Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Factory Tour - St. Louis, MO

I've been on several factory tours in my lifetime. They're fun to do, and usually free, and sometimes you even get samples. So when I found out that the St. Louis-based Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Factory gave free tours of its chocolate factory, I knew I had to go check it out.

Now THIS was a real-life Willy Wonka experience!

The tour is free, but there is a special tasting room that you can also access for $5. We didn't partake in that portion of the tour, but it would have been kind of cool to get a golden ticket.

Because you're walking right into the factory, they don't just let you run loose. The tour is guided, and you've got to stay behind the yellow rope, but you get to see where they mix all the chocolate and the machines they use. 

You also get to taste some of the chocolate! That's probably the best part, I've got to admit. That day, the workers were making chocolate caramel. We also got to sample chocolate-covered graham crackers and nonpareils. 

There is plenty of fun stuff to do in St. Louis (the Arch, the zoo, the science center, a Cardinals game, Imo's Pizza), but if you've got room on your travel itinerary for this place, I would recommend it.

Oh, there's also a chocolate shop, of course, so after you sample all the chocolate on the tour, you can buy even more of it to take home! YES!

I'm a fan of the molasses puffs, myself. 

Just a note, this is not for people who have food allergies or Celiac Disease. I did not take my husband on this tour (or the whole trip to St. Louis), so without him, I participated in LOTS of gluten activities.