Address
16 Yankee Candle Way, South Deerfield, Mass
Phone Number
(877) 636 - 7707
Date Visited
11/20/2015
Website
Yankee Candle Village, Mass.
Description
Yankee Candle Village is located at 16 Yankee Candle Way, South Deerfield, Mass.There are many handicapped parking spaces in both the front and back lots.
All entrances are street-level and handicapped-accessible. Only the main entrance has automatic glass doors.
This one level building has a variety of flooring surfaces, all of which are fairly smooth. Wide aisles makes navigation easy.
Three sets of restrooms are clearly marked and easy to enter and exit. All are multi-stall with large, handicapped-accessible stalls and baby-changing stations.
There are many food/snack choices in the market/cafe area.
Some seating can be found throughout the village, with the greatest number of seats in the food area.
Everyone is extremely pleasant and helpful.
- Surface of lot: paved
Distance to venue: close
Terrain: flat
Places to rest: benches on porch
Paths and walkways: stone pavers and wooden walks
Elevators: none
Ramps: none
Steps and staircases: none
Width of aisles: very spacious
Places to sit: ***
Location of restrooms: see map of store
Type of restroom: multi-stall, handicapped-accessible
Ease of entry and exit: OK
Baby changing station: yes
Available food services: ***
Friendliness of staff: very friendly and helpful
Notes: * Many handicapped spaces can be found in both front and back lots.** All entrances are street-level and handicapped accessible. Only the main entrance has automatic doors.*** There are many choices for snacking or more in the market and cafe area.
My husband and I had passed the large letters announcing the Yankee Candle Factory Store, on the side of a building as we drove north on Route 91 in Vermont. On this Friday in November we had some extra time and decided to stop, never realizing how long we would wind up being there. It turned out that the building with the letters was not the place we wanted to be. Yankee Candle Village was much closer to the exit than we realized.
When we finally found our way to the village (the signage from the exit is poor), we saw a huge, paved, parking area with an equally large building. There are many handicapped parking spaces in both front and back lots. Stone pavers lead to a wooden porch (with many benches) and automatic, double-glass doors. The other entrances do not have automatic doors.
One of the things we noticed as we entered were two wheelchairs. The lovely woman who welcomed us told us that wheelchairs and strollers are available throughout the store for anyone needing them. She also gave us a map, which we definitely needed. There are twelve different areas,””…where magic comes to life. From watching animated, singing characters to celebrating Christmas year ’round (along with snow every four minutes), it’s an unusual place where your whole family can experience an enchanting mix of shopping and entertainment.”” (website)
As we followed the map we made our way through 400,000 candles in over 150 different scents. We found the Bavarian Christmas Village and Black Forest, General Store, Toy Shop, Nutcracker Castle, Home, Kitchen, and Housework areas. There is a New England Market selling delicious treats, a cafe and bakery, fudge, popcorn and Ben & Jerry’s.
In the interactive area we found people making their own candles. You can even make a wax hand or your own wax jar. What fun!
As we made our way around the areas we noticed the variety of flooring, from smooth concrete, to wood, to a sort of cobblestone. We did not notice any of the people in wheelchairs having problems getting around. There is plenty of space everywhere. If one needs a rest there are some seats throughout, and a great many in the cafe/market area.
We found three sets of multi-stall, handicapped-accessible restrooms clearly marked throughout the village. All have large handicapped stalls and baby-changing stations.
As we were having a snack we heard an announcement about a candle-making demonstration in the Candle Museum. Naturally, I had to check it out. A knowledgeable gentleman gave us a demonstration of old time candle making. He told us that all of the bayberry and bees’ wax candles in this area actually make there. The Candle Museum is an interesting area to find out about this art form.
Before we knew it, we realized that we had been at Yankee Candle Village for two hours. If we had really wanted to shop we could have spent much more time there.
The website says that Yankee Candle Village is “”…a unique, entertaining world of New England charm, fairy tale fantasies and hands-on interacve candle making that’s fun for every age.”” My husband and I couldn’t agree more! We had a delightful time, and of course, bought a few things.
As always, we at Destination:Accessible advise you to check a venue’s website, www.yankeecandle.com/village, when planning a visit, to “”know before you go.””
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