From Cadbury World in Birmingham and the Ben and Jerry ice cream factory tour in Vermont to a honey farm and Coca-Cola World, the sweet-toothed traveller has plenty of treats to sample around the world.
Some trips are just not designed for those on a diet, and should those with a sweet tooth wish to totally give into temptation, there are plenty of places around the world where they can do so in style. From raw sugar to chocolate and ice cream, these tours go straight to where the naughty stuff is made.
Guilty pleasure: Chocolate.
Where: Cadbury World, Birmingham.
The cultured bit: Right by Cadbury’s massive Bourneville chocolate-making operation, Cadbury World is part theme park, part educational experience. A big ride comes at the end, but first there’s the history of Cadbury chocolate, a guide to the chocolate-making process and demonstrations of popular treats being made.
Tasting? You can try making your own, and there’s only one way to dispose of it… There’s also the world’s biggest Cadbury shop at the end of the tour for the true gluttons.
Guilty pleasure: A cold Coke.
Where: Coca-Cola World, Atlanta, USA.
The cultured bit: By far and away Atlanta’s biggest tourist attraction, Coca-Cola World has a huge 4D theatre explaining how the world’s most popular soft drink is made. Visitors can also see the bottling process. The giant complex is also home to the world’s biggest collection of Coke memorabilia – including Andy Warhol paintings.
Tasting? Sampling is a major part of the tour, with over 70 products made by the giant Coca-Cola Company available for those wanting to fully coat their teeth.
Guilty pleasure: Honey.
Where: Board’s Honey Farm, Ontario, Canada.
The cultured bit: Mercifully stopping short of making you stick your hand in a buzzing apiary, the tour of the Board’s Honey Farm covers just about everything else. Whether it’s chatting to a beekeeper (complete with comedy costume) about his job, demonstrations of how to get the good stuff out of a honeycomb or making your own beeswax candle, the tour isn’t short on action and information.
Tasting? It’s straight into the shop afterwards for all manner of weird and wonderful products, including honey apple butter, chutneys and waistline-expanding tarts.
Guilty pleasure: Ice cream.
Where: The Ben and Jerry’s factory, Vermont, USA
The cultured bit: The creators of Cherry Garcia and Phish Food let visitors into their factory at Waterbury, Vermont. The tour includes a film about how the company founders turned a $5 correspondence course on ice-cream into a globally famous venture and demonstrations of how ice-cream is made.
Tasting? Oh yes… there is a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-style FlavoRoom for those wishing to fill themselves with scoop after scoop.
Guilty pleasure: Pure sugar.
Where: St Kitts, the Caribbean.
The cultured bit: Why mess around with the products when you can go straight to the source? Up until 2005, sugar was the major industry on St Kitts and cane still grows wild all over the island. Greg’s Safaris offers a half day Jeep adventure on the dirt roads through the fields, taking in the remains of old sugar plantations and factories and explaining how the industry shaped both the island’s and the world’s history.
Tasting? During the spring (when the sugars are in the stem, rather than the roots), Greg hacks down a bit of cane and lets passengers try the sweet stuff in its original format.
This article was originally written for AOL UK.
Copyright David Whitley
