The most recent addition to the Insta experience club, opened this past weekend at Santa Monica Place in downtown Santa Monica. It’s called Candytopia, and Elliot and I were excited to be among some of the first to visit what turned out to be a pretty sweet time! Pun intended!
Candytopia? What’s that?
Candytopia, similar to The Museum of Ice Cream and The Happy Place, is a themed interactive experience with no real purpose other than fun and of course Instagram photo opportunities galore.
Once inside you’ll follow a one way path through a variety of brightly colored and very cheerful rooms full of interactive exhibits, photos ops, and of course all the sweet treats you can eat.
Related: The Museum of Ice Cream Los Angeles
Related: Happy Place Los Angeles
Entrance Hall
As soon as you enter the entrance hall you’ll be immersed in all things Candytopia, and not just sights, but sounds too!
The employees are dressed like Oompa Loompas, and a flair for the dramatic is most definitely a requirement for anyone seeking employment in Candytopia.
Library and Introduction
The “Library” is where you’ll hear a little bit about the founder of Candytopia, get your first candy treat, yummy chocolates, and sign the guest book.
Unlike the other interactive locations we experienced, visitors were welcome to take more than one treat.
Treat: Lindor Chocolates
Museum Gallery
This was one of my favorite rooms. The walls were lined with famous portraits and recreations of famous paintings and statues made completely of candy. In fact almost everything inside Candytopia was made of candy!
Alongside each piece of art was listed the amount of candy and type used, as well as the calories and grams of sugar.
Seeing all those calories in writing definitely helped keep my candy intake in check!
Treat: Candy Necklaces
Under the Sea
Candy sea creatures of all types filled this under the sea themed room, but the boys were on the fast track and didn’t stay long…
Treat: Pixie Sticks
💯Swing & Op Art Room
We all loved this room. The 💯 emoji swing was my favorite, but I think Elliot liked the whirlpool and flying among the clouds.
Treat: Airheads
Tropical Beach
We breezed through the beach area, but not before Elliot gave both the hammock and the surf board a quick spin.
Look out Elliot! Shark!
Treat: Saltwater Taffy
When Pigs Fly
What is it about confetti? I know this room had multiple interactive experiences, but honestly we were so busy playing in the confetti, which seemed to be flying out of a pig’s rear end that we didn’t pay much attention to anything else.
After we’d had our fill, and our clothes and hair were filled too, we set off for the next room…
Treat: Gummies
Marshmallow Pit
The final room, and Elliot’s favorite was the giant “marshmallow” pit, which filled the room entirely. In actuality they were foam pieces in the shape of jumbo marshmallows, but it was a great illusion, and the Elliot and his friend had a wonderful time romping around.
Personally, I found it quite difficult to move at all, and after a short while I gave up and enjoyed watching them from the sidelines.
Gift Shop
The gift shop was filled to the brim with delicious treats and fun gifts, but we’d had our fill during the visit, so after a quick look around we went on our merry way… After all that candy it was time for lunch!
These tickets were purchased as a holiday gift, which eased some of my guilt about them being on the expensive side. We had a lovely time, took a ton of photos and had more than our fill of candy. Of the three Insta experiences we’ve attended I felt that Candytopia was the most family friendly.
Tips & Advice:
- Candytopia tickets are available online and must be purchased in advance.
- Don’t be late. Only 30 ish people are allowed in for each time slot and if you’re late you’ll have to wait and hope there is room in the next time slot.
- Candytopia is located on the East side of the Santa Monica Place Mall. The entrance is on the second floor. You’ll exit on the ground level.
- Parking is available in the mall parking structure. Depending on where you park the first three hours are free.
- No outside food or drinks are allowed inside Candytopia.
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