What to do at the Weekend: Visit Cadbury World
Looking for something to do in Birmingham? Cadbury World is an attraction to be enjoyed by chocolate lovers of all ages!
What we did at the weekend:
Visited Cadbury World
Location: Bournville, Birmingham
Our rating: 6/10
Cadbury World: A Chocolate Lovers Paradise
Who doesn’t love chocolate?
We certainly do!
Tanith in particular is a chocolate fiend who could easily eat her body weight in the stuff if it were acceptable to do so.
The best brand of chocolate
Now, there is always a lot of debate on which brand of chocolate is the best.
We are going to settle this argument once and for all by informing you all that the best brand is…
Cadbury!
You just can’t beat the milky, delicious goodness that is Cadbury chocolate.
No matter what it is filled with, we’re down for it.
From good old Dairy Milk, Wispa and Twirl, to Dairy Milk Caramel, Double Deckers, and Fruit & Nut; we love them all.
Writing this is making us hungry…but we will persevere!
A Trip to Cadbury World
So, we’ve established that Cadbury chocolate is the one.
And, since its main production base is in Birmingham (England), a weekend visit seemed very appropriate!
Birmingham is a pretty big city, so to be more specific, Cadbury World is located in Bourneville which is on the Southwest side of the city.
What is there to see at Cadbury World?
As the name suggests, Cadbury World is a visitor attraction all about the brand’s delicious chocolate.
From the history of the Cadbury brand, to how their products are made in the present day.
There’s also a chance to see the chocolate being made and taste some for yourself (the main reason for visiting of course)!
Cadbury World definitely has more of a child-friendly focus, with plenty of areas for kids to interact with and explore…however we still enjoyed our visit!
There are a number of different exhibition/themed areas that make up Cadbury World.
Together, they tell the story of the brand.
On entry, you receive three chocolate bars per person to enjoy on your way around the attraction (or save for later).
Aztec Jungle
Once you’re through, the first area you reach is the Aztec Jungle, a tropical rainforest-themed space.
Taking you back over 1000 years in time, here, you’ll get to discover where cocoa beans come from, and how these eventually made the journey over to Europe.
This area looks pretty cool!
Bull Street
Once you’ve learned how chocolate originally made its way over to Europe, you’ll reach Bull Street.
This area is designed to look like how Birmingham’s Bull Street would have looked back in Victoria times.
You’ll get to see modelled shop-fronts with examples of some of the earliest Cadbury products inside.
This area is also where you’ll begin to explore the Cadbury story, told by Quaker entrepreneur John Cadbury.
The Cadbury Story
Presented in a small, seated theatre space, the Cadbury Story does what it says on the tin (or in the name)!
John Cadbury continues his story on how Cadbury was created, and how the business became the household name it is today.
Manufacturing
This area gives you a glimpse into the process of chocolate making, and how specific varieties of Cadbury Chocolate are made.
There are interactive screens that allow you to select the chocolate you want to learn about.
Short informative video showing the production process.
Chocolate Making and Have a Go
Getting to taste some chocolate is obviously the best part about any visit to Cadbury World.
Who wants to visit the site of one of the world’s well-known chocolate brands without tasting some of the goodness?!
In the Chocolate Making zone, you can see members of the Cadbury team preparing different varieties of chocolate.
There are also demonstrations on chocolate-making techniques such as tempering, moulding and shelling.
It is in this section where you’ll get to sample a small pot of delicious, hot melted Dairy Milk chocolate.
Either have it as it is or add two toppings of your choice.
From marshmallows and fudge, to white chocolate buttons and orea pieces, there’s something for every taste.
The Have a Go section gives you the chance to try out some of these techniques for yourself!
No matter your age, it’s fun to give it a go and see how good you are.
We did some chocolate writing…with varying degrees of success.
Ben was definitely much better at this than Tanith (her words, not his)!
Advertising Avenue
As marketing folk, Advertising Avenue was right up our alley.
It’s really interesting to wind your way down the alley and see different Cabdury advertising campaigns from over the years.
We think so anyway!
Of course, one of the most iconic adverts Cadbury ever created was the drumming gorilla.
You can even get to watch this advert come to life just as you reach the end of Advertising Avenue.
If you don’t know what we’re talking about, then give it a Google now!
Child-centric areas in the Cadbury World tour
There are a few other areas you can explore in the main Cadbury World tour section of the attraction that we haven’t mentioned above.
These include the Cadabra ride, a green screen photo opportunity, and an interactive zone.
These are aimed at children however, so we gave them a miss.
If you are visiting with little ones, we’re sure they’ll love giving them a go.
Additional areas and exhibitions at Cadbury World
Outside of the main tour building, there are several other areas to explore.
Again, most of these are focused on children (specifically the 4D Chocolate Adventure and African Adventure Play Area), but there are still a couple of spots for adults to enjoy.
The Bournville Experience
More of your ‘traditional’ style of exhibition, the Bourneville Experience shines the spotlight on how Bournville Village came to be thanks to the Cadbury family.
Gill Cocks Collection
The Gill Cocks Collection is an extremely impressive collection of Cadbury memorabilia, generously gifted by Gill Cocks to the Cadbury Archives in Bourneville.
Within the Bourneville Experience space, you can view over 1600 items from Gill’s collection which date back to the 1890s.
Items include wooden chocolate boxes, original adverts, vintage mugs and more.
How to get to Cadbury World
There are plenty of ways to get to Cadbury World, making the attraction highly accessible.
If you’re driving, there is ample parking on site which is free of charge.
Brown navigation signs are displayed from the M5 and M42 to help guide visitors.
Being in a major city, it is also easy to access Cadbury World by train.
If you catch a train to Bournville Station, there are Cadbury World fingerposts and wall signs to help direct you to the entrance – which is approximately a 15-minute walk away.
How much does Cadbury World cost?
If you want to visit Cadbury World, you’re looking at between £18.95 and £21 per adult if you pre-book online.
Their website does give an on-the-day cost of £21 per adult, however pre-booking is essential.
So, you may as well make your booking in advance and potentially save yourself a few quid!
Generally, the price varies depending on the day of the week.
Weekends and school holidays generally sit at £21 per adult.
Children under three are free, and tickets for those aged 3-15 are between £13.95 and £15.50 – again depending on days.
For us (two adults visiting on a weekend), the £42 was quite steep for what is available throughout the attraction.
If you have children, you’d definitely get more out of your money with a lot more of the specific attractions being child-focused.
We only spent a couple of hours there in total, but you could definitely spend longer exploring all areas if visiting with kids.
All that being said, we enjoyed our visit and it is definitely worth taking a trip to Cadbury World if you’ve never been before.
It is still an enjoyable experience and was interesting to learn all about the history of our favourite brand of chocolate.
Once you’ve been once however, you don’t really need to visit again for a good few years.
