"Kevbot Chocolate is crafted from great cacao beans, and only a few ingredients. Our chocolate bars are handmade in West Virginia, from beans rigorously and transparently sourced in partnership with Uncommon Cacao."



How cool is that? I love that this chocolate and crafted in Alderson, West Virginia. It is made with both good practices and good ingredients. It is vegan and dark. I'll be honest, dark chocolate is not my preferred chocolate. But I did want to support the small business and check them out.



"Kevin - or Kevbot - believes in making chocolate work better for you, and for all those who help create it. Along the way he learned about Uncommon Cacao, and saw a partner in guaranteeing you know the impact of your chocolate. Kevbot Chocolate delivers a unique, delicious bean-to-bar chocolate experience straight to you - with care for all the lives it touches."



If you are into responsibly sourced foods, West Virginia, and dark chocolate, well, I know the perfect holiday gift for you.

If you are a chocolate fan, there is no greater place in the world than Hershey Park.



Think of an amusement park - add chocolate and unique experiences - and you'll have Hershey Park, Pennsylvania.



I traveled here for a conference and enjoyed all of the lodging, history, and local sites.



They also have a museum and amusement park rides. But, I want to share about the chocolate world experience.



The space has a few different pieces: a store, a history ride, and some custom chocolate opportunities.



For example, one of the first stations I visited was a mega Reese cup that you could customize.



You start with a large, ridged chocolate cup. Then, you have a peanut butter face that can have all sorts of mix-ins.



I added M&Ms, pretzels, and marshmallows. This was all packaged up into the biggest Reese cup I've ever seen and, it was fun to know that I kind of had a hand in creating it.



Moving onto the next station: Custom chocolate bar.



You get to choose the filling, topping, and even the package design.



I added butterscotch chips to my chocolate bar and added sprinkles to the top.



And for the packaging, I was sure to add my name, because it's rare that I get to find it out in the wild.



There are some fun skits, like one where you learn how to taste the differences in chocolate.



I also really enjoyed the little ride through the building for you learned about the history of Hershey.



And, of course, there is shopping. A lot of shopping.



There is everything from specialty limited edition sweets to wearable merch.



I picked up some Hershey Kisses that were influenced by global flavors.



I also made my own custom mix of M&Ms.



They had these giant canisters with every single flavor you can think of.



If chocolate, isn't your thing, Hershey does also own Twizzlers & Jolly Ranchers.



This was a really fun experience.



I think they have some thing for everyone.



Have you ever been?

A La Carte Fine Chocolates is a small candy company that is based out of Bridgeport but sells its candy in small venues and festivals. They make chocolate marshmallow pops, pecan bark, coconut truffles and everything in between. While at was at the Culture Center shop, I picked up these chocolate pops for a sweet treat. SO tasty. Make sure you pick up one of their tasty treats!

Kilwin's is one of those magical places that draws you in with caramel apples, fudge and so much more.


I started with a sample of fudge (yes please) and looked over everything with caramel.


And I ended up with a chocolate covered caramel marshmallow. My goodness, yes.

There's a reason that Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is one of my favorite movies.

Among other reasons, the movie  shows the fun, inside look at how chocolate is made. And who doesn't like chocolate?

In Asheville, the chocolate factory equivalent is French Broad.

This chocolate factory gives tours of their farm to bean process.

It also has a cafe where you can purchase their truffles or drinking chocolates.

And I ordered the "liquid truffle," which they're well-known for.

It's like a melted chocolate bar!

It was very thick and rich - unlike anything I've had before.

Take a look at some of the other sights from the tour:

I'll admit, I'm not much a fan of dark chocolate.

Maybe it's a taste that comes with age or experience. But all I know is that the more sugar, the happier I am.

But Somerville - Kaitlynn's town - is home to their very own chocolate factory.

And how often do you get to visit a chocolate factory?

We took a tour of Taza Chocolate where we learned about the products they produce and how it was all inspired by this drinking chocolate the owner had.

So, of course, the shop has all sorts of drinking chocolates available.

They have flavors like ginger and coconut, but they also come in various percentages of cacao. 















The different flavors wer unique.

But, of course, my favorite ended up being the original with only 60% dark chocolate.

Have you taken a tour?