Like Pavlov’s dog, say the word “chocolate” and the drooling starts from practically everyone. Your best chocolate fantasies can be fulfilled at Hershey’s Chocolate World on the Las Vegas Strip. It’s a little hard to miss with the giant Reese’s and Hershey’s kisses on the front of the building. Like a smaller version of Hershey’s back in ole’ Hershey, PA, this flagship store has everything chocolate and more. Just walking in the door is enough to think you died and went to heaven.

Besides the 11-feet tall replica of the Statue of Liberty, weighing in at 800 pounds of the sweet stuff, to the chocolate model of the Empire State Building made of 1,800 chocolate bars, you will know you have entered Shangri La. So what is there to do besides stuff yourself silly? Plenty. You can take their cool factory tour in one of their trams to see how Hershey’s does it, all the way from the cocoa beans to the candy bar in your hand. It’s entertaining and free.

Then you can swing by the “create your own candy bar” attraction. It is a real manufacturing facility so there are rules, such as no food, drinks or strollers permitted inside, plus they provide you with a hairnet and you have to remove your jewelry and put it in your pocket or in a locker. Then you get to design your own candy bar with your option of a number of tasty inclusions to personalize it just for you — so much for lunch. In the Dessert Creation Studio, you can do just that and create your own cookies, personalized cupcakes and more. Both of these attractions are a favorite with children and a great family activity.

The Chocolate Tasting Adventure is a chocoholic’s dream and includes a guided multimedia, interactive discussion of chocolate lore. By the time you are finished, you will be a chocolate connoisseur and will be presented with a Masters Degree in Chocolate Tasting. The CT Adventure costs $9.95 for adults, and less for seniors and children.

The Chocolate Trolley is fun for the whole family as singing conductors take you on a tour through Chocolate Town, USA. These tours run from Memorial Day through Labor Day and last about one hour. Price for adults is $12.95 and less for seniors and children. If you have never been to Hershey, PA, the home of Hershey, you’ve missed something wonderful, but this is the next best thing to being there.

The interactive Great Chocolate Factory Mystery is an interactive, 4D mystery designed with the help of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. The special effects and animation are amazing and draw you right in to help solve the mystery. Tickets are $7.95 for adults and $6.95 for children 12 and under.

There are plenty of other things to see and do at Hershey’s Chocolate World. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it is a quick walk through and then on to something else. Just the gift shop and all those great chocolaty smells wafting through the air are worth the visit.

At New York-New York Hotel & Casino
3790 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV
702-740-6969

Hershey’s Chocolate World