I Suzie Student took this photo.

As a chocolate lover, not only do I like to eat chocolate, but I also love to smell it!  My blog post today is going to share my favorite chocolate scented items.

First, hot chocolate hand cream.  This is a particular favorite of my in the winter months when my hands start to get cracked and chapped.  I am slater on some hot chocolate hand cream and not only do my hands feel better, but they smell like yummy chocolate!  I keep one at home and one in my bag, so I am never without my go-to cream.  I found the cream in the photo at Bath & Body Works, but keep in mind they only sell this scent in the winter, so if you want to smell all year-round stock up when it is on the shelves.

Second, mint cocoa chap stick.  Much like the hand cream, chocolate themed chap sticks tend to be on the shelves all year round.  I picked this one up in a holiday multipack from Target.  I love the mint/chocolate combination smell from this chap stick and Burt’s Bees is a high-quality product that keeps my lips moisturized while smelling like my favorite food.  Caution:  Don’t eat the chap stick even though it smells like you should 😊.

Third, chocolate candles/wax melts.  I always have chocolate candles and wax melts on hand.  My favorite scent is hot chocolate (pictured above), but I have also had chocolate cake, chocolate brownies, mint chocolate, and even campfire cocoa (a summer chocolate scent).  Lighting a chocolate candle in your home can make the whole house smell like a chocolate factory!  I get most of my candles from a local small business Country Craft Candles.

If I could, I would eat chocolate all day long…but since that is not an advisable practice, I can at least smell chocolate all day.  I hope that you enjoyed my favorite chocolate scented items, they can make you and your house smell delicious, #crazyforchocolateblog.

Photo is CC (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wilbur_Chocolate_-_panoramio.jpg)

My last post was all about a very famous name in chocolate that has roots close to home, but this week I am going to share some information on a lesser-known chocolate company that is also a PA gem…Wilbur Chocolate Co.  You may have never heard of Wilbur Chocolate, so today I am going to share some information on the company.

I relied on the Wilbur Chocolate website for the historical information on the company.  The business began over 135 years ago in Philadelphia, PA (Wilbur, 2021).  It was born of a candy company, Croft & Wilbur, that split at that time, Croft stuck to making hard candies and Wilbur focused just on chocolate, good choice in my opinion 😊 (Wilbur, 2021).  The company eventually acquired some factory space in Lititz, PA, which is the town that most people associate with the brand (Wilbur, 2021).    Though the company makes lots of different chocolate products, it’s most well-known is the Wilbur bud which according to the company website got its name in an interesting way, “founder H.O. Wilbur developed a process that deposited specially blended aged chocolate into a solid shape that resembled a flower bud” (2021).

If you want to taste a Wilbur bud or any of the other yummy Wilbur chocolate confections you can visit their store, still in Lititz, PA.   According to Trip Advisor, it is a popular stop in the city that both sells chocolate and provides demonstrations (Trip Advisor, 2021).  The store is open daily (except Sunday) from 9:00am-5:00pm and rumor has it that it smells fantastic (Trip Advisor, 2021).

Well chocolate lovers, I hope that today’s little history lesson taught you about PA chocolate company other than Hershey.  If you get a chance to check it out Lititz is a cute little city with lots of businesses and restaurants to check out.  It is also home to the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, where you can take a tour and make your own pretzels (Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, 2021).  What a great town, brining together two classics chocolate and pretzels!  On that sweet note, see you all next week #crazyforchocolateblog.

Citation:

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery (2021). Plan Your Visit. https://juliussturgis.com/plan-your-visit/.

Trip Advisor (2021). Wilbur Chocolate Candy Store. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g53046-d108055-Reviews-Wilbur_Chocolate_Candy_Store-Lititz_Lancaster_County_Pennsylvania.html.

Wilbur Chocolate (2021). The History of Wilbur Chocolate. https://www.wilburbuds.com/wilbur-history?page=1.

Photo is CC (https://www.flickr.com/photos/27917561@N00/50170836898)

One of the perks of attending Penn State Schuylkill is its proximity to the “sweetest place on earth”, Hershey PA.   Hershey is one of my favorite places to spend a day, not only is it the home to one of my favorite chocolate brands, but there is so much to do there.  For this blog I used the website https://www.hersheypa.com/, to help me provide accurate information.  Here are my top 3 things to do in Hershey:

1. Hershey Attractions: Hershey Park is a great amusement park, with “14 roller coasters” and a huge water park but is a little pricey with a daily ticket costing almost $60.  In the fall the park does “Hershey Park in the Dark”, which is little less expensive, and they do trick or treating in the closed water park, so you can get some Hershey candy on those days.  If, I want to get my chocolate-town fix for less, I go to Chocolate World.  The best part of Chocolate World is the FREE ride, where you learn step-by-step how chocolate goes from cocoa beans to candy bars.  My favorite part of the ride is the mini chocolate bar that you get at the end.  You can also buy chocolate, Hershey merchandise, and snacks.  Parking and admission are free, which is a plus.
2. Eating: There are tons of restaurants in Hershey.  I love going to Chocolate Avenue, which is the main street in town, where they streetlamps look like Hershey kisses and there are tons of places to eat.  I love Houlihan’s, Devon and Primanti Bros on Chocolate Ave.  I am also looking forward to trying the new Chocolatier restaurant and Milton’s Ice Cream Parlor, part of the newly renovated Chocolatetown just outside the Hershey Park Entrance.
3. Shopping: I know this has nothing to do with chocolate, but another thing that I love is bargain shopping, so no trip to Hershey is complete without a sweet shopping trip.  There is a big Tanger Outlet center right aside of the park, so I always stop by my favorite stores (Disney, Loft, Anne Taylor, Coach, Yankee Candle, and Gap) when I am in town.

If you have never been to Hershey, PA, I recommend making the trip.  These are just a few of the things that I like to do there, but the best part of a trip to Hershey is smelling the chocolate in the air.  Depending on where are in town you can catch a whiff of that famous chocolate right where it is being made, #crazyforchocolateblog.

Citation:

Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company (2021). Hershey, PA. https://www.hersheypa.com/