House of Marzipan and Chocolate, Galilee

Visiting the Holy Land isn’t just about visiting religious sites. It also means getting to know the country, people, and local attractions. One of the fascinating places to visit in Israel is the House of Marzipan and Chocolate. The Marzipan Museum is in Tabor village, at the foot of Mount Tabor, in the Galilee. Farmlands and beautiful almond groves surround the rural village. The museum is part of the Tabor Visitors’ Center. Here you can learn about the agricultural settlement’s three main crops–olives, grapes, and almonds. Local industries produce olive oil, wine, and marzipan from these crops.

Tabor Marzipan Museum

Marzipan is made from almonds grown by the Tabor village farmers. In 1998, locals opened the first marzipan sculpture display at the small Tavor Museum. As interest in the unusual sculptures grew, the museum needed a bigger home. In 2001, the Marzipan Museum moved into the Kfar Tavor Visitors’ Center. Talented marzipan artists have crafted fun and fascinating marzipan scenes and figures. Among the marzipan displays, are a Jerusalem street scene, Elvis, international leaders, animals, fairy-tale characters, and plates of food made of marzipan. Imagine a marzipan pizza, a marzipan forest scene, marzipan Netanyahu, or a bowl of marzipan fruit!

Things to See and Do at the Marzipan Museum

The museum offers hands-on workshops where you can create your marzipan figures. There are also chocolate workshops where you can make pralines. If you’re traveling with kids, this is an excellent break from sightseeing.

A visit to the Marzipan Museum starts with a short introductory video. Learn how marzipan is made from the almonds grown by local farms, and the process from field to table. Take a look through a large window at the marzipan factory at work. Then, walk through the small museum admiring the many marzipan sculptures. Visitors can taste the marzipan and even try almond milk. You can join a marzipan workshop or chocolate-making workshop. On the way out, stop at the museum store for baked goods, almonds, olive oil, marzipan, and chocolates. The store also sells locally grown spices and natural products from the Galilee.