Imagine a cross between Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and a traveling circus. Well, that’s Candytopia. After two years away, the candy-themed, interactive art exhibition is back in Atlanta, bigger and better than ever before.
Located in Buckhead, next door to the grocery store popularly known as Disco Kroger, Candytopia takes visitors through the looking glass into a fantasy world of sweets and treats.
Hosted by a bubbly staff of Candytopian entertainers, whose energy helps set the sugar-fueled mood, Candytopia was one of the must-see successes of 2019. And as CEO John Goodman explains, choosing Atlanta as the first city to revisit was a no-brainer.
Credit: Terry Baddoo
Credit: Terry Baddoo
“We have a great emotional connection with the people in Atlanta. In our emails and on our website, they’re always like, when do you come back. So we just really appreciate the people, and they appreciate us. And when we thought about one place to go back to, we said we’re coming back to Atlanta.”
Entering through the Candytopia archway, visitors are guided on a magical mystery tour through a series of 12 themed rooms. New for this year is a clock shop featuring a range of theatrical timepieces and the first invitation to find hidden candy. Among other rooms, there’s an undersea world, complete with candy-coated sharks and stingrays, and a rainbow room with dancing unicorns and a flatulent pig that literally showers you with confetti. There’s also a marshmallow pit to wallow in before you hit the gift shop.
Credit: Getty Images for Candytopia
Credit: Getty Images for Candytopia
The majority of the exhibits are made from candy, including re-creations of classic artwork and portraits of historical figures and celebrities, such as Cardi B, Prince, Frank Sinatra, the Apollo 11 crew, and Gene Wilder — the original Willy Wonka from the beloved 1971 film “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.”
As you might imagine, each intricately constructed piece of artwork is a labor of love, and many are accompanied by fun facts. For example, Beyoncé is apparently a bit of a chocoholic, though the sculpture of Queen B doesn’t contain any. Instead, it’s made from 13,000 pieces of candy, mostly jelly beans, and took 52 hours to create.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
“There are millions and millions and millions of pieces of candy that we use,” says Goodman. “We’ve used everything from jelly beans to sweet tarts, to you name it. There are probably 30 pieces of candy art throughout the exhibit. It takes a lot of time to create them at the beginning. And a lot of these have moved from city to city. So what we try to do is refurbish them because there’s a lot of wear and tear. And then we do some special things for each city. You know, a candy salute to Atlanta.”
Most of the exhibits are touchable but they’re not edible, as they’re coated in shellac varnish to preserve them and keep them looking good. But there’s plenty of candy to go around, with most rooms offering a healthy helping to keep your sweet tooth satisfied.
“Who doesn’t love candy?” Goodman says. “So you can get chocolate truffles at the beginning. You can get Airheads, you can get Pixy Stix, candy apple lollipops, Tootsie Pops, ring pops, everything! In every single room, there’s a piece of candy for you, which people love.”
But as well as a place to develop your cavities, Candytopia is the ideal spot for a photo opportunity. You can snap them yourself or take advantage of a free service called Sugar Rush.
Credit: Terry Baddoo
Credit: Terry Baddoo
“With Sugar Rush, we give you a QR code. You click it with your phone, and then just put your email and your name,” says general manager Glennise Matthews. “Every time you go up to one of our kiosks, you put in your code. They’ll give you a countdown, and boom, your photo’s taken, and it goes straight to your email. That way, you can enjoy your time here and don’t always have to pull out your phone trying to get the photos.”
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
With its rainbow colors and wacky theme-park vibe, Candytopia is obviously a magnet for kids and it also works well as a family outing. On its travels, it’s even attracted some celebrities and their children, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Bruce Willis and Christina Aguilera. But, as John Goodman points out, the experience is designed to bring out the kid in all of us.
“What’s so interesting about Candytopia is that it doesn’t matter what age you are or where you come from. We find parents come in with their kids. Grandparents. It’s a great place to go for a date. I mean, it doesn’t matter. Everybody just has a great time, and you can’t stop smiling. And that’s the beauty of it.”
EXHIBITION PREVIEW
Candytopia
10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Mondays; last entrance at 8:30 p.m. $28; $20 ages 4-12; ages 3 and younger free. 3330 Piedmont Road NE, Atlanta. candytopia.com
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