With Valentines Day on the horizon, think about sparking a little romance with something that tastes or smells sweet.  Tuolumne County, California, has plenty of places to enjoy treats throughout this destination comprised of Gold Country, the High Sierra and Yosemite National Park.

Here are 10 “sweet spots” in Tuolumne County that are sure to raise a smile:

Columbia Candy Kitchen, columbiacandykitchen.com/ - Located within Columbia State Historic Park, this family-owned candy company (founded in 1926) has been called “One of the top 10 sweet shops across America.” Look for handmade licorice, hard drops, brittles, candy canes, chocolate-dipped everything, and even sugar-free candies. 

Brown's Coffee House & Sweets Saloon, brownscoffeehouse.com/ - Also at Columbia State Historic Park, Brown's offers baked treats, delicious coffee concoctions, ice cream and shelves of sweet and flavorful goodies (as well as sandwiches, salads and shacks). It's also the home of the wildly popular Sarsaparilla and Wild Cherry soda bottled by their sister company, Columbia Soda Works.

Seven Sisters Soap & Candle Co., net/ - Just off the main street in Columbia State Historic Park, this shop offers an ever-changing variety of sweet notes for the nose and skin.   See the candles being made - chunk candles, rolled candles, and votives - and select luxurious goat milk soaps, made from the owner's goats' milk.  

Fallon House Ice Cream Parlor, visittuolumne.com/account/fallon-house-ice-cream-parlor - This Victorian ice cream parlor in Columbia State Historic Park offers 16 flavors of premium ice cream, sundaes, ice cream sodas with flavored soda water, shakes, malts, espresso, hot cocoa, and more. Adjacent to the Historic Fallon Theatre, it's a handy spot to get something sweet before, after or during intermission at the resident Sierra Repertory Theatre's professional performances.

Strawberry Store, strawberrygeneral.com/online-store/HOMEMADE-FUDGE-c158546414 - Everything you could desire for your mountain journey can be found at the Strawberry Store, a few miles before where Highway 108 closes during winter. Fresh homemade fudge comes in flavors like “Don't Tell Mom,” “Queen of Sheba,” and “Chewybacca.”  The Fudge of the Month Club keeps the goodies coming all year.

The Candy Vault, facebook.com/TheCandyVault/ - In the heart of historic Sonora's South Washington St., The Vault was originally a bank built in 1908. Today, it's packed with things guaranteed to deliver nostalgia and delight.

The Sugar Shack, instagram.com/sugarshack108/ - On Highway 108 in Sugar Pine, on the way to mountain sports at Dodge Ridge or summer days at Pinecrest Lake, the Sugar Shack is a local favorite for breakfast and lunch with house made pastries and coffee creations.

Cover's Apple Ranch, coversappleranch.com/ - Apple orchards, apple pancakes, apple walnut salad, apple dumplings, apple crisp, several variety of apple pie and apple baked goods, house-made apple soda and hand-pressed cider. You get the picture.  There's room to run and plenty to explore to help the kids process that sweetness.

Indigeny Reserve, indigenyreserve.com/products/ - Ogden Nash once wrote that "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker."  He would have loved Indigeny Reserve in Sonora.  Their hard apple ciders, brandy and liqueurs run the spectrum from sweet to tart and back again.  The surrounding organic apple orchards make a sweet place for a picnic too.

Jamestown Frosty, visittuolumne.com/account/jamestown-frosty - This walk-up burger joint has been serving shakes and soft serve ice cream with a smile since 1969. It's an easy first or last stop for those travelling on Highway 108/49 to or from the Bay Area.   

There are also sweet “suites” in Tuolumne County, romantic places to stay in historic hotels, charming bed and breakfasts, modern resorts and vacation rentals.  Check out the choices and make reservations at https://www.visittuolumne.com/places-to-stay.

ABOUT VISIT TUOLUMNE COUNTY 

Visit Tuolumne (“to-all-o-me”) County (VTC) is the official destination marketing organization for Tuolumne County in Northern California.  Tuolumne County is just a 2.5 hour drive east of the San Francisco Bay Area. The destination is known for its pristine, scenic expanse reaching into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Gold was discovered in Tuolumne County in 1848, setting off the major gold rush of 1849. The main highways leading to the picturesque drive from the Bay Area are Highways 108 and 120 from the west and Highway 49 from the north. The State Highway 120 entrance to Yosemite National Park is considered the “front door” of the park for the Bay Area. The Stanislaus National Forest, Yosemite National Park and other surrounding areas provide natural vistas and settings for hiking, water skiing, horseback riding, rafting, camping, snowmobiling, boating, snow skiing, fishing, and other outdoor activities. Seven restored historic hotels, four golf courses, numerous and varied dining establishments, historic saloons, four wineries, a hard cider distillery, train rides, casinos, seven museums, two state historic parks, two live theaters, many bed-and-breakfast inns and a variety of Airbnb accommodations are among the many other attributes that make the county a year-round vacation destination. For more information, go to www.visittuolumne.com.

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Media Contact:

Laurie Armstrong Gossy

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415-290-6830