Best of North America's Chocolate Attractions
There's a famous line that
reads “life is like a box of chocolates...” but luckily for chocolate
lovers there are several sweet tooth attractions that look outside of the box.
These candy attractions range from a mystical chocolate world to a relaxing chocolate
spa to a high end chocolate fashion show. Whether craving milk chocolate, white
chocolate or rich dark chocolate, the following sites in the United
States and Canada
are a taste of the best places to indulge.
BEST SWEET ADVENTURE
Nicknamed the “Sweetest Place on Earth,” Hershey, Pennsylvania is a chocolate lover's dream. The town is home to Hershey's Chocolate World; an atmosphere that revolves entirely around chocolate. Visitors can start their tour through this whimsical place aboard a 12-minute ride that begins deep in the tropical rain forest where the cocoa beans grow and concludes in the town of Hershey, where the beans are made into milk chocolate products. Other attractions include Hershey's Factory Works, where visitors can create personalized chocolates, and a 3-D show starring Hershey's favourite characters. There are also a selection of shops housing every Hershey's item imaginable from teddy bears to fudge to giant chocolate bars and restaurants with healthy lunches and chocolate desserts.
BEST WAY TO ENJOY CHOCOLATE
WITHOUT EATING IT
Dipping into a warm Whipped Cocoa Bath or stretching out for a Chocolate Fondue Wrap are a few of the treatments that might appeal to parents after a busy day of touring Hershey's Chocolate World. The Spa at The Hotel Hershey in Pennsylvania features an assortment of treatments that involve the soothing qualities of chocolate, such as cocoa massages and scrubs. Visitors can choose from a variety of day and overnight chocolate spa packages that range from 1.5 hours to four days in length.
BEST PLACE TO LEARN ABOUT CANADIAN CANDY HISTORY
As brothers James and Gilbert Ganong opened their small retail and grocery store in the town of St. Stephen, New Brunswick in 1873 they knew they needed a niche to set them apart from the tough competition. The brothers began marketing an assortment of items from fresh oysters to their own brand of soap, but it wasn't until they had a go at chocolate and candy-making that visitors began to notice the little store. The brothers excelled in the candy industry and helped shape a selection of present-day chocolate products. The Ganongs introduced the 5-cent chocolate nut bar to North America, and lollipops on wooden skewers and Valentine heart-shaped chocolate boxes to Canada. Now, more than 135 years later, Ganong Bros. Limited is the country's oldest candy company and the town of St. Stephen couldn't be more proud. It's regarded as “Canada's Chocolate Town” and celebrates its extensive chocolate-making history through The Chocolate Museum. Highlights within the museum include interactive exhibits, a historic collection of chocolate boxes, antique candy-making equipment and of course a wide selection of Ganong products to sample.
BEST CANDY FIX ON THE VEGAS
STRIP
Among the Strip's glitzy lights sits a larger-than-life packet of M&M's candies. The gigantic packet marks the entrance to Las Vegas' M&M's World where shoppers can explore four floors filled with M&M's products. The 28,000-sq-ft (2,601 sq m) store houses collector items, souvenirs and candy dispensers containing every colour of M&M's made from fuchsia to aqua. Those who are fans of the M&M's characters will appreciate the display on the evolution of these personalities and the 3-D movie starring Red and Yellow M&M's.
BEST MARKET WITH A COCOA BEAN CONNECTION
Although San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square now serves as a lively marketplace with trendy shops and dining establishments, the square also keeps its chocolatey heritage alive. The early roots of the square can perhaps best be traced back to 1849 when Italian Domingo Ghirardelli immigrated to the United States with aspirations of making it rich in the California Gold Rush. However, Ghirardelli later realized his fortune was best made out of chocolate and in 1852 opened a confectionary business that would later become known as the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. The land where Ghirardelli Square sits was purchased by Domingo's sons to serve as the headquarters for the company. After the Ghirardelli chocolate business was sold and relocated, two distinguished locals, William Matson Roth and his mother Mrs. William P. Roth, bought the property with intentions of keeping the square a San Francisco landmark. The square has since undergone many changes but its past is still kept brightly alive by large illuminated letters spelling Ghirardelli. The Original Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Manufactory store is on site, where visitors can bite into the chocolates that have made the area by the bay world famous.
BEST BOUTIQUE TO WATCH A CHOCOLATIER AT WORK
The aroma of freshly made Erico
chocolates is an alluring scent to visitors as they enter the quaint Choco-Musee
Erico chocolate boutique in Quebec
City, Canada. The store's chocolates, which contain flavourful ingredients
such as hazelnuts and raspberries and exotic fillings like black tea and pineapple
puree, are made on site. Shoppers interested in the steps of chocolate-making
can peak through a large window that overlooks the kitchen and observe the staff
at work. The store also educates its customers on the history of chocolate through
its own chocolate museum, where displays trace the developments of chocolate-making
from Mayan civilization to present day.
BEST TRENDS IN CHOCOLATE
Every fall in New York, models strut down the runway in clothing good enough to eat as part of the annual New York Chocolate Show. The chocolate event includes a fashion show where top pastry chefs and fashion designers work together to create edible catwalk-worthy creations. Chocolate bikini tops, chocolate skirts and fancy chocolate dresses are a few of the outfits that appear on the high-end fashion runway. The three-day show also includes chocolate-making demonstrations and several opportunities to sample scrumptious American and international chocolates.
If you enjoyed this feature, take a look at these great WorldWeb.com articles:
• Napa Valley: Wine and Good Times
• Canada's Top 10 Dining Rooms with a View
PHOTOS COURTESY OF:
BEST SWEET ADVENTURE
Nicknamed the “Sweetest Place on Earth,” Hershey, Pennsylvania is a chocolate lover's dream. The town is home to Hershey's Chocolate World; an atmosphere that revolves entirely around chocolate. Visitors can start their tour through this whimsical place aboard a 12-minute ride that begins deep in the tropical rain forest where the cocoa beans grow and concludes in the town of Hershey, where the beans are made into milk chocolate products. Other attractions include Hershey's Factory Works, where visitors can create personalized chocolates, and a 3-D show starring Hershey's favourite characters. There are also a selection of shops housing every Hershey's item imaginable from teddy bears to fudge to giant chocolate bars and restaurants with healthy lunches and chocolate desserts.
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| Chocolate Treatment1 |
Dipping into a warm Whipped Cocoa Bath or stretching out for a Chocolate Fondue Wrap are a few of the treatments that might appeal to parents after a busy day of touring Hershey's Chocolate World. The Spa at The Hotel Hershey in Pennsylvania features an assortment of treatments that involve the soothing qualities of chocolate, such as cocoa massages and scrubs. Visitors can choose from a variety of day and overnight chocolate spa packages that range from 1.5 hours to four days in length.
BEST PLACE TO LEARN ABOUT CANADIAN CANDY HISTORY
As brothers James and Gilbert Ganong opened their small retail and grocery store in the town of St. Stephen, New Brunswick in 1873 they knew they needed a niche to set them apart from the tough competition. The brothers began marketing an assortment of items from fresh oysters to their own brand of soap, but it wasn't until they had a go at chocolate and candy-making that visitors began to notice the little store. The brothers excelled in the candy industry and helped shape a selection of present-day chocolate products. The Ganongs introduced the 5-cent chocolate nut bar to North America, and lollipops on wooden skewers and Valentine heart-shaped chocolate boxes to Canada. Now, more than 135 years later, Ganong Bros. Limited is the country's oldest candy company and the town of St. Stephen couldn't be more proud. It's regarded as “Canada's Chocolate Town” and celebrates its extensive chocolate-making history through The Chocolate Museum. Highlights within the museum include interactive exhibits, a historic collection of chocolate boxes, antique candy-making equipment and of course a wide selection of Ganong products to sample.
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| M&M's World, Las Vegas2 |
Among the Strip's glitzy lights sits a larger-than-life packet of M&M's candies. The gigantic packet marks the entrance to Las Vegas' M&M's World where shoppers can explore four floors filled with M&M's products. The 28,000-sq-ft (2,601 sq m) store houses collector items, souvenirs and candy dispensers containing every colour of M&M's made from fuchsia to aqua. Those who are fans of the M&M's characters will appreciate the display on the evolution of these personalities and the 3-D movie starring Red and Yellow M&M's.
BEST MARKET WITH A COCOA BEAN CONNECTION
Although San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square now serves as a lively marketplace with trendy shops and dining establishments, the square also keeps its chocolatey heritage alive. The early roots of the square can perhaps best be traced back to 1849 when Italian Domingo Ghirardelli immigrated to the United States with aspirations of making it rich in the California Gold Rush. However, Ghirardelli later realized his fortune was best made out of chocolate and in 1852 opened a confectionary business that would later become known as the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. The land where Ghirardelli Square sits was purchased by Domingo's sons to serve as the headquarters for the company. After the Ghirardelli chocolate business was sold and relocated, two distinguished locals, William Matson Roth and his mother Mrs. William P. Roth, bought the property with intentions of keeping the square a San Francisco landmark. The square has since undergone many changes but its past is still kept brightly alive by large illuminated letters spelling Ghirardelli. The Original Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Manufactory store is on site, where visitors can bite into the chocolates that have made the area by the bay world famous.
BEST BOUTIQUE TO WATCH A CHOCOLATIER AT WORK
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| Cocoa Beans3 |
BEST TRENDS IN CHOCOLATE
Every fall in New York, models strut down the runway in clothing good enough to eat as part of the annual New York Chocolate Show. The chocolate event includes a fashion show where top pastry chefs and fashion designers work together to create edible catwalk-worthy creations. Chocolate bikini tops, chocolate skirts and fancy chocolate dresses are a few of the outfits that appear on the high-end fashion runway. The three-day show also includes chocolate-making demonstrations and several opportunities to sample scrumptious American and international chocolates.
If you enjoyed this feature, take a look at these great WorldWeb.com articles:
• Napa Valley: Wine and Good Times
• Canada's Top 10 Dining Rooms with a View
PHOTOS COURTESY OF:
- A Chocolate Treatment at a Day Spa; USA
- Chloe Jones; M&M's World; Las Vegas, NV, USA
- Cocoa Beans; USA
