We Tried $13 Candy Bars in Gatlinburg… Was It Worth It? 

We tried the “Design Your Own” kiosk at Goo Goo Clusters on the parkway and we’d do it again

I couldn’t help but think of Willy Wonka.The kids had finished designing their candy bars at the kiosks in the next room and were ready to watch the Goo Goo artist, like a Subway sandwich artist, but with candy – bring their concoction to life.

But I was distracted by a pair of running faucets, one of dark chocolate and one of milk chocolate. It wasn’t a waterfall but it was a never-ending flow of chocolate. Since the kids had designed their own candy concoctions, a song about “Pure Imagination” didn’t seem out of place.

We got to watch our Goo Goo artist – I looked online, Goo Goo calls them chocolatiers, but I like my name for them better. He put together the kids creation, both featuring milk chocolate and marshmallow crème – the stickiest stuff in the world our guy said while putting on his gloves.

I figured the kids – ages 10 & 13 – would like it, of course. But I was surprised just how excited they were for the process. The 13-year-old has some interest in cooking but both fully engaged from beginning to end. It was a lot of fun

But how were the candy bars? You’ll have to read on to find out.

What are Goo Goo Clusters?

They’re the round, marshmallow nougat candy bar that you’ve seen around off and on all of your life. They were originally full of peanuts. They never quite fit on the candy shelf at the supermarket checkout. So I can’t say they were everywhere like Snickers or Reese’s, but they were around.

Born in Nashville in 1912, created by Howard Campbell for the Standard Candy Company, they were perfect for the counter at local general stores. The clusters were originally sold unpackaged from glass jars – like pickles – in the region. The cluster is the first combination candy bar, featuring multiple types of candy rather than all chocolate. They were eventually packaged once techniques were improved.

Over the years, there have been variations and adjustments. But the original Goo Goo Cluster – named after the sound a baby makes, Goo Goo, not Cluster – the original style contains marshmallow nougat, caramel and roasted peanuts covered in chocolate. If you’re a Tennessean of a certain era they’d make a great lunchtime snack along with a cold dope (soda).

Do you have to Design your Own?

No. The store – which is small – has boxes of Goo Goo Clusters ready to go. You can get Goo Goo Clusters and Goo Goo Cluster Merch.

How was the Design-Your-Own Process?

Surprisingly fun. We walked up and the kiosks were empty. You work your way through four steps – including choosing between dark or milk chocolate. Then you and add two sweet layers like marshmallow crème, salty caramel, peanut butter, cookie butter or others. From there you choose add-in ingredients that can include nuts, salty items like potato chips or pretzels, a variety of sweets including cereals like Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Fruity Pebbles or things like coconut flakes or crumbled up Oreos. You then have a choice of add-ons which include rainbow sprinkles for an additional 50 cents.

The Goo Goo Artist/Chocolatier

From there you go into the chocolate room and watch the Goo Goo Artist/Chocolatier bring your concoction to life. The empty bases are pre-made premium chocolate and the artist goes about filling it as ordered. It really is a little like the toppings station at Subway.

I did get a kick watching him putting the marshmallow crème in with a piping bag. People handling radioactive material at Oak Ridge use less caution. After the creme, he ran the cups under the chocolate faucet and used a tool to scrap away the excess. The cluster is then placed into some kind of box – maybe a chiller? – for the chocolate to settle.

The five or six minutes wait adds to the anticipation, actually. When ready, your custom made Goo Goo Cluster is boxed and delivered. It’s about 4 ounces of chocolate wonder, ready to be devoured just outside or carefully preserved for later.

Was it Worth it?

You know, I really think it was. I blanched a little when I saw the price, and also drew a scornful look from my wife when I told the kids they could each make one.

But the kids had fun and, frankly, the Clusters turned out really well. Sure, they could have purchased other candy from dozens of other shops on the parkway. However, none would have been quite as memorable. And the process makes it likely that the result will be good. I’m not sure you could make a bad candy bar there if you tried.

A word of caution, John Paul has a mild nut allergy. There were signs all over that said while they try to protect against cross-contamination, there are a lot of nuts in the place, and they can’t guarantee it. If JP’s allergies were more severe, I would not have let him try it. That being said, he ordered his without nuts and had no issues.

In fact, even though he’s not much of a chocolate guy – he gives away his chocolate Halloween candy – he really enjoyed his own concoction and devoured it, which is not really his style. He was already talking about what options he’d like to try for the next time. So, I’d say the Goo Goo Cluster experience was certainly worth it.

What do you think? Have you tried building your own Goo Goo Cluster? Let us know in the comments and on the socials!