Chocolate Lovers Delight in Alaska

Chocolate lovers may expect Willie Wonka to appear any moment when they visit the Alaska Wild Berry Products Park in Anchorage, Alaska.
Step into the Wild Berry Products store and immediately before you is a dazzling 20-foot chocolate waterfall, believed to be the world's largest.
This is real chocolate - 3400 pounds of it. The liquid milk chocolate cascades down several layers of carved waterfall setting. And if this isn't enough, enormous chunks of chocolate are stacked beside the waterfall, too. The scent is pure heaven.

And that's only the beginning of the experience. Tours of the candy factory are available all day long. Just ask and the staff will happily oblige. Free samples of recently-completed candy (chocolate and otherwise) are scattered throughout the store on display shelves.

The rustic-looking store also sells authentically Alaskan products like dried salmon and caribou. They boast a wide array of jams and jellies made of lingenberry, raspberry, blueberry, bush cranberry and other wild berries (thus the store's name).

The store features huge stuffed teddy bears lounging on a player piano and other homespun touches. Talented employees stroll around playing the fiddle or singing.
But this is Anchorage, Alaska and there's much to see outdoors, too. Next door to the store is the Wild Berry Park. There's a wilderness trail that's an easy walk with sturdy shoes. It's possible to see Alaskan birds, moose or reindeer. Some of the reindeer are tame enough for you to pose for a photo with them.

Even though it's only a few minutes from downtown Anchorage, the natural wilderness setting is preserved in the park and amidst all the trees and blue skies it suddenly dawns on you that this is what Alaska is all about.

The newest addition to the compound is the Wild Berry Theatre, which features the entertaining film "Alaska: The Land Beyond" on its elaborate digital projection system. Shows occur on the hour from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the summer season. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.and the bonus is that it stays light in Alaska till nearly midnight, so you can pack a lot of fun into the late-night hours.