Cologne chocolate factory

If you haven't been to the Cologne chocolate factory, don't waist any more time.  It took us 4 years to go and I'm so glad we did.  It was great and if you have someone visiting you, then definitely put this on your sightseeing list.

When driving there, you can't miss it!

However parking is not the easiest.  For info on parking, click here.
When you enter, they have a coat check, bathrooms, gift shop and restaurant.  There is a foyer area and all these things are accessible from the foyer as well as purchasing tickets.

The restaurant has LOTS of sweets, and a few salads.  Other than that, don't expect any large meals or anything that is not really chocolate related...no pastas, fries, or schnitzel here.

It is however, dazzling with it's chocolate pastries and gourmet hot chocolates and coffees, etc.

Once you buy your ticket and go inside, this place goes on for what seems like forever!  We were shocked!!!  Even my kids had a great time.  It was so interactive. 

You could make your own chocolate, find out how chocolate is made, the history of chocolate, see the molds that special chocolate pieces are made from, etc.

The options were unlimited!  It was a lot more fun for the entire family than I expected.  My kiddos weren't bored and they loved watching all the machinery make the chocolate.

The factory had little kiosk where you could create your own chocolate,

such as adding blueberries and almonds to a dark chocolate bar. 

You submit your order and depending on the line,

you could have your own personalized chocolate bar in about 30 minutes.

There were samples everywhere too.  It was so much fun!

The gift shop had so much to choose from:  cupcakes, coffees,

liquor, candy, molds, gift baskets, stuffed animals, etc.

The gift shop is accessible at the entrance of the chocolate museum, so visitors do not have to go through the entire museum in order to access it.  If you just want to go to the factory restaurant to eat some chocolatey desserts and buy some goodies at the gift shop, that is possible without having to go through the museum at all.

Christmas season: Opening hours

The museum is open on the following days:

On 26 December 2017 (2nd Christmas holiday) from 11.00 to 19.00 hours
On 31 December 2017 (New Year's Eve) from 10:00 to 17:00 hrs
On 1 January 2018 (New Year) from 11:00 to 19:00 hrs
The museum will be closed on 24 and 25 December 2017!

INFO:
Website:  http://www.schokoladenmuseum.de/en/
Address:  Schokoladenmuseum Köln
Am Schokoladenmuseum 1a
50678 Köln
Germany
Prices:  Children under 6 years old are FREE
11,50 euro for adults
7,50 for children over 6

Hours of operations:

Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Note: Closed on Mondays 6/13/20 and 27 November 2017
Saturday, Sunday, bank holidays 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
In November 2017 and from 8 January 2018 until the beginning of the NRW Easter holidays closed on Mondays!

Dinosaur Park

If you are looking for something to do on a Sunday in Germany, this Dinopark is the perfect place to visit.  It's great for kids AND adults.  We all had a great time and even though it poured down rain at the beginning of the day, we still ended up enjoying the scenery and had lots of fun discovering all types of dinosaurs and bones.
When you first enter the park, there are well kept (free) public restrooms.  There is also a shop and ticket building where you purchase your entrance tickets.  You must go through this building in order to enter into the park.

The gift store had goodies from small to large. 

You could purchase toys, t-shirts, binoculars, stones,

stuffed animals and rain gear.

Once you purchase your tickets you can also download a free app that will tell you about the park as you walk along the paths.  It will have an English option and you can listen to facts about each dinosaur and their era.
On the day that we went, there was a rain storm at the start of our day.  Lucky for us, the park had a great covered eating area and a little snack bar, where we purchased some brauts and fries and hunkered down for the storm to lighten up. 

Eating tent to stay out of the elements

There is also some fun things for your kids to keep busy with in this area as well, including an area to uncover dinosaur bones. 

There are also bathrooms in this area, which are free as well.

After eating, the rain let up and we were on our way.  We had a map, provided at the ticket counter for free, which we took with us so we could see where all the paths went.  Dogs are allowed and everyone just seemed to enjoy walking around and exploring.

 

You were able to touch all the dinosaurs that were reachable and in some areas even climb on them.

Towards the end of the park, there is an open play area and playground.

But, what was unexpected was the kids activities that were available.  You could chose from discovering fossils in rocks, to mining activities and discovering copper and silver, to painting your own model dinosaurs. 

All of this was for a small price and there were LOTS of options.
Along the way, there were small placards that told of the dinosaurs and some info about them.  They were in Dutch and English.

At the end of the park, there was a caveman exhibit that had mammoths and other displays.

This was great little family trip.  It's close to the base and will offer 3-6 hours of fun for the entire family.

INFO:
***The 2018 season starts on March 24th and ends on November 4th. ***
The park is open daily-also on Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 18:00 hours
Distance from Spangdahlem AB front gate:  32 minutes
Website:  http://www.dinopark-teufelsschlucht.de
Address:  Dinosaurierpark Teufelsschlucht
Ferschweilerstr. 50
54668 Ernzen
Tel (0)652593393-44
Ticket Prices:  8,50 euro for children 4-12
10,50 Euro for above 13