Gatlinburg Desserts: A Sweet History

For almost 85 years, Aunt Mahalia’s has been a Gatlinburg candy scene staple. To this day, Aunt Mahalia’s goodies are homemade daily, ensuring quality, freshness and timeless taste. Guests come back year after year to sink their teeth into caramel apples, crunch on old-fashioned peanut butter sticks and gobble up gummy bears. Aunt Mahalia’s is known for its Heavenly Fudge, Smoky Mountain taffy logs, old timey rock candy and stick candy, blueberry syrup, pecan nests and assortment of jelly beans. With two locations open year-round, there’s no shortage of sweet supply here!

The origins of Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen are as legendary as their pulled, rolled and wrapped products! Back in 1950, Dave and Peggy Dych had hit the road to seek their fortune in California. Driving through Gatlinburg, Tennessee, the young couple fell in love with the possibility of our growing motor tourist town. The rest is sweet history! Setting up shop downtown, candy makers dressed in white uniforms stirred copper kettles and fed taffy into mesmerizing machines. Folks lined up outside the large window to watch them make their sweet confections and capture a taste of their treats. To this day, Ole Smoky still serves its smooth, sweet taffy by the piece or by the box.

In 1969, Carolyn and James Ryan moved their family of 7 to Gatlinburg to set up a donut store in The Village Shops. Open at 5 a.m. daily, Donut Friar continues what it started more than 55 years ago. Melt-in-your-mouth donuts, savory cinnamon bread and specialty coffee beckon repeat visits. Generations of customers have made Donut Friar a family tradition, contributing to its longevity as the oldest business in The Village Shops. Donut Friar is also among Sevier County’s longest-running family-owned businesses, a sweet fact in itself! It’s worth noting that though Donut Friar operates as a cash-only business, but an ATM is located onsite. 

Although Gatlinburg is steeped in sweet tradition with staple candy shops, new tastes and flavors continue to come to Gatlinburg bringing a delicious and sometimes crazy concoctions. Places like The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar specializes in crazy creations with over-the-top milkshakes, ice cream, desserts, and more all served in a keepsake mason jar. Another delicious way to cool down is at Maddog's Creamery & Donuts which offers a full selection of hand-dipped premium ice cream, soft serve, sundaes, banana splits, milkshakes, cotton candy, shaved ice & funnel cakes. If that isn’t sweet enough for you, we also make donuts fresh daily. They also have doggie treats for your 4-legged friend. Looking for something uniquely sweet? Savannah Bee Company has been serving Gatlinburg since 2017, and offers over 20 of the purest forms of honey, and hive-inspired health and beauty products made with all-natural ingredients. Buzz on in for a Mead tasting, the oldest form of alcohol.

It’s often said that the way to a man’s heart is through the stomach, but we can attest that the tastebuds are a surefire route to our memories. That also goes for conjuring up feel-good visions of bygone times. In Gatlinburg, sweet lovers will find no shortage of old-school flavors to transport them to simpler days. Grab a stool at the family-owned and operated Glades Soda Fountain and share a phosphate, float, soda, sundae, milkshake or malt. Few sips are as timeless as a perfect cup of joe, and Gatlinburg’s oldest coffee shop, Coffee & Company serves up hot and cold brews in a cozy environment – a perfect accompaniment to sampling sweets!