A sweet walk in Dahlonega is a loop around the Public Square, with the Gold Museum in the 1836 courthouse in the middle and the dessert cafe, chocolatier, fudge kitchens and ice cream counters around it. The planner below builds the loop for the day and time you will be there.
Sweet Walk Planner Pick a day, a time of day and what you are in the mood for. You get the places whose published hours are open then, in walking order from the Public Square, plus what is on the calendar that day. Places that do not publish hours, or bake to order only, are listed apart. Which day? What time of day? What are you in the mood for? Untick everything to see every kind of place. Minutes at each stop are our rough estimates, not business data. On the calendar that day A first sweet loop around the Public Square Start here Cajun restaurant on the square whose own menu lists beignets (French Market doughnuts in powdered sugar), a Paul Thomas Beignet filled with locally made dark chocolate, seasonal bread pudding and Bananas Foster. Hours: Mon 11 am–9 pm · Thu 11 am–9 pm · Fri 11 am–10 pm · Sat 9 am–10 pm · Sun 9 am–8 pm · closed Tue–Wed Source: thebourbonstreetgrille.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 50 ft from the last stop, straight line Family-owned chocolate shop on the square that handcrafts its chocolates in small batches and says about 90% of what it sells is made on location, including soft caramels cooked in a copper kettle. Hours: Mon–Thu 10 am–8 pm · Fri–Sat 9 am–9 pm · Sun 12:30 pm–8 pm Source: paulthomaschocolates.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 250 ft from the last stop, straight line Ice cream and sandwich shop by the square serving scoops in cups, cake cones and waffle cones, milkshakes, floats, sundaes and espresso-and-ice-cream drinks, plus cookies and brownies. Hours: Mon–Thu 11 am–6 pm · Fri–Sat 11 am–9 pm · Sun 12 pm–8 pm Source: conniesicecream.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 50 ft from the last stop, straight line Second-generation candy shop at the corner of North Park and Main, open since 1982, making hand-dipped chocolates, Southern confections and more than 15 varieties of cream and butter fudge, plus caramel-dipped apples in fall and winter. Hours: Mon–Thu 11 am–8 pm · Fri–Sat 11 am–9 pm · Sun 11 am–8 pm Source: dahlonegafudgefactory.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 250 ft from the last stop, straight line Franchise chocolate, fudge and ice cream shop just off the square that makes Mackinac Island Fudge in the store on marble tables, dips caramel apples in made-in-store caramel and scoops Original Recipe Ice Cream in fresh waffle cones. Hours: Mon–Thu 12 pm–8 pm · Fri–Sat 12 pm–9 pm · Sun 12 pm–8 pm Source: kilwins.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 50 ft from the last stop, straight line Family-recipe cafe on the square, started in 2001 as The Dahlonega Dessertery, serving breakfast and lunch plus homemade muffins, scones, pastries, whole cakes and whole pies. Hours: Mon–Sun 7 am–6:30 pm Source: thepicniccafe.wixsite.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 50 ft from the last stop, straight line Old-fashioned country store on the square that stocks old-fashioned candy, sells fresh peanuts roasted daily and pours a 5¢ cup of coffee. Hours: Mon–Thu 10 am–6 pm · Fri–Sat 10 am–9 pm · Sun 10 am–6 pm Source: dahlonegageneralstore.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 350 ft from the last stop, straight line Family-style Southern restaurant (serving since 1922) whose own menus list a to-go dessert case of pies and cheesecakes, strawberry shortcake with family-style meals, and cinnamon rolls on Friday evenings. Hours: Tue–Thu 11 am–3 pm · Fri–Sat 11 am–7:30 pm · Sun 11 am–7 pm Source: smithhouse.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 0.6 mi from the last stop, straight line Family-owned cabin-style diner (since 2009) serving all-day breakfast, with fresh cinnamon rolls every morning sold single or by the half dozen, plus biscuits. Hours: Mon–Sun 7 am–2:45 pm Source: foothillgrill.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 0.8 mi from the last stop, straight line Chain DQ Grill & Chill on South Chestatee Street with Blizzard treats and DQ cakes alongside its grill menu, with a drive-thru, outdoor seating and restrooms listed. Hours: Mon–Sat 5:30 am–9:15 pm · Sun 6:30 am–9:15 pm Source: dairyqueen.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 1.2 mi from the last stop, straight line Coffee, breakfast and lunch cafe south of downtown; its site says its catering menu includes house-made breakfast and lunch favorites and baked goods, but its online menu names no specific pastries. Hours: Mon 8 am–2:30 pm · Wed–Sat 8 am–2:30 pm · Sun 9 am–1 pm · closed Tue Source: bearnecessitiescafe.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 Nothing with published hours is open then for what you picked. Try another time of day, or add another kind of treat. Love the Square? See homes for sale near downtown Dahlonega Hours come from each business's own site or page, checked October 19, 2026. Walking order and distances are straight lines between mapped addresses; minutes per stop are estimates.Which Dahlonega bakeries and sweets shops are open when you are there
Bourbon Street Grille
Paul Thomas Chocolates
Connie's Ice Cream & Sandwich Shop
The Dahlonega Fudge Factory
Kilwins Dahlonega
Picnic Cafe & Dessertery
Dahlonega General Store
The Smith House
Foothill Grill
DQ Grill & Chill (Dairy Queen) Dahlonega
The Bear Necessities Café
Streets, paths, the rail line, water and buildings from OpenStreetMap; the green is Hancock Park. Pin positions come from OpenStreetMap or an address lookup (each place's details name which); businesses not confirmed operating are left off. A planning map, not turn-by-turn directions.
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The historic square around the Gold Museum, ringed by shops and free 3-hour street parking on both sides of Main Street.
Address: Public Square, Dahlonega, GA 30533
Source: City of Dahlonega, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Directions
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State historic site in the 1836 Lumpkin County Courthouse in the middle of the Public Square; the landmark every downtown sweets walk circles.
Address: 1 Public Square, Dahlonega, GA 30533
Hours: Mon-Sat 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m.-4:45 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year's Day
Source: Georgia State Parks, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Directions
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City park just off the Square at North Park and Warwick streets, home of the May-October Saturday Dahlonega Farmers Market (with home bakers among its 2026 vendors), the December Christmas Market and an all-abilities playground. The DDA's event listing gives its address as Hawkins St.
Address: 54 North Park Street, Dahlonega, GA 30533
Hours: Park: sunrise to sunset. Farmers market: Saturdays 8:00am-1:00pm, May-October (2026 season ended Oct 10)
Source: City of Dahlonega, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Directions
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Family-owned chocolate shop on the square that handcrafts its chocolates in small batches and says about 90% of what it sells is made on location, including soft caramels cooked in a copper kettle.
Address: 102 Public Square North, Dahlonega, GA 30533
Hours: Mon–Thu 10am–8pm; Fri–Sat 9am–9pm; Sun 12:30pm–8pm (ET). No holiday/December hours published.
Source: paulthomaschocolates.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Directions
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Cajun restaurant on the square whose own menu lists beignets (French Market doughnuts in powdered sugar), a Paul Thomas Beignet filled with locally made dark chocolate, seasonal bread pudding and Bananas Foster.
Address: 90 Public Square N., Dahlonega, GA 30533
Hours: Mon 11:00 AM-9:00 PM; Tue-Wed CLOSED; Thu 11:00 AM-9:00 PM; Fri 11:00 AM-10:00 PM; Sat 9:00 AM-10:00 PM; Sun 9:00 AM-8:00 PM; Saturday & Sunday brunch 9AM-2PM
Source: thebourbonstreetgrille.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Directions
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Ice cream and sandwich shop by the square serving scoops in cups, cake cones and waffle cones, milkshakes, floats, sundaes and espresso-and-ice-cream drinks, plus cookies and brownies.
Address: 18 North Park Street, Dahlonega, GA 30533
Hours: Mon–Thu 11am–6pm; Fri–Sat 11am–9pm; Sun 12pm–8pm (shop's Toast ordering page hours panel). No holiday/December hours published.
Source: conniesicecream.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Directions
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Family-style Southern restaurant (serving since 1922) whose own menus list a to-go dessert case of pies and cheesecakes, strawberry shortcake with family-style meals, and cinnamon rolls on Friday evenings.
Address: 84 South Chestatee St, Dahlonega, GA 30533
Hours: October Restaurant Hours: Tues-Thurs lunch 11:00am-3:00pm; Friday 11:00am-7:30pm; Saturday 11:00am-7:30pm; Sunday 11:00am-7:00pm (Monday not listed)
Source: smithhouse.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Directions
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Second-generation candy shop at the corner of North Park and Main, open since 1982, making hand-dipped chocolates, Southern confections and more than 15 varieties of cream and butter fudge, plus caramel-dipped apples in fall and winter.
Address: 8 N Park St, Dahlonega, GA 30533
Hours: Sun–Thu 11am–8pm; Fri–Sat 11am–9pm (site banner 'New Store Hours'). Open seven days; hours vary seasonally. Same page still shows older 'Winter Store Hours: Daily 11:00am–7:00pm'.
Source: dahlonegafudgefactory.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Directions
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Old-fashioned country store on the square that stocks old-fashioned candy, sells fresh peanuts roasted daily and pours a 5¢ cup of coffee.
Address: 24 South Public Square, Dahlonega, GA 30533
Hours: Sun–Thu 10am–6pm; Fri–Sat 10am–9pm. No holiday/December hours published.
Source: dahlonegageneralstore.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Directions
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Family-recipe cafe on the square, started in 2001 as The Dahlonega Dessertery, serving breakfast and lunch plus homemade muffins, scones, pastries, whole cakes and whole pies.
Address: 30 Public Square South, Dahlonega, GA 30533
Hours: 7am-6:30pm everyday (cafe's own site; the DDA directory lists different day-by-day hours: Mon 7:30 AM-6 PM, Tue-Thu 7:30 AM-7 PM, Fri-Sat 7:30 AM-8 PM, Sun 7:30 AM-7 PM; call ahead)
Source: thepicniccafe.wixsite.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Directions
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Franchise chocolate, fudge and ice cream shop just off the square that makes Mackinac Island Fudge in the store on marble tables, dips caramel apples in made-in-store caramel and scoops Original Recipe Ice Cream in fresh waffle cones.
Address: 40 Public Square S, Dahlonega, GA 30533
Hours: Sun–Thu 12pm–8pm; Fri–Sat 12pm–9pm. No holiday/December hours published.
Source: kilwins.com, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Directions
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Shady University of North Georgia deck that the Visitors Bureau names first for evening and weekend visitors; free to the public outside weekday business hours.
Address: Entrance next to the Smith House, 84 S Chestatee Street, Dahlonega, GA 30533
Hours: Public: after 5:30 PM Mon-Fri and all day Sat-Sun
Source: Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Visitors Bureau, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Directions
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Free city lot behind the Holiday Inn Express with all-day and accessible spaces and a Level 2 EV charging port.
Address: Choice Avenue (behind the Holiday Inn Express), Dahlonega, GA 30533
Hours: All-day parking; Level 2 EV charger
Source: City of Dahlonega, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Directions
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Historic theatre on West Main Street that hosts the free family Christmas movie on December 21, 2026.
Address: 69 W Main St, Dahlonega, GA 30533
Hours: Not published online
Source: Christmas in Dahlonega, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Directions
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The county visitors center just off the Square, staffed by information specialists and volunteers; it hands out Chocolate Crawl passports and is the venue for the Lighting of the Square and Santa visits.
Address: 13 South Park Street, Dahlonega, GA 30533
Hours: Open every day 10:00am-5:00pm
Source: Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Visitors Bureau, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Directions
How the Sweet Walk Planner works
Pick a day, a time of day and what you are in the mood for: bakeries and cafes; fudge, chocolate and candy; ice cream; or restaurant desserts. The time windows are early (7 to 10 a.m.), late morning to lunch (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), afternoon (2 to 6 p.m.) and evening (6 to 9 p.m.).
The planner keeps only places whose published hours are open in that window, then puts them in walking order from the Public Square. It also shows what is on the calendar that day. Places that do not publish hours, or bake to order only, are listed apart with a call-ahead note. You can open the route in Google Maps or print the plan.
Where the numbers come from: hours are copied from each business’s own site or page, checked Oct 19, 2026. The walking order uses straight lines between mapped addresses, not street routes, and the minutes suggested at each stop are our rough estimates, not business data. We do not give walking times, so let the map judge the distance.
Park first
Parking on and around the Square is free. The prime spaces around the Square are 3-hour spaces, enforced 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, per the Visitors Bureau. For a longer visit, use the all-day Park and Stay spaces in the North Park Street or Warwick Street lots. The UNG deck off South Chestatee Street opens to the public after 5:30 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends. More on parking and getting here.
A morning loop
Start at the Picnic Cafe and Dessertery, 30 Public Square South, which lists 7 a.m. opening every day on its own site. Its menu names muffins, scones, pastries and a Vegan Muffin. Dahlonega General Store, at 24 South Public Square, opens at 10 a.m. for old-fashioned candy and peanuts roasted daily. On Friday and Saturday, Paul Thomas Chocolates opens at 9 a.m., and Bourbon Street Grille serves weekend brunch with beignets from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For cinnamon rolls, Foothill Grill is a short drive out on Morrison Moore Parkway and bakes them every morning from 7 a.m.
An afternoon loop: fudge, chocolate and ice cream
By noon every counter on the Square is open. The Dahlonega Fudge Factory (11 a.m.) sits at the corner of North Park and Main, at 8 N Park St, and offers free fudge samples every day, per the Visitors Bureau. Connie’s Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop is up the same street at 18 North Park Street (11 a.m., noon on Sunday). Then cross to Paul Thomas Chocolates on the north side of the Square and Kilwins at 40 Public Square S, where the fudge is made in store and samples are offered if you ask.
An evening loop
Sunday to Thursday, Kilwins, the Fudge Factory and Paul Thomas list 8 p.m. closing. Connie’s closes at 6 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 8 p.m. on Sunday, and Dahlonega General Store at 6 p.m. After 8 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, the published options are DQ Grill and Chill on South Chestatee Street (until 9:15 p.m.) and, on Monday and Thursday, Bourbon Street Grille (until 9 p.m.).
Friday and Saturday are the late nights. Paul Thomas, Kilwins, the Fudge Factory, Dahlonega General Store and Connie’s all list 9 p.m., and Bourbon Street Grille lists 10 p.m. The Smith House, at 84 South Chestatee St next to the UNG deck entrance, serves until 7:30 p.m. on those nights, with cinnamon rolls on its Friday evening menu.
Stop at the Visitors Center
The Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Visitors Center is at 13 South Park Street, just off the Square, open every day 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., per the Visitors Bureau. We found no published list of public restrooms downtown, so ask there.
The Chocolate Crawl: the Visitors Bureau’s own version
The Visitors Bureau first ran its Chocolate Crawl in 2021. Its 6th annual crawl was the weekend of March 5 to 8, 2026, with a passport from the Visitor Center and samples at downtown shops and restaurants.
The Visitors Bureau's 6th annual Chocolate Crawl ran March 5-8, 2026, with a passport from the Visitor Center and chocolate samples (hot chocolate, pies, fudge, cookies and more) at downtown shops; 2027 dates are not yet posted. (Visitors Bureau, checked Oct 19, 2026)
The 2027 dates were not posted when we checked on Oct 19, 2026. The Bureau’s participant list includes businesses we could not confirm, so we recommend only the ones on our map. Until the next crawl, the planner above is a chocolate walk you can do any weekend. Read more in our Chocolate Crawl article, and check the hours table on the day.
Questions people ask
Is there a dessert crawl in Dahlonega?
Yes, the Visitors Bureau's Chocolate Crawl. Its 6th annual crawl ran the weekend of March 5-8, 2026, with a passport from the Visitor Center and chocolate samples at downtown shops and restaurants.
Source: Visitors Bureau, checked Oct 19, 2026
When is the 2027 Chocolate Crawl?
Not announced yet. The Visitors Bureau's page still describes the March 5-8, 2026 crawl, and no 2027 date was posted when we checked on Oct 19, 2026. The crawl was first launched in 2021.
Source: Visitors Bureau, checked Oct 19, 2026
Where should I park for a sweet walk around the Square?
Parking is free. The prime 3-hour spaces around the Square are enforced 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, and the all-day Park & Stay spaces are in the North Park Street and Warwick Street lots.
Source: Visitors Bureau, checked Oct 19, 2026
Can I park in the UNG deck in the evening?
Yes. The Visitors Bureau says the UNG deck off South Chestatee Street and Choice Avenue is open to visitors after 5:30 p.m. on weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday.
Source: Visitors Bureau, checked Oct 19, 2026
What sweets places are open after 8 p.m.?
On Friday and Saturday, Paul Thomas Chocolates, Kilwins, the Fudge Factory, Dahlonega General Store and Connie's list 9 p.m. closing and Bourbon Street Grille 10 p.m. On weeknights, DQ on South Chestatee Street lists 9:15 p.m., and Bourbon Street Grille 9 p.m. on Monday and Thursday.
Source: Dahlonega Bakery Guide, checked Oct 19, 2026
Where is the Dahlonega Visitors Center?
At 13 South Park Street, just off the Square. It is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and hands out Chocolate Crawl passports when the crawl runs.
Source: Visitors Bureau, checked Oct 19, 2026