In my post, The Ultimate Guide to Visiting River Street in Savannah, GA, I mention that my first stop when visiting Savannah is always in River Street Sweets. In fact, in 20+ years of annual trips to Savannah, I've never once missed a visit to my favorite famous gourmet candy shop! It embodies Southern charm, and that's just one of the many reasons this little candy store is one of my top stops along the river.
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River Street Sweets in Savannah, GA...definitely a must when you're in town! #traveltips Click To Tweet
River Street Sweets: Savannah's Famous Candy Shop
An oversized antique candy display cabinet chock full of tempting sweets dominates the center of the store.
Each section of the cabinet is devoted to a different type of delectable candy, from the candy coated gummy fruit slices and rock candy seen above…
…to a wide variety of truffles, Southern bear claws (pecans topped with caramel and chocolate — also known as turtles), pralines, fudge slices — and more.
Best known for serving Savannah's World Famous Pralines, the aroma of fresh baked pralines and fudge beckons visitors in from at least half a block away. Once you arrive under the red awning, you'll be lured inside by a greeter offering samples of warm pralines. River Street's generously sized soft pralines contain the perfect combination of sugar mixed with a pinch of salt plus just the right amount of nuts. They're also slightly addicting (to put it mildly)!
I mentioned Southern charm, and this store is teaming with it. The staff is friendly and patient with tourists. They always seem to be in a good mood and are willing to answer questions about the candy-making process. Even though the store is highly trafficked and they probably repeat similar statements on a daily basis, they're very patient about answering the many questions thrown their way.
Salt Water Taffy:
The store has an old-fashioned taffy machine that makes 50 different flavors of salt water taffy. If your visit coincides with a taffy-making session, you can observe and ask questions about the process. Be sure to stay until the end, because they're generous with the samples!
A peek at the taffy pulling station in the background and the wrapping machine in the foreground.
I believe they mentioned this taffy wrapping machine was from the early 1900s and still going strong!
It's mesmerizing to watch taffy as it's pulled and wrapped and to see the collection of old fashioned candy machines throughout the store. Both children and the young-at-heart will enjoy observing the process!
You can purchase pre-packaged bags of saltwater taffy or mix-and-match your own favorite flavors.
River Street Sweets is a visual delight, with candy artfully displayed in beautiful antique bins.
An additional reason I love this store so much is because the smells take me back in time to my Nana’s kitchen. They bring back fond memories of her creating homemade pecan pies and baking chocolate chip cookies from scratch.
FUN FACT: Did you know the sense of smell has the ability to bring back memories — more so than any of the other senses?
Hard Candies:
If candy is more your style, the store has an entire wall filled with bins of every hard candy imaginable.
Ice Cream:
The back end of the store is devoted to an old standby that most everyone seems to love: ICE CREAM! 🙂
Mint Chocolate Chip for me, please!
Select from a variety of flavors and toppings. You can also opt for a milkshake or fresh squeezed lemonade to quench your thirst. (It's hot 6 months out of the year in Savannah, so sometimes a cold drink is just the ticket!) Even the Coke machine looks like it belongs in an old fountain shop:
The store is committed to serving the finest chocolates, and the fudge doesn't disappoint! There are numerous varieties of fresh fudge and each is available for sampling prior to purchase. I promise you'll satisfy your sweet tooth prior to leaving the premises!
TIP: River Street Sweets has an online store, so you're in luck if you need to send Christmas presents, teacher gifts, Mother's Day presents, or if you just want to sample some of the goodies I've mentioned here.
If you're traveling to Savannah anytime soon, I highly suggest including this on your “must do” list. I've only listed a small portion of what you can find in the store. They also have candy-coated apples, brittle, candied nuts, flavored popcorn, and the list goes on….
One final word of caution: If you bring your kids in this store you'll probably have a hard time getting them to leave! If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to answer.
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I LOVE River Street Sweets!!! You can smell the freshly made candy from the street before you even get inside the store, and my mouth starts watering. I adore the pralines and the fudge and usually end up getting both because I can’t choose just one. Can’t wait to go back!