39 Best Candy Stores in New England

New England is a region where chocolate makers combine tradition with innovation, creating some of the finest confections you’ll ever taste. Whether you’re in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, or Vermont, the local chocolatiers are masters at turning simple ingredients into edible works of art. From artisanal truffles and creamy caramels to nostalgic candies and unique flavor combinations, these sweet spots offer a variety of treats that will satisfy any craving. So whether you’re searching for the perfect gift or simply indulging yourself, the chocolate shops of New England promise to delight with their high-quality, handcrafted offerings.

Connecticut Candy Stores

Bridgewater Chocolate, Brookfield

The only problem with gifting Bridgewater chocolates is that their exquisite boxes might suggest fine jewelry lies within. Any disappointment will disappear, though, when recipients dig into Swedish chocolatier Erik Landegren’s creations. His assortment of dark, milk, and white chocolates is complemented by things like chocolate-covered shortbread, peanut butter patties, and even marshmallows. Traditional English toffees, along with almond and hazelnut varieties, are a specialty. Additional locations in Westport, West Hartford, and Boston

Castle Hill Chocolate, Sandy Hook

“Too pretty to eat” comes to mind when first encountering one of the most artistically expressive arrays of bonbons in the land. Bright, colorful glazes grace Castle Hill’s ganache creations, which come in flavors such as caramelized cinnamon, salted toffee, lemon coconut, and brownie batter. Dark, milk, and white chocolate bars also boast distinctive flavors—strawberries and cream, almond toffee pretzel, and glacé orange, to name just a few.

The Chocolate Shell, Old Lyme

Given the name, there are bound to be chocolate seashells somewhere in this shop’s whimsical inventory, among a quirky collection of shapes, sizes, and flavors. Nutella colada or espresso martini truffles? Both have turned up recently. Clever packaging is also a calling card here: Along with chocolate gift boxes, there are candy olives (actually almonds covered in green chocolate) in, yes, classic martini glasses. Facebook

Fascia’s Chocolates, Waterbury

Picture an Old World–style candy kitchen with copper kettles and marble cooling slabs. That’s the scene at Fascia’s, where 60 years and the talents of one family have been devoted to handcrafting fine candies. The shop is especially known for its “meltaways,” which do just that and come in a spectrum of flavors including mocha and peanut butter. Buttery caramels are always available, as are creams, with marzipan, raspberry, and crème brûlée ranking among the favorites.

THE Litchfield Candy Company, Litchfield

The sweetest spot in the Litchfield Hills is nestled into a bright red bandbox of a building that doesn’t look as if it could possibly hold its outsize confection collection. Shelves and counters bulge with chocolates, gummies, fudge, and more, just about all of which can be hand-selected and purchased by the pound in bags, boxes, and gift baskets. Facebook

Munson’s Chocolates, Bolton

What better way to show support for UConn’s champs than with a Husky chocolate bar? They’re at Munson’s, in dark or milk, with nuts or without. Of course there’s plenty else here, including distinctive takes on classics such as fudge stuffed with peanut butter and caramel, and chocolate bark studded with macadamia nuts. Bonbons are sold by the pound or in boxes ranging from a six-piece assortment to a “create your own” 36-piece extravaganza. Additional locations statewide

Tschudin Chocolates & Confections, Middletown

In Roberto Tschudin Lucheme’s search for the perfect career, artisanal confectioner was the winner—and he’s pursued it with a passion. For him, it’s all about the ingredients: Chocolate from Central American and Caribbean cacao varietals is married with flavors found closer to home, such as mint and honey sourced right here in Connecticut. Fresh cream and butter are prime elements, though vegan options are available. Thinking about your own career switch? Tschudin also offers chocolate classes.

Maine Candy Stores

Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium, Bar Harbor

Sea salt caramel truffles may seem like the perfect nibble to enjoy by the waters of Frenchman Bay—but choosing just one kind of treat is nearly impossible at this premier location of a nearly 70-year-old, family-run New England candy business. Among the emporium’s other offerings are chocolate-covered candied ginger, blueberry fudge, and scrumptious cashew brittle. There’s ice cream, too, including a flavor that another “Ben &” outfit has yet to come up with: lobster. Additional locations on Martha’s Vineyard and in Falmouth, MA;

Dean’s Sweets, Portland

Dean’s is fanatically loyal to its Maine location, its Maine suppliers, and, well, just about everything Maine. From bars and squares to nonpareils and buttercrunch, local ingredients abound. Dean’s uses organic cream from Maine dairies, beer from Portland’s Orange Bike Brewing Company for its stout truffles, Maine-roasted coffee, and even Maine-distilled vodka for a special take on the state’s classic potato candies, called Needhams.

The Goldenrod, York Beach

Since 1896, beachgoers have strolled (or eagerly sprinted) two blocks from Short Sands Beach to this iconic sweet shop. The Goldenrod—where there’s also a restaurant and an antique marble soda fountain—is famous for its saltwater taffy “kisses,” made according to founder Edward Talpey’s recipe. These taffy treats come in nearly a dozen regular flavors, plus a flavor of the week. Fudges, barks, brittles in peanut or cashew, and old-fashioned caramel corn all make that hike from the beach worthwhile. Open mid-May to mid-October

Harbor Candy Shop, Ogunquit

A handsome space lined with dark wood cabinets and shelves, Harbor Candy’s premises seem less like a shop than a jeweler’s showroom. But the gems here are fine chocolates, made daily with always-fresh ingredients. Among the specialties are chocolate bars in 16 varieties and hard-to-find divinity, marzipan, layered truffles, and fruit jellies that more closely resemble true French pâtes de fruits than everyday gummies.

Island Candy Company, Orr’s Island

Melinda Richter was once the proverbial “kid in a candy store,” and her recollections of that childhood time led her to start her own sweet shop. Today she turns out a tempting variety of barks enhanced with pistachios, cranberries, assorted nuts, and chia seeds; nut brittles and toffees; and buttercreams, fudge, and nougats. Maine Needhams are here, along with chocolate-dipped fruits and even rum fudge golf balls. Open April–December

Monica’s Chocolates, Lubec

Down East (just about as far Down East as you can go, in fact) is the direction to travel for Monica Elliott’s handmade selection of bonbons, caramels, truffles, creams, chocolate-covered fruits, and even sugar-free blueberry, cranberry, and nut clusters. Among the special treats are wintergreen chocolate hearts and Needhams perked up with almonds, pecans, or—this being Maine—blueberries. Open April–December

Ragged Coast Chocolates, Westbrook

At Ragged Coast, “local” is the watchword. Cream and butter for chocolates and caramels come from nearby dairies, and Down East farms produce the herbs, fruits, and edible flowers the chocolatiers use. Even the rye in whiskey truffles is locally distilled. Chocolate, of course, travels farther—it’s sourced from responsibly cultivated Latin American and Hawaiian trees. Top picks here: rich milk and dark chocolate barks, and truffles in flavors including lavender and hazelnut latte.

Massachusetts Candy Stores

Chocolate Therapy, Wayland

It’s not hard to find folks who believe that chocolate is indeed therapy—and who are we to disagree? Since 2011, Pam and David Griffin have been soothing countless souls with their exquisite handmade dark chocolate truffles crafted with ingredients both traditional and outside the box (cayenne, lemon, basil, etc.). For those who prefer taking the nutty route, the Griffins offer crunchy almond barks in dark, milk, and white chocolate. Try all three varieties by treating yourself to the Chocolate Therapy Trio Nut-Bark Collection, which earned a spot on Oprah’s Favorite Things list in 2024.

The Chocolate Truffle, Reading

No, not the kind of truffle hunted by pigs in Europe. These morsels are chocolates with a delightful dual personality: pillowy ganache centers in an assortment of flavors, hand-rolled and enveloped in an outer shell of rich Belgian chocolate. Four generations of Burkinshaw family confectionary experience go into the truffles as well as nut-rich turtles and other artisan specialties, including peanut brittle and caramel popcorn made with sea salt.

Hilliard’s Chocolates, North Easton

This family-owned shop reached its century milestone in 2024. Milk and dark chocolates with a variety of fillings are a mainstay, along with favorites like almond toffee crunch, barks, and truffles. Hilliard’s loves to dip (or completely immerse) popular treats in chocolate. Looking for half-dipped diced and candied apricots, pears, peaches, or oranges? They’re all here, alongside chocolate-covered raisins, cranberries, potato chips, Oreo cookies, and graham crackers. Additional locations in Norwell and Mansfield

Mrs. Nelson’s Candy House, Chelmsford

It’s been more than 70 years since Mrs. Nelson started making and selling chocolates, and though the Nelson family are no longer the house chocolatiers, a commitment to top ingredients and candy made daily is still the rule. Look for all the standbys—milk and dark chocolate, caramels, creams, nut clusters—and take out the guessing with boxes of “Hard-N-Chewy” or soft center only. There’s plenty of non-chocolate favorites here, too.

The Penny Candy Store, Sharon

Who knew? Hershey’s Kisses come in 10 foil colors—and here’s a shop that has them all. Kisses, though, are just one of a thousand candy selections, each available by the piece, by the box, or, one imagines, by the carload. Candy brands that date back decades are a specialty (remember Choo-Choo Charlie and his Good & Plentys)? Gummies, wafers, jelly beans, licorice—if it’s sweet, it’s on Merchant Street in Sharon.

Spindler Confections & Savory Delights, Cambridge

Harvard University may be at the heart of Cambridge, but for an education in chocolate, continue down Massachusetts Avenue to Spindler. Here, the major subjects include caramel nut clusters, cherry cordials, vanilla mint meltaways, barks and butter cups, and bonbon assortments scrumptious enough to bribe the crankiest professor. Plus, right on the premises is a fascinating museum chronicling the Boston area’s once-thriving confectionery industry.

YE Olde Pepper CompanIE, Salem

Named for an early proprietor rather than an unusual ingredient, this Salem institution located near the city’s historic waterfront claims to be America’s oldest candy company. Dating back to the firm’s earliest days are signature sweets such as peppermint or lemon “Gibralters” that derive their name from their rocklike consistency, and “Black Jacks,” made with molasses. There’s much more—chocolates licorice, caramels, toffee—to inspire trick-or-treat fantasies in the Witch City all year round. Additional location in North Andover

New Hampshire Candy Stores

Chutters, Littleton

At an astounding 112 feet, the Chutters candy counter takes the prize as the longest in the world. Candy lovers come from all over to marvel at the legion of glass jars brimming with more than 500 varieties of hard candies, gummies, jelly beans, and every other example of sugar’s leap into immortality, including old favorites you didn’t think they made anymore. Look for handmade chocolates and fudge, too. Additional locations in Bretton Woods (open seasonally) and Lincoln

Granite State Candy Shoppe, Concord

Look around this shop, and two things will likely come to mind: Grandma’s house and the movies. Didn’t your grandmother always have a dish of licorice allsorts on the coffee table? And weren’t sugar-sparkled spearmint leaves part of your cinema-going experience? Granite State has these and much more, starting with a full lineup of chocolates and specialties such as chocolate-covered (dark or milk) gummy bears. It goes all out with theme items for holidays, too. Additional location in Manchester

Huckleberry’s Candies, Hampton

Some confections seem to survive only in memory … and then they turn up in a shop like Huckleberry’s. Here are two such nostalgic favorites: gummy raspberries and blackberries, looking just like the real thing with their sugar-bead coatings; and chocolate-covered espresso beans, sweet and bitter at the same time. The shop is filled with just about everything else that can be covered in chocolate, plus rich milk and dark chocolates, while gummy lobsters honor the seaside location.

L.A. Burdick Chocolates, Walpole

While Burdick’s French-accented restaurant is a surprisingly sophisticated destination in this small Connecticut River Valley town, its adjoining café and chocolate shop are just as big a draw. Among Burdick’s specialties are dark, milk, and white chocolate bars studded with cocoa nibs, pistachios, and other nuts; chocolate-covered treats such as mango slices, marzipan, and pâtes de fruits; and boxed arrays of elegant bonbons including the signature handcrafted Burdick mice and penguins filled with flavored ganache. Additional locations in Boston and Cambridge, MA, and New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.

Lee’s Candy Kitchen, Meredith

Lee’s is three candy shops in one. It’s an outlet for handcrafted chocolates from artisan suppliers, a place to mix and match selections from jar after jar of individual candies, and a source for the candy bars (some getting a bit hard to find) that everyone remembers from afternoons at the movies or from rummaging through their jeans for quarters at the corner store. Zagnut? 100 Grand? You’ll find them here. Additional location in Plymouth;

Lickee’s & Chewy’s Candies & Creamery, Dover

New England’s only medieval-themed candy shop comes with a goofy knight-and-dragon backstory and—more important—a selection of 200-plus sweets, including classics like marshmallow peanuts, Turkish delight, and Pez. These share the shelves with chocolate bonbons, truffles, and international treats (e.g., Japan’s Pocky chocolate sticks, Germany’s Haribo gummies and sours, black licorice “Beagles” from Holland). Candies also garnish the shop’s “King Shake” ice cream extravaganzas.

Red Kite Candy, Hanover

Located just off the Dartmouth Green, Red Kite is an artisan caramel shop in an Ivy League of its own. Slow-cooked, small-batch morsels are made with cream from Vermont and New Hampshire dairies and come in classic, maple, sea salt, and four other varieties year-round, plus a gingerbread option during the holidays. Not into caramels? Try nougat made with local honey and egg whites, or turtles that actually look like turtles, with pecan heads and feet.

Rhode Island Candy Stores

Anchor Toffee, Providence

A brewery, a distillery, a produce market—what more could one short stretch of Sims Avenue offer? The answer is toffee. The English treat is made here the traditional way, from caramelized sugar and butter, and offered coated with dark chocolate in plain, almond, pumpkin spice (seasonal), and other versions, even vegan coconut almond toffee with coconut milk substituting for butter. Look for saltwater taffy and truffles, too. Additional location in Newport

Hauser Chocolatier, Westerly

For sheer variety, it’s hard to beat the array of flavors offered by the Hauser family, now in their second generation of producing fine chocolates and truffles to the exacting Swiss standards of founder Ruedi Hauser. In a truffle line of 30-plus varieties, traditional flavors like hazelnut and rum are joined by adventurous selections such as blueberry port wine, eggnog, and black vinegar.

Sweenor’s Chocolates, Wakefield

Want a reminder of your days by the sea? Sweenor’s has chocolate sailboats, sea creature pops, and even little chocolate flip-flops. And this may be the only place to buy a plaque depicting the Point Judith Lighthouse in chocolate. In the conventional-candy realm, Sweenor’s shoppers can opt for boxed assortments or curate their own selection from among dozens of varieties including caramels, turtles, truffles, clusters, barks, and chocolate-covered crackers and dried fruits. Additional location in Cranston

Sweet Lorraine’s Candy Shoppe, Barrington

Tucked into an off-the-main-drag location near scenic Brickyard Pond and its surrounding parkland, this family-owned mecca for candy lovers offers a roundup of chocolates from premier New England producers such as Lake Champlain and Sweenor’s. Sweet Lorraine’s stocks organic, sugar-free, and nut-free chocolates and other candies, and shelves are crowded with the shapes and colors of penny candies. Custom-assembled gift baskets and holiday-themed treats are specialties.

Vermont Candy Stores

Lake Champlain Chocolates, Burlington

In a state that’s pioneered the artisanal trend in everything from beer to ice cream, Lake Champlain has been the chocolate star for over 40 years. Barks, bars, and bonbons—both milk and dark—lead a lineup that includes exotics like macadamia nut caramel clusters, triple-layered peanut butter cups, and truffles made with Maker’s Mark bourbon. With a flagship store and café on Pine Street and a satellite location on Church Street, the company also offers baking chocolate and a selection of more than half a dozen hot cocoa powders. Additional locations in Waterbury and Stowe

Maple City Candy, Swanton

If you need any proof that maple is more than a pancake’s best friend, it’s here in Swanton. Vermont’s sweet elixir appears on Maple City’s shelves in the form of soft and hard candies, fudge, and taffy, and as a coating for almonds, cashews, pecans, and even popcorn. Maple cotton candy? Why not? Holiday-themed maple candies are a specialty: maple shamrocks for St. Pat’s, maple rosettes for Valentine’s Day, and, of course, maple Santas.

Middlebury Sweets, Middlebury

Is it a motel with a candy shop attached, or the other way around? Either way, here’s a place where Route 7 travelers can settle into their overnight lodgings with a box of bonbons bought on the premises. There’s no need to stay overnight, though, in order to browse Vermont’s largest selection of candies—over 1,500 varieties—and enjoy chocolates from a collection made right here in small batches.

Mother Myrick’s Confectionery, Manchester

Handcrafted using butter from Vermont’s celebrated Cabot Creamery, buttercrunch is the star attraction at this Manchester mainstay. It’s often paired with Lemon LuLu cake from Myrick’s bakery—after all, why not gild the lily? The confection menu continues past the ’crunch to include dark chocolate–dipped glacé apricots, milk or dark almond bark, fudge, sea salt caramels, a Myrick’s take on pecan turtles called “Myricles,” and a dandy hot fudge sauce.

The Sweet Spot Candy Shoppe, Quechee

Quechee Gorge Village, named for the nearby glacial gorge, is a place to browse antiques, stock up on Vermont cheese, and, well, gorge on a trove of traditional, hard-to-find, and just plain oddball candies. Nerds and Pop Rocks? They’re still around. So are sweets in liquid, squeeze, spray, and fizzy-soda forms. For fudge lovers, flavors range from basic maple and penuche to caramel sea salt, PB&J, and birthday cake.

Tavernier Chocolates, Brattleboro

The married team of Dar Tavernier-Singer and John Singer source their chocolate from ethically grown cacao trees in Ecuador, and use it as the matrix for a sophisticated line of high-cocoa-butter specialties featuring an unexpected variety of ingredients, many foraged in Vermont. The ever-changing exotic array might include truffles flavored with chanterelle or morel mushrooms, or shagbark hickory syrup; juniper spruce bonbons; and chocolate “charcuterie” kissed with miso, maple, or smoked salt.

Vermont Nut Free Chocolates, Colchester

When Mark and Gail Elvidge discovered that their young son had a severe peanut allergy, they also learned how difficult it was to find sweets made without nuts. Gail started making her own chocolates, soon launching a line of nut-free candies produced in a facility with no trace of nut, sesame, or egg allergens. Her line now includes boxed chocolates, barks, toffee, fudge, and even chocolate-coated pretzels. All are available at the factory store in Colchester, as well as in shops throughout the Northeast.