Take A Road Trip To Mouthwatering Bakeries, Ice Cream Parlors, And Candy Shops Along This Magical South Carolina Dessert Trail
By AnneMarie|Published January 06, 2023
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AnneMarie
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South Carolina has been home for AnneMarie since 2001. Her favorite part of the state is Lake Jocassee. An App State alumna, it's always the mountains; the lake bonus makes it heavenly. When not writing about the state, she may be spending time with family, relaxing by the pool, or out somewhere enjoying nature.
Do you ever have your dessert first? How about having dessert for breakfast? And lunch, dinner, and snacks? Okay … you may want to have something light and nutritious in between, or not, but we’ve got some amazing dessert spots for you to try out on this road trip along a magical dessert trail in our state to taste some of the best desserts in South Carolina!
This road trip includes nine stops and totals about eight hours and 20 minutes of driving time. It would be best to take this trip over a couple of days to allow plenty of time at each stop as well as some time for regular meals, too. If you stayed overnight in one of these areas, you could also spend a little time exploring other types of attractions there as well. For example, Irmo is an unassuming town in South Carolina that offers interesting gems to check out. Depending on which part of the state you live in, you may wish to adapt the order of stops to better suit your situation.
We've put together a trip map to help visualize the dessert trail and plan accordingly. Visit Google Maps for the interactive version of the road trip map if you wish to adapt the trip to better suit your preferences.
The fruit-glazed cheesecake at Saffron Restaurant and Bakery is our first highly recommended treat on this delicious road trip. This downtown Charleston restaurant has plenty of other options, including sugar-free items such as the chocolate mousse hazelnut sweetened with coconut sugar and monk fruit also pictured above. Ingredients are sourced from local farmers and vendors when possible and desserts are all homemade.
Next we will have some homemade ice cream at Sweetie's, a small shop in historic Georgetown just a few doors down from the Clock Tower and Rice Museum in a building dating back to 1870 with original flooring, walls, and ceiling beams. If you happen to not be in the mood for ice cream or would prefer something else, there are also pralines, fudge, and caramel that are made in a 20-quart steam jacket kettle, and toffees and brittles made on a single hot plate. It's about an hour and 10-minute drive from Charleston.
The third spot on this trip is at Tanger Outlets in Myrtle Beach, where you will find the best saltwater taffy anywhere and an assortment of candies including hard-to-find old-fashioned varieties at the Candy Barrel. It's a family-owned and operated store and about 50 minutes from Georgetown.
The next stop is about an hour and 20-minute drive to Sweet Tooth Bakery and Cafe in Florence for homemade treats such as cakes, cookies, and bars. If you have something special in mind like the hamburger cake pictured here, you'll need to contact the bakery ahead of time to inquire about a special order!
From Florence, it's only about 50 minutes to Camden where our next treat is found at the Shortcake Bakery and Tea Room. You will have an opportunity to sample a one-of-a-kind treat that was invented here, The Original Sconoli(TM), which is like a canolli but with a scone shell, filled with jam and Devonshire cream! Offerings at the tea room vary but are always fresh and homemade. Walk-in hours are limited due to the amount of private parties, special orders, and tea reservations this neat place receives, so it's definitely best to make your own reservation in advance. This is one of several stops along our trail where you could also have a meal, so you may want to time this one to have a three-course tea lunch while you're there, too. Check the Shortcake Bakery & Tea Room website for details.
Blue Flour Bakery in Irmo is our next place to satisfy the sweet tooth, about 45 minutes from Camden. It's best known for delicious fresh-baked BIG colorful iced sugar cookies. If you only want a taste there are also mini sugar cookies available as well as bars, other types of cookies, and quiches if you'd like to have something a little more substantial at this stop.
9. La Parisienne French Restaurant and Bakery – Aiken
Right at about an hour away in Aiken, we will enjoy an authentic French café and bakery serving flakey croissants, espresso, light and healthy sandwiches, charcuterie, and salads at the La Parisienne French Bakery and Cafe. By this point in the trip if you're following our route exactly as it is, you may be very happy to have more of a "normal" meal here along with a sweet treat!
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7. Kerneltime Gourmet Popcorn & Sweets – Moore (outside of Spartanburg)
The drive to our next stop on this dessert trail is the longest in the trip, at about two hours from Aiken. But it will be worth the drive for a bit of a different type of treat than we have experienced thus far.
Kerneltime Gourmet Popcorn and Sweets is located in Moore, an unincorporated community just outside of Spartanburg. It offers over 70 flavors of gourmet popcorn in bags, tins or gift boxes, 300-400 candies, Belgium liege waffles, cotton candy, seasonal candy apples, caramel apples, and even treats for your little furry friends! Everything is made from scratch, no prepackaged or out-of-the-box ingredients. Kerneltime makes its own caramels and uses real cheddar cheeses, spices, and rich smooth Belgian chocolates. Popcorn is popped fresh each day using GMO-free kernels grown in the USA.
And for our last treat, we will be heading only about 20 minutes away to Greenville for some gourmet cupcakes or other sweet treats at Wildflower Cupcake and Dessert Bar. You can see some of the very interesting cupcake flavors to enjoy, but if you'd rather have something else or in addition there are also cookie sandwiches, parfaits, and more to choose from. There are mini-sized cupcakes as well if you'd like just a taste of those and maybe something else, too!
On a trip like this one, it would be a good idea to pace yourself! You’ll want to check the website for each of these establishments to check the days and hours open and other details you may need to take into consideration when planning your trip.
Ready to pack your bags and get on the road? Be sure to come back and leave a comment below letting us know what you had at these stops and which was your favorite!
