The new Stanley Chocolate Factory in Estes Park, Colorado is an absolutely impressive addition to the area and a must-visit whether you're a first-time tourist or a repeat visitor to Estes Park. Even though the facility is brand new, the architecture and design pay clear homage to the historic Stanley aesthetic, blending classic elegance with modern craftsmanship. It feels upscale and thoughtfully designed without losing the charm that makes the Stanley name so iconic. The gift shop alone is worth the stop. There is a massive selection of handmade chocolates, and everything is beautifully displayed. The hand-molded chocolates are true works of art--visually stunning and crafted with incredible attention to detail. Even better, they taste as good as they look. The chocolate quality is excellent: rich, smooth, and clearly made with premium ingredients. The truffles were especially impressive, offering a great balance of flavor without being overly sweet. Inside the factory, there's also a coffee shop, which pairs perfectly with the chocolates and makes it easy to linger and enjoy the space. It's a great place to relax, warm up, and take in the surroundings, especially after exploring Estes Park or Rocky Mountain National Park. What makes this location even more exciting is that they're still actively building and finishing additional spaces. You can tell this is going to become a major destination once everything is complete, and even now, it already feels polished and well-run. The staff was friendly, helpful, and happy to answer questions about the chocolates and the facility. Overall, the Stanley Chocolate Factory combines beautiful architecture, exceptional handmade chocolates, and a refined yet welcoming atmosphere. It's an excellent stop in Estes Park and a place I would absolutely return to and recommend to anyone visiting the area. read more

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Had an amazing time at the new Stanley Chocolate Factory! The building itself was smaller than expected, but there's a cute little cafe inside and many different intricate chocolates to buy. We did the chocolate making tour and it was so much fun! You start by learning the history of chocolate making in the pews from the church that used to be in that building, then you go into the kitchen to see where the chocolate gets made. As a class, the tour guide has you all select different mix ins to show you how to make the chocolate bar (we chose marshmallows, pop rocks, and raspberries!) and you all get to try it! The chocolate bar making was super fun and there's many different mix ins available to choose, along with either milk, dark, or white chocolate! You get to pick your mix ins, make your own bar, then they put them in the fridge to harden and you get to add your label at the end to take it home. Jenn, our tour guide, was funny and informative! She definitely helped make the experience so much fun! Highly recommend if you're visiting Estes! read more

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There are a lot of fancy expensive candies to buy and other treats. They even have a chocolate candy class. But in case you need to use the restroom, you have to buy something to get the code. We ended purchasing small trinket of candy for $15. That's a rather expensive fee. So in case you need to use the restrooms, the code is 1912# . Keep this in mind before they change it. read more

Absolutely an incredible and beautiful place. Yes pricy but the Stanley does things right. We been waiting for 2 years and they did an amazing job here. Chocolate making classes l, chocolate and wine pairings, Coffee station, incredible chocolate artwork. What looks like they may bring the whisky tasting room here , looking forward to that. Excellent friendly staff. Great job !!! read more

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This place is a fun addition to the already charming downtown vibe of Estes Park and a neat tie in to the iconic, neighboring Stanley Hotel. However, I must stress the fact that it's not yet complete. An employee informed our party they're currently working on building a carousel for kids, in addition to a top floor restaurant, slated to open in August of this year. That being said, customers are currently limited to the first floor, with stairs blocked off in every room--but there's still plenty to see in the space on hand. The chocolate artistry and creativity filling each display case will take your breath, and tastebuds, far away--leaving behind the sense that you've stumbled into Willy Wonka's magical chocolate factory itself. From colorful bonbons to chubby birds, behind every wall of glass lies a new tasty treasure, waiting to be sampled. Our gold-dusted football pops--in honor of the pending Super Bowl--were incredibly delectable, alongside a bag of moose crunch mix. The only aspect I found to be more bitter than sweet, was a lack of friendliness and acknowledgment given from any worker in the entire room. Three of the four men were perpetually on their phones, peering at unseen screens while studiously avoiding eye contact with patrons. Certainly surprising, given the fact that they've not been open to the public long. Unfortunately, their distinct lack of enthusiasm does take away some hype from the overall experience. Still, I'd recommend stopping in and sampling the lot. For those wanting coffee, there are sugar free options available, which is always a nice surprise. It's also a great spot for souvenir shopping, with plenty of unique merchandise to take home. Definitely a darling, delicious destination for the itinerary! read more

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Upon entering no one said hi or welcome, was very odd for a "high end" chocolate place. I walked around the counter a few times before anyone came over to me. The guy with the long blond hair said "what do you want?" Well, ok... I asked for the passion fruit chocolate. It was ok, but the chocolate itself was dry. Coffee shop on the inside look good but the line was way to long. Prices were good for the drinks. BUT, they wanted $40.00 a pound for chocolate bark? Ummm, no...The building itself was beautiful but poorly decorated for the holidays. Dust everywhere, open boxes on the shelf and tape over electrical cords. So service 1, food, 1 and overall 1 out of 5... read more

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This establishment is not at the Stanley Hotel. We stumbled upon this place only from walking through Elkhorn Avenue after getting some old fashioned taffy. Our first thought when entering was "wow". Upon entering, there is a grand staircase that leads up to the chocolate factory, where you can make your own chocolate (however only allowed for paid classes). When entering the storefront there was a ceiling model train track thats such a cute addition. They also had hot air balloons that descended from the above cloud display. It was truly magical for everyone in our group. The chocolate case display was also impressive. We specifically went for the chocolate animals! We also tried some bon bons, with unusual flavors like miso-caramel and ube mango. They were all delish. The service was excellent! The guy with the longer blonde hair was very patient with us and answered all of our questions about the chocolates AND gave us such a detailed summary of the history of the Stanley's and the building itself. We enjoyed the history lesson. So grateful that he was able to share his knowledge with our group! 10/10 would recommend! read more

Alexis, our chocolate connoisseur & tour guide, was fantastic. He came in on his day off during a snowstorm to make sure we had the best experience possible. He was funny and informative, and the chocolate making was fun! We wish it was a little more technically-involved, but for bigger groups it definitely makes sense. We'd love to come back! read more

I specifically visited the chocolate factory to take tour...and buy some chocolate. Immediately upon arrival I was met with a talking elk and a cool entrance. Unfortunate nearly all areas were roped off. The main retail area was visually appealing, however, I was met with rude employees who were more focused on filling candy bags for resale and annoyed at me asking questions. The candy display was amazing, with unique chocolate artistry however, a bit pricy. I did not buy anything. They need to focus on family budgets. Even if a small selection. Too boutique...and hard to tell the kiddos you can't buy a piece of chocolate because it is too expensive. I was told by employees if I wanted to sign up for a tour, I had to do this online. Ok...but the website was not set up to take reservations and when I attempted to book on site, they said they could not help or even tell me when the next available tour would be ...again the were annoyed at me asking. The tour board just indicated sold out. Sad as this was the reason for my visit. Obviously they were not concerned that I was annoyed for driving up to visit "their" business that had bad customer service. Luckily there were other amazing shops downtown that were very customer focused that added to our amazing family vacation getaway experience. We wish we had a bigger vehicle as we bought a lot by of amazing items from Stick N Stones!! We will be back soon to visit Sticks N Stones...it will have to take a lot for me try the Stanley Chocolate Factory again. read more

We came specifically for this place. Came mid week. Couldn't go upstairs. Candy counter, specifically the truffles were bare. Chocolate bark didn't look appetizing. This "chocolate shop" was a flop. The coffee shop area wasn't anything to write home about. I think I saw a couple of what looked like cupcakes but didn't approach cause it seemed as though what they had out was weekend leftovers. A wasted trip and so not worth the hype. You'd think being associated with the hotel it would've been presented better. Even mid week. There's no excuse for not putting your best foot forward all the time read more

What an absolute treat! This place just opened but it feels like it's been there forever! Mouth watering chocolate of course, AND consistently the best cappuccinos I've ever had! We had the honor of being some of the guinea pigs for the chocolate bar making class and the kids and I were mesmerized! "This is best chocolate factory in the world! Even better than Willy Wonka!" - A.M. 9 yo boy. Can't wait to come back. Thank you! read more

The Stanley Chocolate Factory - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Estes Park, Colorado

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The place is gorgeous but very disappointing when you go inside. It's much smaller than you expect. The chocolates are cheap looking/tasting. There is a very small selection. And then the prices were very too high for the quality. You are basically paying for the name. read more