Travel Tips & Trends

Sweet escapes

Whether you love chocolate or other candy, here are a few top picks for the sweet-toothed traveler.

Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco, CA Not only can you taste the famous chocolate from the Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop, but you can enjoy the square's fine dining restaurants, high-end retail shopping, food markets, wine tasting, a luxury spa and more. The Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival runs September 12-13, 2009. Located on the west side of Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco. 415-775-5500, www.ghirardellisq.com.

Hammonds Candies, Denver, CO
Watch as candy is pulled, pounded, molded and cut right before your eyes. Since 1920, this homegrown business has created a wide assortment of sweet treats-from chocolates and candy canes to lollipops and brittles. Free factory tours are available every day except Sunday. 303-333-5588, www.hammondscandies.com.

Hershey, PA
The town of Hershey promotes itself as "the sweetest place on Earth." Whether or not that's true, it is certainly a haven for everything chocolate-related. February is designated "Chocolate-Covered February" with events all month, including chocolate dinners, chocolate brunches and teas, all-chocolate dessert buffets, workshops, parades and cooking classes. The town's upscale Chocolate Spa has treatments that ensure visitors end up chocolate-covered themselves. The Hershey Museum tells the story of the town built on chocolate, and Hershey's Chocolate World offers free tours to learn how chocolate is made, from bean harvest to the finished bar. 800-437-7439, www.hersheypa.com.

The Chocolate Bar, Houston, TX
This store is a chocolate lover's fantasy. It offers everything from brownies, cakes, pies and ice cream to truffles, chocolate novelties and even carob dog treats. Check out the Chocolate Pizza, which looks like the real thing but is made entirely of chocolate. For those who really want to branch out, its sister store Candylicious is next door, selling every form of candy that exists-literally. If it's still being made somewhere in the world, they can get it for you. 713-520-8599, www.theoriginalchocolatebar.com.