By Madison Moulder
The CADO, produced by & boom Unlimited and sponsored by the California Avocado Commission in San Marcos, California, is just as educational as it is Instagram-able. This interactive pop-up museum experience teaches visitors the history of the Hass avocado with six room-sized exhibits that encourage social sharing. Guests also learn the importance of sustainability and limiting consumption. The CADO aims to have guests leave with a greater knowledge of all things avocado, while providing a picture-perfect place to get the ‘gram.
I am one of the many college students who cannot resist a good piece of avocado toast in the morning, so I was excited to learn more about the fruit sometimes called “nature’s butter.” The experience begins with Jason Mraz, singer and avocado farmer, walking visitors through the growing process via a Walkman cassette tape. Everyone my age required a lesson on how to use a cassette Walkman, much to the older museumgoers’ amusement. As Mraz speaks, a spinning platform takes guests into the Ripe Room. Here, avocado-skinned walls demonstrate how to tell when an avocado is perfectly ripe.
Photo-ready walls and installations line the way through the museum, ensuring that there is always a place to take the perfect picture for social media. The Pit Stop brings visitors into the center of the avocado, where an ombre green wall replicates the tasty flesh of Instagram’s favorite brunch food. A tent-style installation provides a great place to pause and chat with friends for a minute, having been created with fabric naturally dyed with avocado pits.
As visitors finish their journey from the skin to the seed of the avocado, they are taken into Hass Hall to learn the origin story of the Hass avocado. This room was one of my favorites. A piece of the Hass Mother Tree of California, the first tree this variety of avocado was grown from, is on display in this room, as well as photographs that tell the story of the Hass family. The CADO production staff worked directly with the Hass family to share their story and the history of the Hass avocado.
The final room has a water bottle installation, reminding visitors to be intentional about water consumption. Included in the display are avocado pits that past guests have written on, sharing sustainability tips to teach new visitors easy ways to care for the Earth.
The exhibits and photo ops never get too crowded, since entry-timed tickets ensure that only groups of ten enter the pop-up museum every 15 minutes. Guests move through the exhibits at their own pace, but on average the experience lasts about 30 minutes.
The experiential journey at The CADO gives visitors a greater appreciation for the history and long growing process of the avocado. The pop-up museum is created and produced by & boom Unlimited, a creative group founded by Mary Carr and Anne Buehner. Carr and Buehner do an excellent job at providing an experiential journey of the avocado that keeps guests entertained and smiling from start to finish. I learned a lot about the avocado and picked up some important sustainability tips while getting lots of cute pictures along the way. Come see what all the buzz is about at The CADO.
Arriving at the interactive pop-up museum is stress free since valet, free garage parking, and street parking are all available. The museum is also within walking distance of public transportation. Although there is no food (avocado or otherwise) inside the exhibit, The CADO has partnered with surrounding restaurants with special deals for CADO guests. Grab an avocado smoothie at Fresh Healthy Cafe and taste other avocado-themed food and drink at Urge, Juneshine, Rubios, and Imperfect Produce.
Guests of any age will have a wonderful experience at The CADO.
& boom Unlimited Presents The CADO, Sponsored by the California Avocado Commission
250 North City Drive, Suite 9, San Marcos, CA, 92078
June 27-September 22, 2019, Thurs 10:00 AM-7:30 PM, Fri-Sat 10:00 AM-9:00 PM, Sun 10:00 AM-6:00 PM, Tues-Wed open only for private events
Tickets: $19 Adults, $14 Youth 3-12, $17.50 Military and Student
The CADO website
The CADO Facebook Page
The CADO Facebook Event
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