Russell Stover
 

We were driving down Hwy 44, right before you get to Hwy 301, and we saw this huge building. When we went inside it was like we were kids in a candy store.

We went to the ice cream counter and we ordered each a cup with one scoop. They gave us a HUGE scoop of ice cream!

After we finished we went back in and looked around. There was a room on the east side of the building and we went in there to see what was up. They had an enormous assortment of chocolates, all priced extremely low. They had really big assortments to use for ??? They also had “bloopers” which had various chocolates that had the papers on them messed up but they said that the quality of the chocolates were unaffected. And they were priced 80% off.

Then we went to the main side and saw every kind chocolate you could imagine. I swear I gained a couple of pounds just walking in and smelling everything.

We asserted some serious self control and walked out with just a bag of Jelly Belly’s. But what a place!

Bloopers? The papers were messed up? I'll bet that would go over great with your Valentine. (just kidding).

Glad we don't live closer than we do.

Rollie

IMHO Russell Stover makes the worst chocolates on Earth - I doubt a cacao bean has been spotted inside any of their factories, judging from the taste

we buy the sugar free bloopers there. Usually about half of what you would pay in another store.

Based on the number of folks that go there YHO is probably a minotity, Stovers has been there ever since we have been here, 11 years, and doesn't seem to suffering for a lack of business. More important, what is in YHO the best chocolates here so we can all try the alternative?

Oh now artic fox, sir, Bad candy is like bad..............ANYTHING.

Better than nothin'.

We can't have a Belgian Chocolate factory near us so I am glad for ole' Russell Stover.

This thread is making me hear in my head that Smothers Brothers song about falling into a vat of chocolate. I must give it a google sometime to see if it’s on YouTube.

Btw, Russell S. was acquired by Lindt in 2014.

Boomer

I'm not Artic Fox but I'll chime in with my own HO:

Peterbrooke in Sumter Landing Town Square
Kilwin's in Spanish Springs Town Square

Lindt and Godiva are better than Russel Stover's, but neither has their own store anywhere around here. Hershey's Kisses are better than Russel Stover's solid milk chocolates but again - no Hershey's store here, you'd have to settle for buying them in Walmart.

See's Candies are not available anywhere except from their own stores/mall kiosks, or ordering online, and there aren't any stores near the Villages. But their chocolate covered toffee (tins of what they call Toffee-ettes) is to die for.

Also - trivial factoid: "Belgian chocolate" has no legal distinction outside of Belgium. But within Belgium, "Belgian chocolate" has specific standards in order to get the label. But anyone outside of Belgium can make their chocolates using the same standard, there's nothing unique about "Belgian chocolate" since they get their raw cacao from the same places everyone else gets them (cocoa doesn't grow in Belgium): Africa, Central America, and South America.

. . .

Russell Stover? You mean the candy they sell next to Whitman Samplers at CVS stores? I gotta agree with you, pretty nasty stuff. If you want good, I mean GOOD chocolate you have to either order from See's, have a Christmas time Pop-Up or airport kiosk you can get to, or be handy to one of the gazillions of See's candy stores in Southern California.

They also have a discount, frequent buyers card!

As I remember, those that you mentioned don't have the variety or pricing of RS. I love Kilwins but much more expensive. Lindt owns RS. Godiva was owned by Campbell Soup back in the 70's and I had a wife that could be bags of the rejects for a buck a bag......I miss that candy :).

Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate, least lead and cadium...

We would always load up with Ethel M's when we were in Vegas. Always brought back a few pounds of the chocolates with liquor. When we were in Belgium we asked a local where we could buy Godiva and he laughed. He told us that every town had their own chocolatier, and Godiva was something you bought in the market. They were absolutely the best I've ever had. We flew back with around fifteen pounds of "Belgian Truffles", and they didn't last long

+1 Ghirardelli, best chocolate ever! We make a few trips a year to Disney Springs and enjoy their ice cream too!

Outrageously Delicious !!
 

Dorthy's candy in White Oak, Pennsylvania offers the most delicious candy I have ever had. Expensive... VERY...worth every penny. Sent as gifts on important occasions. Always a most enthusiastic response:
- Dorothy's Candies

john

We love Ethel Ms! We go to the factory and cactus garden probably every other trip to Las Vegas. The peanut butter and jelly chocolates were wonderful. But, the prices these days! 2-3 dollars per piece make them a very special treat.

chocolate shop in chipping norton - Google Search

If you are ever around my area in the UK, pop into Chipping Norton, and visit this shop.
The dark chocolate raisins are :bowdown:
Milk chocolate as well, if you prefer.
The place is full of calories, cocoa and sugar!

right across the street from them, on 44 is an awesome antique store. You should take a look around, but don't get lost! But, I know you will

Better than "poopers", which also messes up the paper :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

For me, their best product is their hot fudge sundae. They make the hot fudge fresh every morning. Absolutely delicious!

Enstrom’s Toffee, made in Colorado, is the best I’ve ever tasted by far. The filling won’t break your teeth, and it is not too sweet but is very buttery.

Mr Negative Post Response
 

Nice. Way to discount original posters excitement for finding something new that excited her. Make you feel better trashing her post?

When we travel Europe, chocolate is first thing we purchase, everywhere. Here rarely do we buy any chocolate unless it’s for company

A great place to kill an hour. The ice cream selection is slowly recovering from the 2000 lockdown.

After Christmas you buy unsold packages of moose poop. No paper included.

Are you new here? Many posters get their jollies raining on others parades.
I just saw your post count lol - you ARE new here. Heads up, there are some grumpy gus posters that are best to ignore.

Agreed! Best hot fudge anywhere!

We currently have both See’s and RS in the house right now so we are eating them side by side. See’s we bought in SoCal last month when we went home to spend Thanksgiving with our kids and grandson. RS is from a neighbor for Christmas. The difference between the two is night and day, with of course See’s winning hands down. If we had Peterbrooke in the house though it would definitely beat both, but It’s so pricey it makes See’s seem like a bargain. :)

I knew that place was there but have never been inside. I don't know how much restraint I would have.

Stovers
 

In 2 1/2 years in TV, we have gone there 6 times. Loving every minute of it! Next door is Lamar's Bus Tours, so after a trip it's time for ice cream sundaes and chocolate. Tastes great to me always!!

It’s all theater — much like real life. There will always be those who try to make themselves feel better by trying to make others feel worse. (While I am enjoying learning about other people’s favorite chocolate in this thread, there is no reason to bash someone else’s.)


In real life, I know someone I call “The One-Upper.” Any time I mention something I like or plan to do or have done, she makes it known that she has a “much better” choice or plan or experience than anything I could ever possibly come up with.

If I made her constant one-upping into a drinking game, and downed a shot every time she did her routine, I would be on the floor within a very short time. She also begins a lot of sentences with “I”…..She too often makes me feel like I am in some ridiculous competition I did not sign up for.

There are only so many standard personality types we run across in life or in literature — and on TOTV, too. It’s all theater — as we “strut and fret our hour upon the stage” — as said Shakespeare.

Hang around TOTV long enough — or too long (blush) — and you will see sometimes that things play out as if they have been scripted.

Boomer (and scene. :))

Yep, been there. We take the grandchildren there just before we send them home. You know so they are stocked up. 😏

My husband and I refuse to go into Russel Stover, because we have no resistance. The bloopers are a great price and we have succumbed now and then. (I'm not sure I'm happy to be reminded of their existence!) However, Sees never tasted as good as Fannie May to me - and I lived in CA for 39 years. Hands down, chocolate candy bought from local shops in Europe are exceptional, but I'm not there very often. Peterbrooke and Kilwins are yummy and pricey.

We have a "one upper" right here on this forum.

We used to live near a large chocolate factory that was in a big tilt-up building in an industrial park in Chino, California. They had an outlet store and they made chocolates for many different "boutique" companies and Godiva and Ethel M (now part of Mars Corp). It was all the same chocolate, just packaged for different companies. We would buy Godiva turtles with a mis-shapen leg or a stray lump by the bag for a small fraction the retail price. It was all very good stuff but people love to pay extra $$$ for brand names / bragging rights.

They did not make See's, which is excellent.

I prefer Swedish chocolate.

Ben by there but never stopped in. My lost I guess? :)

You took the words right off my keyboard. Not worth the calories.