Orlando is chock full of Halloween traditions, from the scary, to the spooky, to the downright terrifying. A sweeter way to celebrate the holiday is at downtown Winter Park. The upscale shopping district is famous for its bistros, boutiques, and galleries, but if you’re looking to indulge your sweet tooth, get into the trick-or-treat spirit and tour Park Avenue’s many bakeries and candy stores.
At the south end of Park Ave, just north of Rollins College, is where our tour begins. The first stop is Rocket Fizz (520 South Park Ave), a specialty soda pop and candy store. Being the only Florida installment of a California-based corporation, the store boasts hundreds of different sodas, many with tongue-in-cheek names and exotic flavors. If you’re craving something a little more interesting than sarsaparilla, why not try ranch dressing, buffalo wing, or even corn-on-the-cob flavors of pop? On top of the sodas, there’s a seemingly endless number of candy choices. They offer classic American staples like Reese’s as well as gourmet chocolate bars and truffles, plus an entire wall dedicated to dozens of flavors of saltwater taffy.
For a sweet treat that’s a little more traditional, keep walking north until you reach Kilwins under a red awning at 122 North Park Ave. The company was founded in 1947, and has since been churning out classic sweet treats such as fudge, chocolates, and caramel apples ever since. Inside, you’ll find a dessert case filled with everyone’s favorite sweets: chocolate-covered pretzels, marzipan fruit, and over a dozen varieties of homemade fudge. Fall specialties include kettle corn and pumpkin walnut fudge. If even autumn, Florida days out still seem warm, they offer over 40 different flavors of their specialty ice cream on a rotating basis, including Turtle Cheesecake, New Orleans Praline Pecan, and Georgia Peach.
The last stop on our tour is one of Winter Park’s best kept secrets. Keep heading north along Central Park until you find an indoor, open-air shopping complex called the Shops On Park. Inside you’ll find Le Macaron (216 North Park Ave), an upscale and trendy French bakery. Inside, you’ll find a single counter befitting a jewelry store, filled with gourmet truffles, meringues, and gelato, but most importantly: macarons. These small French sandwich cookies have a crisp, colorful shell with soft cake inside and a variety of fillings, such as cream, chocolate, and even fruit-based jellies. Traditional, Old World favorites are available, such as raspberry, vanilla, and pistachio. For the more adventurous eaters, white chocolate basil, black currant, ginger, and even rose are up for grabs.
Whether you love bold, pop culture-friendly treats, or prefer something that reminds you of home, Winter Park’s Park Avenue is the perfect place to indulge. There are endless opportunities to satisfy your sweet tooth, from Rocket Fizz to Le Macaron and everything in between. So go out, explore, and reward yourself with a treat from any of the district’s many confectionaries.