Cadbury World
Linden Road Bournville Birmingham B30 2LU
Chocoholics come gather! Cadbury World is a chocolate Mecca to rival Willy Wonka’s factory, and of course it's a great family excursion to boot. The Cadburys were interesting on many levels, and tours take you back to the very beginning when John Cadbury began selling his self-produced coffee and chocolate in Birmingham's Bull Street in 1824, charting the journey of the Cadbury family from provincial concern to globe-spanning brand, and noting how their Quaker roots acutely influenced their business decisions. There's also a walk through the production process, succinctly describing how our beloved cocoa-treats are made and doling out regular free samples to keep the younger ones interested – although there is plenty of kid-targeted stuff too (besides free chocolate), with rides through a chocolate wonderland in bean mobiles, a play area with tube slides and rope bridges as well as a 'Purple Planet' where you can see what you'd look like if you were made out of chocolate. All in it’s a day out that caters to everyone, and hard to dislike, even if you hate chocolate – though its more traditionally Quakerish bits may sometimes be a challenge for kids high on sugar.
