few more degrees and the turnaround is complete and being followed up by a second dive aiming for the water below. The track levels and meets up with the first drop pullout to start on a run of track parallel to the lift hill starting out with a hill climbing out of the ravine that its in. Over the top of a speed hill the train flies, curving just slightly to the right, then after coming out of their seats, riders are forced back in them as they climb to the top of another turnaround. Comet's track circles around the staation area with a U-turn to the left and with that complete, plunges again back to the ground only to start another hill. This time, the coaster climbs a good-sized camelback hump with the lift running parallel on the left, but instead of descending straight back down, the track curves to the right and swoops towards the bank of the creek, making a diving L-turn to the ground. From there, riders hurtle over a speed hop, then climb into another turnaround. The track curves beyond 180 degrees near the park entrance and sends passengers speeding back down and over another hop meeting up with the previous. Finally, the coaster completes a 90-degree left-hand turn, a dip, hop, and then brakes.

Over the years at Hersheypark, the Comet has gone from a major claim to fame to a true classic.