This place is magical. First of all, as a total disclaimer, I wasn't too excited about going to a Chocolate factory. I'm not a kid; I'm not a whilly Wanka fan, and it certainly doesn't strike me as the most masculine of activities (let's be realistic is not like watching the game - any game). But to my surprise this place made me feel like a kid again.
The first thing to notice is the factory's facade. It is built to resemble a Swiss/Austrian mountain house (one of those houses made famous by stories like Heidi - don't judge me for knowing about Heidi, lol). Either way, it's a perfectly fitting design for a chocolate factory considering the fact that Swiss are known as the greatest chocolatiers.
In order to get the full experience we decided to buy tickets to the tour they have through the chocolate factory showing the chocolate making process. Truthfully thought it was a bit expensive at $25, but in all reality what businesses take you behind the scenes for you to see their secrets and the way they make their products? The answer- very few. Additionally, you get to make your own chocolate (I must clarify that we were 15 minutes late to the tour which starts at 5pm exactly and they were extremely accommodating).So I'll classify it as worthy.
The tour was extremely informative. Our presenter taught about the 4,000 year history of chocolate from it's beginnings in the Americas under the Mesoamerican tribes to its reluctant adoption by the Spaniards and it's eventual modernization in Europe within the last 200 years.
After the tour through the factory we were treated to a complementary scoop of ice cream. I picked a delicious Red Velvet Cake flavor. It blew my mind. Additional disclaimer, I'm not an ice cream person so, I'm not very versed on ice cream flavors and could be easy to impress. Lol.
Outside, and in front of the factory they were polishing an ice skating rink they built in partnership with the Florida Panthers, our local hockey team, according to our tour guide. Sadly since they were working on it at the time we passed by we were not able to take advantage of it. Next time I guess.
The night ended in the Christmas garden. They have a huge garden decorated with Christmas lights, Christmas sculptures and designs which is perfect for kids to enjoy, or as we noticed many times throughout the night, for a romantic getaway with a date.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience. I wish I had known about this place earlier.
Ps: when you order chocolates at the front desk, they have chocolate bites you can eat for free. Go take some, and keep coming back as many times as you like. Truthfully, they don't seem to mind! Lol! read more