What: Chocolate factory and shop. I made a reservation and we took advantage of the Yelp deal for $9.99 to do the Chocolate Tasting Experience. Kids are $4.99. It was about 45-60 minutes and we learned about the cocoa plant and how chocolate is made, and tasted 4 pieces of chocolate. They gave us white truffle, peanut butter, pecan caramel (turtle-like), dark chocolate with lemon cream inside. Chris was knowledgeable and very patient with my 9-year old's questions. Very educational! It was 10am on a weekday, so we were the only ones there. It was like a private tour! They also give you a bottled water to clear your palette between each taste. Plus they give you 20% off a purchase at the store.
After that, we walked along the back of the store where the factory is and saw workers getting ready to make chocolate. At the end, we saw workers doing quality control on the chocolate. If it isn't perfect, they throw it in a bin on the floor and give it to the employees!
We walked around the small store and had to ask for a sample (their workers still need a bit of training).
Then we walked around the cactus garden out back. You can actually walk around the cactus garden without even having to step into the store as it is along the side/front of the building.
I didn't buy any chocolate because we tasted so much already and I didn't *love* the chocolate. I actually prefer See's or the high end chocolates from San Francisco (Recchiuti Confections or TCHO Chocolate).
Tip: Clean bathrooms! Always a plus in my book.