CANDY LAND
Sugar — quite literally tons of it — is at the heart of the interactive exhibit Candytopia in Philadelphia.
PHILADELPHIA >> In the middle of Philadelphia’s new Fashion District earlier this month, Cameron Mocey, 5, and his big sister, Sienna, 7, bounded through a garden of giant red-and-white mushrooms and sniffed around 4-foot tall flowers pumping out chocolate-scented air.
They’d already monkey-barred their way across a candy jungle, stared down a medieval knight and his Nerds-and-sour-gummycovered dragon and started stuffing their pockets full of edible treats for the ride home.
But now, they’d encountered the world’s sweetest version of Rocky and their mom, Kelly Gage Mocey, wanted a photo. The elementary schoolers struggled to suppress giggles as they posed next to some 41,000 pieces of candy melded together to form those famous American-flag boxing shorts and a chiseled chest.
Then the sugar high returned and the Harleysville, Montgomery County, siblings and their friends dragged the grown-ups in their group onto the next display: a disco-ball studded art gallery that was anything but hushed.
IF YOU GO
What: Candytopia is a traveling exhibit with a limited Philadelphia engagement, scheduled to end Jan. 5.
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.
Location: Inside Fashion District Philadelphia, 901 Market Street #1150, Philadelphia, site of the former Gallery at Market East.
Tickets: Adults, $28; kids 4-12 $20; ages 3 and under, free. Sales are by timed entrance only, and tickets are not available at the door. To purchase tickets, go to www.candytopia.com/philadelphia. Arrive at least 15 minutes early.
Parking: Either the Parkade on 8th and Filbert streets or the Autopark at 10th and Filbert streets is recommended.
TIPS FOR VISITORS
• Download the Candytopia app ahead of time. Its Sugar Rush feature allows users to take photos with a variety of interactive green screens within the exhibits and receive free digital files.
• Don’t feel rushed. Visitors are escorted in by timed ticket but can spend as long as they want in each area. Don’t feel pressure to move on if the rest of the 11 a.m. tour group sprints ahead. The longer you explore, the more details you’ll discover.
• Keep your mouth closed if you take a spin on the confetti wheel, admittedly challenging when you’re busy laughing. The confetti is not made from sugar and doesn’t dissolve when it lands in the back of your throat.
• Hold onto your phone. Yes, Candytopia, especially its show-stopping marshmallow pit, is designed for the selfie enthusiast. But drop your phone to the bottom of the spongy sugar cubes (as at least two guests did on our visit), and you may be stuck searching for it for hours.