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A Sweet Escape: Adventures in Candytopia

By Abby Cowan, Contributing writer and Aidan Blackwell, Contributing writer | July 19, 2021

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Buzz interns Abby Cowan and Aidan Blackwell had a ball exploring Candytopia.
The grand gates to Candytopia.
This dragon, El Fira, is made out of 125,000 pieces of candy and took over 542 hours to assemble.
Emma Ruggiero enjoyed the swings in the green exhibit.
Siblings Vincent and Emma Ruggiero posed for a picture in front of the hypnotic backdrop.
When unicorns and pigs fall in love!
Buzz writer Dai Huynh and her daughter Sofia are stuck in the marshmallow pit.
The various kinds of candy sold in the gift shop.

Candytopia is exactly what the name suggests - a sugar-filled utopia. To start, you’ll find yourself walking along a regal, pink velvet carpet moving towards the rainbow double doors. Once you step inside, you wait for the fun to begin behind the opulent, golden “Candytopia” gate. You are then welcomed inside by energetic employees, ready to lead your group through this family-friendly phantasmagoria of fun.

Valerie Sweeten stands in front of the confetti leaf blower for a photo.

Each room was authentically designed to fit a theme and interact with the viewer. From the underwater room to the rainbow room, each section had interactive elements such as buckets of free candy, swing sets, a marshmallow pit, and plenty of photo ops. Of course, our favorite parts were the assorted candy chests - you’re encouraged to satisfy your sweet tooth along the way. If you are not in a candy coma by the end of your visit, the gift shop is the perfect place to stock up on even more candy and Candytopia merchandise.

The exhibits also featured sculptures made purely from candy, with signs signifying how many hours and pieces of candy were put into every creation. Some of our favorite sculptures were the life-size dragon (125,000 pieces of candy, over 542 hours) and the recreation of Van Gogh's Starry Night (13,000 pieces of candy, 111 hours).

Lindsey Wimmer, Madi Wimmer, Nancy Smit,

Lindsey and Madi Wimmer and Nancy Smit pose before entering the exhibits.

On our way out, one of the owners, John Goodman, explained that in creating Candytopia, he and his partners wanted “all ages to enjoy themselves and experience a ‘sweet escape’.”

Because of the high demand after a successful popup in 2019, Candytopia has returned to Houston and will be located in CityCentre (822 Town and Country Blvd.) through Sept. 6, this time located in CityCentre. Tickets can be purchased on the Candytopia website for $28 per adult, $24 per child (ages 4-12), and kids under the age of 3 enter for free. We recommend purchasing your tickets in advance as they sell out fast; Candytopia is the hot spot for sugar fanatics.