When I was a child growing up in the Philippines, I had dreamed of going to the “Goya Fun Factory”. I still remember some parts of that CF (commercial film) and I would beg my Ate Alice to take me there. I thought it was for real ~ the train and the chocolate dream land!!! Alas, nothing like that existed in the Philippines when I was young.
Here in Korea, there is a “museum” for kids that is not exactly the “Goya Fun Factory” but it is operated by Korea’s top confectionery maker ~ Lotte. It’s called the “Lotte Sweet Factory” and it is located at their building in Yeongdeung-po. I had the chance to visit there last year ~ but I wasn’t able to take lots of photos since we were that we could only take them at designated places.
A Trip to the Lotte Sweet Factory
The trip to the Lotte Sweet Factory is free and they are conducted every hour with only a total of 30 kids are allowed per session. Upon checking our names on the visitor list, we were each given an ID card to keep and exchange later for a gift. We took the elevator to the 2nd floor of the building and then we entered a “tunnel” lined with Lotte confectionery products.
The first stop is the Lotte Xylitol Gum. There was a video presentation highlighting how xylitol is good for the teeth. Then there was a game for the kids to play.
Second stop is the chocolate presentation. The kids were given free Lotte ABC chocolate. Third is the “bakery” where the kids participate in a baking simulation of Margaret and Lotte Custard. The guests are given free samples of these popular snacks.
The fourth stop is for the “Kokalcorn” or the cone-shaped corn chips. The kids enjoyed this part the most as they were given baskets of the product after being demonstrated how it is made ~ and it happens to be my son’s favorite junk food.
The fifth stop is the “Ice Cream Factory” where the kids are shown how ice cream is made. Then we were ushered to the mini-theater where a short movie is shown about two kids exploring the “Lotte Sweet Factory”.
After the movie, we went to the first floor “Sweet Land” where we exchanged our ID tags for a box of goodies:
What’s inside the box? Every child’s favorite Lotte confectionery.
Lotte Sweet Factory is not really what I imagined it to be. It’s not an actual factory where kids can see how their favorite junk food is made ~ but it is safe and enjoyable enough for little kids. The freebies are great ~ and the “Sweet Land” also sells chocolates and other Lotte products at less than the retail price.
If you wanna visit the “Lotte Sweet Factory”, reservation is needed. The website is in Korean though ~ but there are still slots left this April. My then 9-year old said the presentation is “yuchi” but the freebies are great. All the information at the museum is also in Korean ~ no problem with kids though.
Website: Lotte Sweet Factory ~ http://www.lotteconf.co.kr/factory/main.asp?mn=050100
Reservation: http://www.lotteconf.co.kr/factory/visit2.asp?sStartDate=2016-05-01&mn=050400
Entrance fee: FREE
Location: 서울시 ì˜ë“±í¬êµ¬ ì–‘í‰ë™ 21길 10 (Seonyudo station on line 9, exit 7)
hello. is this still open? I’m adding this to our itinerary on May. thank you.
Yes it is but you need to make a reservation in advance.