Chocolate lovers of all ages will love The Chocolate Trail in Richmond, IN. It has 15 stops offering free chocolate samples or gifts so it’s a great place for travelers with a sweet tooth.
During your road trip adventure, you can enjoy a sweet treat and also discover antique shops and other interesting bits of history.
Thanks again to Visit Richmond Indiana for hosting my visit.
How Does the Chocolate Trail in Richmond, Indiana Work?
The chocolate trail takes you on an adventure in Richmond and Wayne County with stops at 15 local businesses featuring a chocolate theme in a variety of forms.
In order to receive FREE chocolate samples you must present a Chocolate Trail Passport and be present with your passport. (One sample per person, per passport. No passport, no free samples.)
Where Can You get a Chocolate Trail Passport?
The Old National Road Welcome Center
5701 National Road E. (U.S. 40), Richmond, IN 47374
Monday – Saturday 8:30 am – 5 pm
If you don’t visit during operating hours there is a 24-hour information foyer with passports available inside.
You can pick up a Chocolate Trail Passport at The Old National Welcome Center. Obviously, this should be your first stop.
I always recommend visiting a welcome center when you visit a destination because the visitors bureau staff and volunteers are a wealth of knowledge.
They can help make suggestions for the best places to eat and activities that each of your family members will enjoy.
Pro Tip -Strategize Your Stops on the Richmond Chocolate Trail in Richmond, Indiana
Realistically, you probably won’t tackle all the stops on the free chocolate trail in one visit… but you could have a fun time trying.
My friend and I visited most… but not all…which is probably good because some of the stops on the trail give you a VERY generous full portion size.
If you want to visit a lot of the stops on the Chocolate Trail during your visit I would recommend writing down the hours of each location and viewing them on the map.
Richmond’s Historic Depot District has a few stops on the Chocolate Trail that you can visit between shopping and visiting restaurants nearby like the Firehouse BBQ and Blues.
Chocolate Trail Map
Use this map of the Chocolate Trail to strategize your stops.
Sample and Support Local Businesses
You can enjoy tasty treats AND support the local businesses you visit by purchasing additional items after you receive your complimentary sample.
I also love to learn what they are known for and the story behind their passion for their small town business. Many small businesses downtown also reside inside a historic building.
Chocolate and Sweet Stops on the Chocolate Trail Passport
Samples on the Chocolate Trail can include chocolate ice cream, chocolate candy, a cookie, a brownie, or even a non-chocolate (but chocolate-themed) gift.
Abbott’s Candies
48 E Walnut St, Hagerstown, IN
Established in 1890, Abbott’s Candies is the oldest candy shop in Indiana. Their chocolate gismos, chocolate cremes, and almond butter toffee are very popular.
Abbott’s Candies is most known for its handmade caramels that are shipped all over the United States.
Visitors to Abbott’s Candies are welcome to watch candy making, during production hours, through the glass windows for viewing.
Tours of Abbott’s Candy Factory are available by appointment only for small to large groups.
Fountain Acres
1140 Whitewater Rd, Fountain City, IN
This Amish Store has a little bit of everything. You’ll want to wander the aisles after you get your chocolate ice cream sample.
“Buggy Tracks” is a fun flavor to try.
This Amish store carries fresh produce and pretty much anything you could find in a grocery store. I’ve been told that their deli sandwiches are wonderful in the summer too.
I also recommend buying a loaf of cinnamon swirl bread to use for french toast when you get home.
Ullery’s Homemade Ice Cream
168 Fort Wayne Ave, Richmond, IN
This ice cream shop is a fourth-generation family-run business that was started by the grandfather who would sell his ice cream at festivals and fairs. You can still find their ice cream sold at 20-25 Indiana and Ohio events each year.
Thankfully you don’t have to wait for a festival because you can visit their ice cream parlor in Richmond’s Depot District year-round.
I highly recommend upgrading to the “Soaring Scoop Sampler,” which is an ice cream flight that allows you to try your choice of 4 different flavors in a small glass or homemade mini waffle cone bowl.
How cute are those mini waffle bowls??!!
The Bakery
817 E Main St, Richmond, IN
If you want to try a unique cookie, the “Compost Cookie” at The Bakery is a must!
It’s made with potato chips, pretzels, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and white chocolate chips.
Sweet Blessings
625 E Main St, Richmond, IN
After you try your chocolate sample, I would recommend trying one of their thumbprint cookies made the old-fashioned way in pecan, plain, or seasonal flavors.
There is a wide assortment of sweet treats including a variety of delicious-looking cookies and homemade coffee cakes. If you are working up an appetite for lunch, check out their bistro menu offerings.
Bismarck Donuts & Coffee
1241 NW 5th St, Richmond, IN
Bismarck Donuts has both the classic staple, like a glazed twist or fritter, along with creative donuts that the kids will love.
The sign outside also piqued our interest in the sausage rolls that are baked fresh daily too.
We ordered the jalapeño sausage roll and it was DELICIOUS! The sausage rolls come in both mild and spicy.
Lisa Cakes
414 N 10th St, Richmond, IN
Lisa Cakes is located in a building where you visit multiple businesses all under one roof.
I highly recommend trying the chocolate brownie with peanut butter frosting. It is so good!
Little Sheba’s Restaurant
175 Fort Wayne Ave, Richmond, IN
At Little Sheba’s restaurant, you get to try a child-size Sheba Signature Trail brownie.
I would recommend planning for Little Sheba’s to be one of your lunch or dinner stops. You can’t go wrong with the Sheba burger and their house-made pasta salad.
Chocolate Trail Stops Near the Indiana/ Ohio Border
Two of the locations are a short drive from the border of Indiana and Ohio.
Quiet Harmony Ranch
10684 Morrison-Mikesell Rd, New Paris, OH
At Quiet Harmony Ranch, you can enjoy a large piece of fudge, buy a toy elk in the gift shop, and admire the elk outside.
In the winter the gift shop is still open so make sure you check out the additional adventures that are available with the elk in the summer months.
Today’s Harvest
5859 St, Rte 320, New Paris, OH
Today’s Harvest is a short drive from Quiet Harmony Ranch offering samples of either a chocolate donut, chocolate iced donut, or ice cream with chocolate.
Non-Chocolate Stops on the Chocolate Trail Passport
2131 N Centerville Rd, Centerville, IN
Guests can browse the Warm Glow Candles and receive a free votive candle at the home of the largest candle.
Throughout the store, you’ll find a large selection of hand-dipped candles in an assortment of colors and fragrances.
I was also happy to discover Nelsonville star bricks at the entrance of the Warm Glow Candle Outlet. I first learned about the unique bricks during a previous visit to Nelsonville, Ohio.
You can also find the bricks in front of a few stores in downtown Richmond.
401 S. 4th St., Richmond, IN
“A busy senior is a healthy senior.” This shop helps give seniors a purpose and a way to earn additional income using their gifts and talents.
Chocolate Trail patrons who visit the SOS craft shop will be treated to a special handmade gift created by a senior.
The craft shop sells handmade items created by local seniors who sell their items on consignment.
A Few More Chocolate Trail Stops
We made it to most of the Chocolate Trail stops in 2.5 days in between stops at other area attractions. Here are a few more businesses on the Chocolate Trail that we’ll cross off during our next visit.
Building 125
125 W Main St, Cambridge City, IN
(Chocolate-covered cherries)
The Village Forager
624 E. Main Street, Centerville, IN
(One sample of Ghyslain chocolate or chocolate scent soap sample)
A.R. Winery
3564 Gordon-Landis Rd, Arcanum, OH
(Free sample of chocolate with their Blueberry wine)
Additional Things to Do in Richmond, Indiana
It’s a good idea to burn off some calories from the Richmond-Wayne County Chocolate Trail by walking around nearby attractions in between chocolate stops.
Richmond has a rich history of music, the arts, and automobiles. (Louis Armstrong, Hoagy Carmichael, and Duke Ellington all recorded music at Gennett Records in Richmond.)
You can visit historic sites, go shopping, or enjoy the outdoors.
Several of these attractions have a gift shop if you want to bring home a souvenir.
- Shop Antique Alley (2 different trails with more than 1200 antique dealers)
- Model T Ford Museum
- Hayes Arboretum and Nature Center
- Richmond Art Museum
- Wayne County Historical Museum
- Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic Site (Known as Grand Central Station on the underground railroad helping bring freedom to fugitive slaves.)
- Joseph Moore Museum at Earlham College
- Heartland Wine and Ale Trail
- Mural Trail
- Cardinal Greenway bike trail (Indiana’s longest paved bike-rails trails connecting small towns and metropolitan areas in East Central Indiana )
- Huddleston Farm House Inn Museum & Historic National Road Interpretive Center
- Thistlethwaite Falls (bring water shoes if you go in the summer)
Save on Your Stay with a Chocolate Package
You can save on your stay while visiting the Chocolate Trail with getaway Chocolate Packages offered by local hotels, some of which have an indoor pool, cottages, cabins, and bed and breakfasts. You’ll find plenty of reasons to extend your day trip to an overnight stay!
Patrons of the Chocolate Packages receive an additional chocolate treat in addition to the free treat on the Chocolate Trail.
Hi Nendra,
I am a huge chocolate lover, and so is my sister. I remember for our birthdays in childhood we use to ask for a chocolate day and so much fun. This trail looks amazing, and I think it will be a great experience for me and my sister. I am so glad that you shared this. I have been thinking about planning a good experience for her birthday this year, and this trail looks like the perfect option.