Hello!

Planning to visit New York City with kids?

I was in New York City for just one day with my 13-year-old daughter, and her only goal was to visit all the best Times Square candy shops. She was not looking for the small, unique chocolate shops (there are many of those as well). She wanted to visit M&M's World, the Hershey's Chocolate World, and Dylan's Candy Bar.

We spent an entire afternoon exploring those three shops, and here is what we learned.

Dylan's Candy Bar

My daughter had high expectations for Dylan's Candy Bar after hearing about it from her friends. It didn't disappoint.

This two-story candy shop was filled with beautiful colors and unique candies. I thought the in-store chocolate fountain where you can dip strawberries and marshmallows while you shop was a fun touch. There is an ice cream sundae shop on the third level but it was closed the day we were there and we didn't get to enjoy it.

My daughter's favorite thing about Dylan's was finding so many varieties in candy all in one place. I loved the nostalgia candy section and had a great time introducing her to Big Hunk candy bars, Fruit Stripe gum, and “cigarettes gum”.

She was shocked that candy cigarettes even existed, and couldn't believe that all the kids tried them back in the day. It was never a good idea, but it was still a trip down memory lane for me. We had a good time laughing and trying new treats at Dylan's.

You can find nearly any kind of candy here, and that is the appeal of Dylan's Candy Bar. Bring you wallet because Dylan's is not cheap.

M&Ms World

M&Ms World has that “WOW” factor. This colorful store is decorated in M&M themes and paraphernalia in every nook and cranny. We loved looking at M&M-themed umbrellas, beach towels, pajamas, t-shirts, socks, pencil cases, toys, and so many other things. We left with different colored M&Ms shirts for all my kids, which made a great souvenir.

My daughter's favorite part was filling her own bag with M&Ms of any color. We got a bag of colored M&Ms to match my older daughter's high school colors, and I filled a bag of baby blue and white for a baby shower I was attending. You can get M&Ms of any shape, color and size from these colorful tubes lining the walls on every level.

On the top floor of M&Ms World, we discovered a station where you can select whatever color M&Ms you want and personalize them with whatever you would like. We grabbed pictures with the M&Ms Statue of Liberty at M&Ms World and decided this was one of our favorite New York City candy shops.

Hershey's Chocolate World

Hershey's Chocolate World was underwhelming after visiting M&Ms World and Dylan's Candy Bar. We had high hopes for Hershey's since we love Hershey, Pennsylvania. They had plenty of chocolate, but not the WOW factor that the other two Times Square candy shops did. Perhaps if we had gone here first, it would have impressed us more.

You can buy all the Hershey candy that you want here and it is more reasonably priced than other Times Square candy shops. There was a long line to make your own Hershey kiss but we didn't wait in it. A visit to Hershey, Pennsylvania is far more impressive.

Conclusion

Shopping for candy in Times Square is lots of fun. You'll find plenty of customized candy and unique souvenirs.

We loved Dylan's Candy Shop and M&M's World. We weren't as impressed with Hershey's Chocolate World, but if you have never seen a Hershey's megastore, it doesn't hurt to swing through.