Discover Britain: Cadbury World

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Ashley Skillman
  • 48th Figther Wing Public Affairs
RAF LAKENHEATH, England --  In early spring, around Easter, jellybeans of all flavors, squishy little peeps and creamy chocolate eggs seem to be everywhere you look. Every year, the sights of these sweets remind me of my childhood dream of visiting Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

Besides the slightly odd Oompa Loompas and bizarre side affects, what child wouldn't want to visit his factory filled with the latest candy creations?

Lucky for me, my husband and I recently visited Cadbury World, a real-life chocolate factory in Birmingham that I believe Willy Wonka would be proud of.

Upon arrival, we were instantly given free samples of the world-famous chocolate; it was love at first ... taste.

While happily eating our chocolate, we made our way through the first attraction: a self-guided tour through the discovery of the cocoa bean and its introduction to Western civilizations.

Did you know that cocoa originated in the Amazon more than 4,000 years ago and was considered to be a symbol of life and fertility to the Mayas?

After becoming cocoa bean Einstein's, we made our way into the next attraction, an interactive theater that simulated the factory's transformation of cocoa beans into chocolate. During the show, seats shook back and forth to mimic the sorting technique; red lights shined to imitate the roasting process and puffs of air represented the cooling method. Experiencing the whole procedure through a bean's perspective definitely made the technical process fun for everyone and caused a great deal of laughter throughout the audience.

The Purple Planet attraction seemed to be well loved by many children too. Exhibits in this section had cool special effects that allowed you to virtually create chocolate molds of yourself, catch raining chocolate and grow cocoa trees.

Just when we thought we couldn't reach any further into our inner child, we came across the Cadabra, a ride similar to Disneyland's "It's a small world" attraction. Although we were about 3 feet taller than everyone else in line, they still let us ride and much to my delight, we were able to get a classic cheesy picture of the two of us in the chocolate wonderland.

After experiencing a healthy dose of humiliation, we made our way to the inner factory where we were able to catch a glimpse of factory workers in action. There were even stations that provided the opportunity for you to play with chocolate!

All in all, I'd suggest every Willy Wonka fan, chocolate lover or family with young children visit Cadbury World. It was a wonderful experience and made for a fun Sunday afternoon.

Don't forget to stop by the gift shop on your way out--shelves of chocolate line the walls and make for yummy take-away treats.

Aside from a minor stomachache, I can attest to the validity of the chocolate since I cautiously gave my husband the first sampling of every chocolate. Rest assured that he didn't experience any crazy symptoms or turn into a blueberry.