Shop Hop: Candy, Candy and More Candy

Want to hear a scary story? Halloween is tomorrow! Yes, time continues to confound and it is already October 30. What. Is. Happening. (Don't answer that. I already know what's happening. And it's all terrible.)

The CDC has said, "Many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses," so trick-or-treating will probably look a lot different this year, but for the past several weeks folks have been getting creative and inventing new ways to share the sugar while maintaining a safe distance. There are candy chutes, ziplines and even pneumatic tubes popping up all over the country. 

So here's where to go if you still need to stock up on some last-minute goodies for tomorrow’s festivities.

RocketFizz and Savannah’s Candy Kitchen

Downtown Nashville is home to two really fantastic candy shops — RocketFizz (201 Second Ave. N.) and Savannah’s Candy Kitchen (310 Broadway). Savannah's is great for chocolate-covered everything — including the biggest caramel apples you’ve ever seen — as well as a dizzying array of bulk candy, while RocketFizz has a huge selection of both modern and classic candies as well as dozens of different flavors of taffy.

Want to treat your trick-or-treaters to a giant (gummy) rat or a bag of (candy) Farts? Head to RocketFizz. But if you’re staying home and turning off the lights — the safest option, of course — and looking to treat yourself to something especially indulgent, hit up Savannah's for an apple layered with caramel, candy and chocolate, and/or a Gopher, a big ol’ pile of housemade caramel layered with pecans and your choice of milk, dark or white chocolate. Perfection.

(And! While you’re downtown, stop by Goo Goo Shop for a Boo Goo Goo, a Premium Goo Goo loaded with candy corn and Count Chocula cereal.)

Mazfresco Market and Dulcería Morelia

At Mazfresco Market and Dulcería Morelia, both in Plaza Mariachi (3953 Nolensville Pike), you can fill your plastic pumpkin with all kinds of tasty Mexican candy — Pulparindots (fruit-flavored tamarind candy), Supercocoa (toffee candies loaded with shredded coconut), Paleta Malva Bony (chocolate-covered marshmallows on a stick) and Bubu Lubus (marshmallow and strawberry jelly covered in chocolate). I had never had Bubu Lubus until grabbing a bag at Mazfresco recently and I must warn you, they are addictive. The store carries them in both mini and full-sized. 

Worth noting: On Halloween, Plaza Mariachi is hosting a trunk-or-treat event from 2-5:30 p.m., followed by a drive-in screening of Coco at 7 p.m. More info is on their website.

Fresh and Fresh International Market

KitKat. Hi-Chew. Pocky. Happy Hippos. I found so many of my favorites at Fresh and Fresh International Market (3905 Nolensville Pike). Imagine how delighted your candy-craving visitors will be when they look into their sacks to see a crispy, chocolate-filled hippo smiling back at them! (OK, I might be projecting, as Kinder Happy Hippos are one of my very favorite things on the planet.)

Fresh and Fresh also has a great assortment of KitKats imported from Japan in flavors like Citrus Mint, Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream and Ocean Salt, and if you've never had Hi-Chew, run don't walk to the grocery store. Hi-Chews are infinitely better than Starbursts. They have a softer, more delightful chew and they come in better flavors — mango, açaí, kiwi, grape. Suck it, Starbursts.