Celebrate Orlando’s Chocolate Side!

You’ve heard of the Magic Kingdom, but did you know Orlando also has a Chocolate Kingdom?

It’s perfectly true, and it’s fitting this week as we look forward to International Chocolate Day on September 13, 2022.

It stands to reason that if we can have days dedicated to rum, apple pie and even the banana split, then we should have a major celebration for the fruit of the cacao tree, in all its illustrious – and tasty! – forms.

And Orlando is the perfect place to enjoy a chocolatey treat, as it is positively bursting with different ways to sample this true global confection.

A Chocolate Dream

Just to start with, you’ll struggle to find a bakery, supermarket, coffee shop and café that doesn’t feature that authentic American delicacy, the chocolate brownie, in some form or other.

Legend has it that the humble brownie was created in 1893 in Chicago for the city’s World Columbian Exposition, but however it was conceived, it is now an unmistakable taste of the good ol’ USA.

And along with it has come all manner of candy bars, cakes, desserts, cookies and snacks that makes America a powerhouse of chocolate production, with two of the world’s top five biggest manufacturers (Hershey’s and Mars Wrigley), plus hundreds of smaller specialist outlets.

Predictably, the theme parks are definitely to the fore when it comes to providing some of the essential tastes of this decadent concoction, but they’re certainly not the only ones.

Chocolate Kingdom

For once we’re going to start outside the parks and highlight a unique attraction that is built completely around – you guessed it – chocolate.

The Chocolate Kingdom, tucked away just off International Drive on Hawaiian Court (behind the Red Lobster restaurant and next to the Rosen Centre hotel), is a fun factory tour that takes visitors on an interactive journey through the story of chocolate (daily, 11.30am to 5pm).

From the Cacao Tree Greenhouse to the Mystical River of Chocolate, this family friendly experience is ideal for children and a welcome chance to slow down from the hectic nature of Orlando’s non-stop tourist frenzy.

With samples along the way and the chance to meet a handsome Prince and his dragon sidekick, it is a real sweet treat in attraction form. Plus, you can also create your own customised chocolate bar to take away with you (for $9 extra).

Chocolate Museum & Café

An equally compelling opportunity to wallow in your favourite flavours lies in this delightful combination of history, tour and tastes, all dedicated to those fermented cacao beans.

The Chocolate Museum & Café is also on International Drive, just south of SeaWorld and in the shopping plaza next to the Escapology Escape Rooms.

The special guided 45-minute tour starts in the tropical rainforest, detailing the origins of chocolate, and continues through a series of chocolate sculptures of world landmarks, antique machinery and the modern process of how it is made.

It concludes in the Tasting Room with a variety of samples from around the world, and there is also a separate café that serves delicious coffee, wine, pastries and paninis, whether you take the museum tour or not.

Walt Disney World for Chocaholics

Disney Springs is definitely the place to head for in Walt’s kingdom for a chocolate splurge. Not only are there four out-and-out repositories of all things chocolate, there are also a number of desserts in the many restaurants that provide a suitably delectable sweet finale.

Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop is the obvious headline attraction, a fabulous purveyor of speciality dishes like their hot fudge sundaes, milkshakes, hot cocoa and, yes, brownies that are brim-full with their rich signature chocolate flavours.

But don’t sleep on The Ganachery, an unabashed luxury chocolatier that offers a dazzling range of luxury custom-blended chocolates, including lollipops, pearls and bars, while Amorette’s Patisserie serves up a selection of character cakes that are superbly awash with chocolate chiffon and milk chocolate mousse, as well as eclairs, brownies and biscuits.

Local sensation Gideon’s Bakehouse is another dreamy location for chocoholics thanks to its small-batch, hand made cookies that clock in at almost half a pound each (yes, really!) and feature outstanding items like the Original Chocolate Chip Cookie and ultra-decadent Chocolate Cake.

When it comes to scrummy desserts, each of The Boathouse (for the Triple Chocolate Layer Cake for two), Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ (for the sheer indulgence of their traditional Chocolate Pecan Pie) and Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill (with three suitable candidates, including the gooey deliciousness of the Dark Chocolate Sphere) should all be on your must-try list.

Elsewhere in Orlando for Chocolate Fans

Universal Orlando’s CityWalk is another top choice for International Chocolate Day, with the fun Voodoo Doughnut featuring a Double Chocolate doughnut among several imaginative creations and Cold Stone Creamery serving their signature Chocolate Devotion sundae, which consists of chocolate ice cream, chips, brownie AND fudge!

We also have to tip our confectionery hat to The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium, where Universal’s culinary team has created a whole milkshake and dessert menu that is positively dripping with the stuff of sweet dreams, notably the Chocolate X5 milkshake, with chocolate ice cream, chocolate chunks, strawberries, chocolate sauce, whipped topping and chocolate spirals.

Head to the upscale suburb of Winter Park and there is even more in store at Peterbrooke Chocolatier, with a range of hand-made European-style chocolates that are made fresh every day, as well as divine chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Also in Winter Park, The Glass Knife restaurant is THE place for some of the best desserts in the Sunshine State, packed with chocolate cakes and pastries, as well as coffee, wine and beer. Our choice? The Chocolate Onyx, a smooth coffee-infused pastry cream, touched with salted caramel and a delicate coffee crunch atop a chocolate biscuit, all encased in a dark chocolate mousse. Absolute choccy bliss!

Or you can try the nearby Maitland Chocolate Factory, which also features its own range of chocolate assortments, including truffles, gift boxes and baskets.

Truly, Orlando is absolutely bonkers for chocolate, and you will never be far away from somewhere that offers a memorable extravagance or three.

And Finally…

If nothing else, you should head to the nearest supermarket – Publix, Winn Dixie, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, Aldi, it doesn’t matter which – and grab a packet or two of Ghirardelli brownie mix to take home with you.

Not only will it be some comfort food to provide a happy taste of your holiday once the glow of that Disney vacation has worn off, you can also make your celebration of International Chocolate Day last all year long!

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