GLSC - Chocolate - The Exhibition

Chocolate and its national tour have been developed by The Field Museum, Chicago.
This project was supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation.

The exhibition is locally sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners

Chocolate: The Exhibition
Immerse yourself in a mouth-watering exploration of one of the world's favorite indulgences. From rainforest treasure to mass-produced commodity, this fascinating journey through history presents the complete story behind the delicious phenomenon that we call "chocolate."

Chocolate: The Exhibition will engage your senses and reveal facets of this sumptuous sweet that you've never realized. You'll explore the plant, the products and the culture of chocolate through the lenses of science, history, anthropology, economics and popular culture.

Don't miss this fascinating exploration.

Chocolate Bar
Join our science team for chocolate demonstrations at our Chocolate Bar. Investigate chocolate chemistry with a culinary twist, explore chocolate mysteries, and enjoy a host of chocolate-themed activities.

Conduct tasty experiments with different types of chocolate, "bust" chocolate myths, see how liquid nitrogen can be used to make chocolate ice cream, and much more.

Hi-res box of candy
© 2002 Photodisc

Chocolate Store
Discover sweet confections and delightful gift items in our own Chocolate Store. Shop for chocolate desserts, drinks, sauces, pasta, and luxurious international chocolates. Browse the array of chocolate-themed apparel, DVDs, candles, cookbooks and much more. Chocolate: The Exhibition is a sweet experience for all ages!

Free Chocolate for Members!

Members enjoy free admission to the exhibition as well as a complimentary gift of chocolate. This gift offer is also open to new members who join during the run of the exhibition. While supplies last. Ask for details at the box office.

Win Tickets to Paris!

See Chocolate: The Exhibition and enter a drawing to win two tickets to Paris, France, courtesy of Continental Airlines, with new nonstop Cleveland to Paris service starting May 22, 2008. No purchase necessary. Get sweepstakes details here.

Exhibition Highlights
Begin in the rainforest with the unique cacao tree whose seeds started it all. Visit the ancient Maya civilization of Central America and discover how people used chocolate nearly 1,500 years ago. Then travel to the Aztec civilization of 16th -century Mexico, where cacao seeds were so valuable they were used as money. Learn about chocolate's introduction into the upper class of European society and its transformation into a mass-produced world commodity.

Tropical Rainforest
Enter the lush tropical rainforest and examine a replica of a cacao tree with its seed pods. Learn about the complex ecosystem that supports the healthy growth of this remarkable plant.

The Ancient Maya
See how scientists traced the origins of chocolate consumption to the ancient Maya, who are the first people known to turn the bitter seeds into a spicy drink for use in ceremonies and trade.

The Aztec
Explore an interactive Aztec marketplace to learn the purchasing power of a handful of beans. Find out what treasure Cortés discovered in the storerooms of Montezuma.

Chocolate Comes to Europe
The Spanish conquest of the Americas introduced chocolate to Europe. Learn what really went on in the elite chocolate houses of Europe. Discover the human toll that was paid by enslaved peoples toiling on sugar and cacao plantations to meet the growing European demand.

Chocolate Manufacturing
Take a look at the sweet side of the Industrial Revolution and examine the steady stream of new inventions and creative advertising that brought chocolate bars to the masses.

Chocolate in the Global Market
Explore the relationship between growing, selling, and consuming cacao and trace its ups and downs in the world market.

Promotional Support

Promotional support provided by WVIZ/PBS and 90.3 ideastream.