The Best of Colorado's Candy Stores

Got a sweet tooth? Colorado’s mountain towns have got you covered

When we travel, there are two things my husband keeps an eye out for—record stores and sweet shops—and we’ve discovered more than a few candy stores in the Rocky Mountains.

One of the best, in part because they make all their own candy in house, is the Georgetown Valley Candy Company. I’ve had the great pleasure of talking to the owners while they filled a box of freshly made candies to be shipped to a Denver client, and they have a delightful story.

Georgetown Valley Candy Company is a family-operation and is everything you’d want in a candy store. It’s warm and inviting, and the cases of handmade candy turn even the dourest adults into children again.

The colorful awning of Candy Time Shoppe & Novelties in Grand Junction caught our eye from across the street. And as soon as my husband entered this light, bright, and airy shop, it was indeed “candy time.”

From Andies Candies to Zagnuts, you’ll find a wide selection of candy here. They also offer a big variety of vintage sodas. Remember Lester’s Fixins Buffalo Wing Soda? Neither do I, but they’ve got it at Candy Time.

While some consider chocolate to be a dessert all its own, I’m going to include Mouse’s Chocolates in Ouray in this article. It seems appropriate that a town that’s been called “Switzerland of America” should have such a shop. Heidi, the chocolatier at Mouse’s, hand-makes her chocolates, and on most days you can see her busy at work in the store.

Mouse’s Chocolates is a must-stop on all our visits to Ouray. In fact, we usually end up there several times. Be sure to try a “scrap cookie” while you’re there. You’ll thank me.

Photo by Shannon Hudson, courtesy of Visit Estes Park

Serious candy lovers need to visit Estes Park. This lovely little mountain town known for elk and the Stanley Hotel has a candy shop on every block. From fresh-made taffy to still-warm caramel apples, this town is a kid’s candy paradise.

Just down the canyon from Estes Park, Sunny Jim’s Candies in west Loveland has been making candies since 1964. They churn out chocolate, hard candies and taffy every day and believe freshness matters.