On a trip yesterday to the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences yesterday, I noticed a whole bunch of signs about a new exhibit about chocolate that will open May 9.

Me being an extreme lover of chocolate, I found out more. Museum staff tells me it's from the Field Museum in Chicago and that there will be lots of kid-friendly activities plus, what you really want to know, free samples.

Here's what a press release says about it. I can already taste the chocolate now.

"From rainforest treasure to luscious treat, immerse yourself in the story of chocolate.

A gift for the gods. A symbol of wealth and luxury. An economic livelihood. Bonbons. Hot fudge. Candy bars. For thousands of years humans have been fascinated with the delicious phenomenon that we call chocolate. Journey through history to get the complete story behind the tasty treat that we crave in "Chocolate," an exciting new exhibition opening at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh on May 9, 2009.

You'll begin in the rainforest with the unique cacao tree whose seeds started it all. Visit the ancient Maya civilization of Central America and discover what chocolate meant nearly 1,500 years ago. Then travel forward in time and northward to the Aztec civilization of 16th-century Mexico, where cacao seeds were so valuable they were used as money. Discover chocolate's introduction into the upper classes of European society and its transformation into a mass-produced world commodity.

Chocolate will engage your senses and reveal facets of this sumptuous sweet that you've never thought about before. You'll explore the plant, the products and the culture of chocolate through the lenses of science, history and popular culture."

And, by the way, if you work downtown and need to get a quick present for a kid, the museum's gift shop is a good place to go.