It cannot be denied that some of the sweetest day trip destinations center around classic culinary confections. Popular examples include candy tastings, ice cream trails, and other regional callouts renowned for dishing up the works in time-tested treats. For most people living in the Mid-Atlantic region, visits to Hershey, Pennsylvania, particularly outings to Hersheypark and Chocolate World, take the cake (or in this case, candy bar) as the first thought when considering convenient classic candy-themed excursions close to home. But there are so many other novelties to explore—hidden gems in nearby locales and neighboring states. Here are four contested candy attractions to satisfy your sweet tooth!
Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium
You may want to consider this sweet detour in Adams County, Pennsylvania. Despite its proximity to Gettysburg, Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium remains one of the area’s best-kept secrets. The scene here is one to universally enthrall visitors of all ages, from the attention-snagging presentation of larger-than-life elephants to the sweet smells of homemade fudge and other nostalgic candy classics permeating the air.
When they first opened in 1975, at their former location along Route 30 (just three miles away from their current site), they were known originally as “Mister Ed’s: The Territory’s Most Unusual General Store.” Nothing more or less than a roadside stop, they were primarily known for vending in snacks, hoagies, novelty merchandise (including Native American jewelry), coal gifts, and antiques. But it was their candy offerings that would go on to become their ultimate claim to fame, along with those literal elephants in the room! Of course, most of these came later once they relocated to their new site. Now the collection comprises somewhere in the ballpark of 12,000 or so elephants, varying in shapes, sizes, themes, and media. From figurines to four life-sized elephants, and everything else in between! The museum has even gained national and international recognition for its famous elephant collection.
While the elephants are responsible for much of Mister Ed’s renown, the delectable in-house confectionery finds here garner the most praise. That’s because there are plenty of novelties to choose from. The lineup includes nearly 200 varieties of homemade fudge, pecan pralines, turtles, roasted nuts (including jumbo peanuts and house-made cinnamon-glazed nuts), freshly made peanut butter, and classic candies of many kinds. These range from today’s hottest hits to hard-to-find exclusives, along with those nostalgic throwbacks. You’ll find over a thousand different candy varieties, including more than 400 candy bars, and even one of the largest displays of PEZ on the East Coast. Coming here is a true kid-in-a-candy-store experience at any age!
Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium | 6019 Chambersburg Road, Orrtanna, PA 17353 | www.mistereds.com
Sarris Candies
Another Pennsylvania confectionery callout can be found conveniently located in Cannonsburg (just a little southwest of Pittsburgh). But coming here isn’t just about the literal candies. The sight that awaits is quite literally eye candy as well.
That’s just as it should be, given how Sarris Candies has been hard at work in the business of candy crafting for 65 years now. Forever family-owned and operated (now in its fourth generation), it all started with Frank Sarris, a forklift driver by trade who spent many years moonlighting as an experimental chocolatier, perfecting his candy-making endeavors. It wasn’t long before his hobby took the forefront in his ambitions, and a new dream unfolded—that of full-time candy and confection-making.
The anchoring store location draws in visitors from all over the country. They come for the candy, of course, but also to marvel at the presentation of amazing chocolate sculptures decking out the edible décor here, including their 1,500-pound chocolate castle made entirely by hand! There’s also the attached ice cream parlor presenting the finest frozen features and an all-around enticing experience.
All the decadent delights here are made on location within their onsite factory. The wide range of tasty treats spans every imaginable option, from fine chocolates to penny candy, and everything else.
Sarris Candies | 511 Adams Avenue, Canonsburg, PA 15317 | www.sarriscandies.com.
True Treats Candy
True Treats is a true treasure for historians and candy connoisseurs alike. Based in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, this candy destination is admittedly more museum than conventional candy shop. It is the only research-based candy store in the nation focused on the storied origins of classic sweet treats. To sum up the words of food historian Susan Benjamin, “it is a museum that sells its confectionery displays.”
Benjamin, who founded True Treats, showcases countless classic candies and more than 500 historic teas—all carefully researched and authenticated by her. Some of the antiquated amazements here date back to ancient times. One example of a long-ago tasty vice you can try in its unbridled and original format is the hickory bark enjoyed and introduced by the Iroquois. They also have Victorian era classics, and all those mid-1900s favorites of retro fame, like Charleston Chews, Mary Janes, Good & Plenty, Necco Wafers, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Sugar Babies, and others.
The focus is on versatile sweets that weren’t just stellar in their heyday but rather those common to come by and enjoyed by people of all classes and distinctions. Visitors here come away with more than just a sweet-guzzling experience; it’s a novelty exploration into all the epic, epicurean standards that span the tasty testaments of time.
True Treats Candy | 144 High Street, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425 | www.truetreatscandy.com.
River-Sea Chocolates
For the lover of pure chocolate that both meets and exceeds the highest quality standards, this hidden gem hideaway in Chantilly, Virginia, is an absolute must! Their in-house factory ensures that all products are made directly from “bean-to-bar.” Furthermore, every chocolate product purchased onsite goes towards supporting Amazon River cleanup efforts. As for the cocoa beans that are used in the process, all are carefully and sustainably sourced.
For owners and founders Krissee and Mariano D’Aguiar, chocolate isn’t only delightful but essential in many more ways than one. Krissee even credits her very existence to the stuff, as her mother was born prematurely back in Romania and was fed chocolate to help with weight gain. Many years later, in 2017, while visiting family in Northern Brazil, the couple realized that chocolate could be used to support the livelihood of those living in the Amazon region.
A visit to River-Sea Chocolates at its anchoring location offers up many multifaceted experiences all in one. You have the whole feel-good sustainability initiative to ward off any guilt of overindulgence, delicious treats to purchase onsite, an exceptional café that boasts some of the very best craft hot chocolates you’ll ever taste, and various in-store tasting and extra experience packages to sign up for. Offerings include the Craft Chocolate Tasting Flight, Wine and Chocolate Tasting, Bean-to-Bar Kids!, the Private Chocolate Tasting, Chocolate Bar Making, and even their Virtual Chocolate Tasting. It’s a decadent day trip beyond even the ultimate chocolate aficionado’s wildest dreams!
River-Sea Chocolates | 4520 Daly Drive Suite 100, Chantilly, VA 20151 | www.riverseachocolates.com
By LC Hermoza