Enter a world of pure imagination turned reality.
Attention chocoholics, you can now make your Charlie and the Chocolate Factory dreams come true! And you won’t even need to find a golden ticket to get to these places. There are many candy paradises all over the world, and many of them offer guided tours and tastings, but for the true Wonka experience, we need something more — we need spectacle that will evoke childlike wonder and razzmatazz that will charm the whole family. We’ve scoured the globe to suss out the two places that will make you feel like you’re visiting an actual Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.
Cadbury World (Birmingham, England, United Kingdom)
Your journey here begins with a self-guided tour through an Aztec Jungle (a themed section in the attraction) to find the origins of the cocoa bean. Not quite an exploration of the Oompa Loompa island that we’ve glimpsed in Wonka, sure, but it’s still a well-presented exhibit with life-sized recreations and interactive kiosks that enrich your understanding of the cocoa bean’s history.
Then, the tour continues with a mini-theatre experience called Journey to Europe, which explains how chocolate first arrived in Europe. For the chocolate nerds, the subsequent ‘factory tour’ will show you the chocolate-making process and the ins and outs of the cocoa business. After all that, you will even get the chance to try your hand at chocolate-making using traditional techniques like tempering on a marble slab.
Kids will enjoy the Cadabra, a dark, family-friendly themed ride that will bring them on a gentle journey through a chocolate wonderland full of whimsical characters. (This spring, a new ride called Cadbury Chocolate Quest will replace it, so check out Cadabra while you can.)
If donning 3D glasses and strapping into a theatre seat that moves, shakes, and jerks is more your jam, then don’t miss out on Cadbury World’s 4D cinema. You’ll get to ride a Crunchie rollercoaster, dive into a bowl of Cadbury Dairy Milk, and fly in a Cadbury Crème Egg. That’s about the closest you’re going to get to the more fantastical aspects of Wonka’s chocolate factory, at least in the real world that we live in.
Of course, no trip to a chocolate factory is complete without indulging your sweet tooth. Both the Cadbury World Café and the Cadbury World Shop will satiate all your chocolatey cravings with their wide array of treats.
Hershey’s Chocolate World
(Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States)
Begin with a free 30-minute Hershey’s Chocolate Tour. It takes you on a ride through exhibits showing the bean-to-bar process and even teases your senses — and whets your appetite — with a constant intoxicating aroma of milk chocolate throughout the ride. After feasting your eyes on all the chocolate, you will be rewarded with a bunch of tasting samples at the end of the ride.
Thereafter, check out Hershey’s Great Candy Expedition, a family-friendly train-themed show that will grant you even more treats in the form of candy tastings throughout its course. Or head over to Hershey’s Unwrapped, another interactive theatre show that also comes with a tasting kit to guide visitors on a true sensory chocolate journey.
To steep yourself fully into Hershey’s culture, go on the Hershey’s Trolley Ride, which takes participants on a journey through the company’s history, including its founding. Yes, there is chocolate to be enjoyed here too. Notice a pattern yet? Hershey’s will absolutely flood you with all the chocolate and candy you’d ever want, no matter which part of the factory you go to.
.jpg)
After all that learning and discovering, you’d want to get a little more practical, so head on to the Create Your Own Candy Bar section, where you can customise your own chocolate bar and choose your preferred ingredients and toppings in a simulated factory setting before having the completed bar sealed with a personalised wrapper.
Verdict
Though both attractions are fun in their own right, Hershey’s Chocolate World comes closest to replicating the magical feeling of reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the first time. Sure, there are no chocolate rivers nor great glass elevators there, but there’s still a wide array of activities and treats to tickle your sweet spot.
</a>
With dreams of opening a shop in a city renowned for its chocolate, a young and poor Willy Wonka discovers that the industry is run by a cartel of greedy chocolatiers.
View Details
When eccentric candy man Willy Wonka promises a tour of his chocolate factory to five lucky kids, penniless Charlie Bucket seeks the priceless golden ticket.
View Details