PEZ Factory & Visitor Center – What to Know
Despite PEZ being pervasive in American pop culture for decades, I hadn’t thought about this iconic candy in well many years. That is, until I found myself looking for things to do in the area surrounding New Haven, Connecticut. Lo and behold, the PEZ Factory is located nearby in Orange, Connecticut and has a visitor center/museum open to the public. The most surprising part was that it turned out to be one of the coolest things we did on our trip!
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HOW TO GET THERE
The PEZ Factory & Visitor Center is located at 35 Prindle Hill Rd, Orange, CT 06477 and is only about a 15 minute drive from New Haven. Once you get close, there are signs pointing you to the parking lot (which is free).
The visitor center is open from 10AM-5PM every day.
COST OF ADMISSION
At the time of writing, here are the current costs of admission:
- Adults: $5
- Children under 3: Free
- Children 3-12: $4
- Seniors 60+: $4
You can purchase tickets on site upon arrival.
In addition to your self-guided tour, tickets include a lanyard (yours to keep) and a $2 credit towards any merchandise. This can get you a very cheap PEZ dispenser with 3 rolls of candy, as they start at $2.52!
Admission also includes a free game that changes each month. When we visited, you had to identify 8 PEZ dispensers from close up pictures. Get them all correct and you can spin the wheel for a free PEZ dispenser that includes 1 roll of candy.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Upon entering, you are welcomed by the world’s largest PEZ dispenser. Beyond that are cases displaying hundreds of PEZ dispensers, video displays showing how the candy is made, a timeline of the history of PEZ, trivia and matching games, and more.
The factory floor is only operational during weekdays (with the exception of holidays, ). We visited on a Sunday, so we could see the factory through the glass, but nothing was going on. For health/safety purposes, visitors are not allowed on the factory floor.
I found the visitor center very informative, telling the story of PEZ from its creation in Poland to becoming a pervasive part of American culture. PEZ was even referenced in ET and an episode of Seinfeld!
They also have every PEZ dispenser ever created on display. I even found the Honey Nut Cheerios bee mini dispenser I got in a box of cereal as a kid. With everything from ET to Star Wars to SpongeBob and US president on PEZ dispensers, there’s so much nostalgia packed into this 4,000 square foot facility.
I went into this thinking “ok this could be really lame” and genuinely ended up loving the experience! The scavenger hunt was fun and gave us a reason to really look at every PEZ dispenser. We discovered so many we would have never imagined existed (like an entire series of big rig truck PEZ dispensers).
Our fellow visitors ranged dramatically in age, from kids to retirees. There’s something for everyone here. Despite the youthful nature of candy, I think adults will appreciate the experience even more than kids because of the history and nostalgia associated with this particular candy. Let’s be real, PEZ is far from being the best tasting candy, but it’s certainly one of the most iconic!
My husband and I ended up each purchasing a PEZ dispenser (I got the Santa Claus, the highest selling PEZ dispenser, and my husband got Luigi from the Mario Bros franchise). We also each got a free PEZ dispenser for completing the scavenger hunt.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We spent $11.04 total for 2 adults to enjoy a little over an hour in the PEZ Visitor Center (that included admission and the 4 PEZ dispensers we walked out with). That’s a pretty sweet deal, no pun intended.
If you’re looking for something to do around the New Haven and Milford, Connecticut area, the PEZ Factory & Visit Center is a hidden gem.
Don’t forget to pin this post for future planning!
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