One of the world's largest chocolate makers plans to open a family-friendly indoor entertainment venue at a Northern Virginia mall, marking its East Coast debut.
The Hershey Co. said the interactive experience, called Hershey Super Sweet Adventure, is set for early next year at the Tysons Corner Center in Tysons. Santa Monica, California-based Macerich owns the mall.
The play-and-entertainment venue will encompass about 17,300 square feet, a spokesperson for the project told CoStar News via email. Guests can expect to explore themed playrooms, participate in games and even create their own customized candy wrapper. The location is also designed to include an on-site retail store open to both ticketed and non-ticketed guests.
The deal is part of "Macerich's commitment to creating dynamic destinations that offer more than just shopping," Bob Maurer, vice president of business development at Macerich, said in an emailed statement to CoStar News. The company declined to provide lease details, though it equated the retailer to a "touring experience."
Hershey teamed with Original X Productions on the upcoming venue, joining other entertainment experiences from well-known companies that are popping up from coast to coast.
In Dallas, streaming giant Netflix plans to open the latest location of its immersive year-round entertainment playground, called Netflix House, next week, roughly a month after debuting the concept in suburban Philadelphia. In Los Angeles, Facebook owner Meta's new two-story flagship store buzzes with interactive zones, including a vinyl listening lounge, an immersive room that turns selfies into art, and a tiny skate park designed for "fingerboarding," where people perform tricks on miniature skateboards with their fingers.
Back at Northern Virginia's Tysons Corner Center, game hub Level99 opened earlier this year, and elsewhere near the nation's capital, toymaker Lego operates an indoor attraction at the Springfield Town Center in Springfield, Virginia.
The entertainment venues are grabbing retail spaces amid low availability. The Tysons retail market, for example, has a vacancy rate of 2.3%, according to CoStar's latest report.
Hershey, no stranger to creating entertainment destinations, debuted the Super Sweet Adventure concept in Chicago in 2024, though that location has since ended its run to open in Tysons.
As for Original X, it has created other immersive attractions, including the Friends Experience and the Office Experience based on the popular TV shows, and Harry Potter: Magic at Play.
"As the region's premier retail and entertainment destination, Tysons offers the ideal home for an experience of this scale," Original X CEO Stacy Moscatelli said in a statement.