Can there be anyone who hasn’t heard of Orlando or Kissimmee in Florida?
But take away Disneyworld, Universal and the other attractions and why would you visit central Florida?
It took a lot of foresight and marketing to develop what was some fairly uninteresting land. The result has been that this has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. But the area has to keep coming up with new innovations or some of the huge number of visitors who go there decide not to travel every year.
So what’s the attraction this year?
It’s the Chocolate Kingdom Adventure Tour
Find a child of any age who doesn’t like chocolate and they are the exception to the rule. So linking it with a holiday should result in a winner.
This new attraction (it opened in January) is slightly more – did I say slightly? – than a tour around a chocolate making plant. As you guide leads you around, the guide joins with a prince and a dragon to take you through a cacao tree greenhouse, a mystical river of chocolate and a museum. It sounds to me more like a Willy Wonka adventure rather than the usual sort of tour that is available.
And just like Willy Wonka as he guides his young charges around his factory, visitors here will be able to sample all sorts of chocolate as they walk around. And there can create their own chocolate bar as well. I can imagine some of the strange things that a few children might use as ingredients given half the chance!
At just 45 minutes, the tour might be thought a little short but is probably long enough for younger chocoholics to enjoy without becoming bored. For the rest of us, it’s another thing for us to make sure we go to when we take the kids there. But this time the appeal is to adults and children alike!

Image © Chocolate Kingdom