Little girl going through the Twizzlers Pull and Peel Maze. Photo courtesy Hershey Super Sweet Adventure

What is the Hershey Super Sweet Adventure?

Hershey Super Sweet Adventure is an interactive story-based experience where families can explore their favorite Hershey treats. Start off by getting a wrist band to swipe at each station-- this also gets you pictures of your group's experience as you move through the different stations of the experience. A guide tells you more about the experience before the doors open into the candy wonderland in Water Tower Place's first floor.

You can choose which order to do the stations in. We visited the Jolly Rancher station first, where kids spin hand wheels to light up the different colors of Jolly Rancher candy, then walk over to the smell tubes to experience the different scents associated with each color. Then, we proceeded to the Twistology Hub, where the junior Sweet Seekers wound their way through laser-beam-like Twizzler cords to the twisty illusion tunnel, which made it look like you were walking through a Twizzler's Pull and Peel.

My son's favorite was the Combination Station, where you can shoot "peanut butter balls" into a Reese's shell-shaped holes (any candy-lovers dream come true because... well, Reese's). You can also push the balls into vacuum tubes to travel different directions into Reese's shell baskets, much like popular wind tunnel exhibits at many children's museums.

My daughter liked the Hershey's Kiss station, where kids walk through a forest of giant Hershey Kiss strips to a coloring station where they can design their own Hershey Kiss wrapper. After they draw what they want and write their own moniker on the paper strip, a guide puts their picture into the virtual Hershey Kiss machine and they can see an animated version of their Hershey Kiss come to life on a virtual screen.

You can also chill out in the IceBreakers area, where you can get a selfie in the cold wind that blows through the room. Throughout the exhibit, there are also several places to scan your wristband to hear a fun song or sound effect. Once you've scanned your wristband in all the stations, you can proceed to the Head Sweet Seeker. He'll give you your own bag of candy to take home and you can even have your own Sweet Seeker ID card printed.

Overall, the experience took us about an hour with two mid-elementary aged kids. Another word to the wise-- don't expect to eat candy throughout the experience. You get about eight pieces of candy from the Sweet Seeker at the end, but kids will be disappointed if they're thinking they'll be eating their way through Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory. We think this experience is best for kids ages 3-10. They'll need enough dexterity to operate some of the equipment, but we think middle school kids and up might not find enough to interest them.

Customize Your Candy

After you've wandered through the exhibits, a stop at the Share Shop is a must. It's where you'll discover the wonder behind wrapping Hershey Kisses, and even better, kids can create their own! Your magical trip through the Hershey Super Sweet Adventure ends with a visit to the Hershey Gift Shop, where you can design a custom wrapper for a Hershey XL chocolate bar for an extra $15. If that isn't the most delectable way to end your time here, I'm not sure what is! 

Little girl coloring a Hershey Kiss. Photo courtesy Hershey Super Sweet Adventure

When does the Hershey Super Sweet Adventure open?

The adventure runs on October 4- December 31 with tickets starting at $24, and head's up: There's also a special deal on Halloween when you can get in for just $15. And be sure to look at the parking deal: Parking at Water Tower for three hours for just $15 with an admission ticket.

If you want to make a day of it, stop by The American Girl Store, the LEGO Store, or the Chicago Sports Museum. You can even grab a meal at Harry Caray's Seventh Inning Stretch (if you're not too full of sweets, that is).

If you want to see what our experience looked like, check it out on social media and get more information about the exhibit here.