So, the plan was to get up early Sunday for a 9:00am wheels-up for the New York Hall of Science in Queens, to see the GingerBread Lane exhibit. Except it was dark and rainy, and we just switched over to flannel sheets. Flannel sheets are quicksand on Sunday mornings. My feet didn’t touch slippers until 8:30, so our plans were slightly postponed.

Still, the drive was worth it. GingerBread Lane, a 1.5 ton, 300-square-foot village made entirely of edible gingerbread, royal icing and candy, is a contender for the Guinness World Record for the largest gingerbread exhibit. The final decree has not been made, but we had to go see it. It’s pretty amazing to look at, and smells deeeeelicious.

The village is comprised of 152 gingerbread houses, 65 trees, four gingerbread cable cars, five gingerbread train cars, an underground candy subway station, candy trees and sugar signage. Each piece is incredibly detailed. In addition to houses, there was a bakery, fire house, distillery, and even a pierogi shop.

Each element in GingerBread Lane is designed, baked, built and decorated by Chef Jon Lovitch. He’s been creating these villages for 20 years, but this is the largest to-date. The process begins in March when he designs it. In April and May he makes the bridges, trees, snowmen, and signage. When this year’s village was complete, he had used about 1,900 lbs. of icing, 400 lbs. of candy, and 500 lbs. of gingerbread dough.

This video shows off my mad skillz at the pan shot:

Go see it through January 12. It’s on the lower level of the Hall of Science, and included with the museum’s admission fee.  There are also two exhibit-related events taking place:

Gingerbread House Workshop – December 7 and 28
Make your own gingerbread house to take home.

GingerBread Lane House Giveway – January 12
The gingerbread houses will be given away, while supplies last.

It won’t take you long to see GingerBread Lane, so you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the Hall of Science’s three floors of earth and life science exhibits.

If the scent of gingerbread makes you hungry for lunch, try Tortilleria Nixtamal, a joint about a half-mile away. We discovered it’s been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, one of The Boy’s favorite TV shows, so we tried it out. It’s a funky little place with a lot of yellow and red, and folk art décor. The flour tortillas are freshly homemade, and the fillings – like the chorizo – are so creative and tasty.

Hey YOU! Go BIG!

GingerBread Lane at New York Hall of Science
47-01 111th St, Corona, NY 11368, (718) 699-0005

She’s licking her lips because it smells so good. And because we asked her to smile instead.