Being the foodies that we are, my roommate and I couldn’t pass up a chance to check out the Festival of Chocolate at the Orlando Science Center this weekend.
We first checked out some of the learning areas – displays with information on the history of chocolate and how it’s made. There were also opportunities to make your own chocolate jewelry and lip balm, and other kid-friendly crafts. Those cost coins, though, so I passed on doing it.
Coins, you see, were the currency of choice for this event. Gold coins to be precise. They had stations set up around the OSC where you could exchange dollars for coins, on a one-to-one basis. I suppose it made it easier for the vendors, since they didn’t have to keep change boxes on hand.
Up on the third and fourth floors is where we found the actual chocolate vendors. And not just chocolate itself, but chocolate-covered, chocolate-flavored, chocolate-dipped – you name it, it was probably there. Chocolate ice cream, chocolate-flavored cotton candy, chocolate-covered worms (yeah, I passed on that one), and even chocolate in the shape of dog poop (no, I’m not making that up)…all just waiting to be bought and eaten.
We did the rounds of all the vendors, then decided what we would buy.
We got some chocolate-covered grahams, marshmallows, and shortbread cookies. We also bought some chocolate and coconut cupcakes and a liquid chocolate shooter. All-in-all, we spent 15 coins and walked out with a bag of goodies to last us the rest of the week. Most were only 1 to 2 coins.
There were also chocolate demonstrations and eating contests, but we missed most of them by the time we got there. It would’ve been nice if they would have run an hour or two later.
But the event definitely enticed a lot of people to attend. There was probably twice the crowd for this event as there was for January’s Otronicon weekend at the Orlando Science Center.
This is the second year of the event, and it runs through today. Judging by the attendance, I think it’s safe to say it will be back next year, as well.
A definite two-thumbs up and some happy taste buds, for the Festival of Chocolate.
Here’s some more photos from the event:
[photos by Michelle Snow]
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