Hidden Gems Of Connecticut

BOLTON, CT — Here's a Hidden Gem in Connecticut that's appropriate for Valentine's Day weekend — a revered chocolate factory tucked on a hillside along a winding part of Route 6.

Welcome to the Munson's Chocolates Factory Shoppe. It's the flagship store tucked in a nook along a country road.

The roots of Munson’s go back to the World War II era. In 1946, Ben and Josephine Munson founded the company and called it The Dandy Candy Company.

The first store was located in Manchester behind a tailor shop. The Munsons made batches of wafers and ribbon candy from the sugar rations they received following the end of the war.

Soon after, they moved their base of operation to a horse barn with two parts — a kitchen and a retail store.

The results of their efforts were chocolates that became legendary in the region.

Can't make it to the factory store in Bolton? Munson's also has candy stores In South Windsor, Glastonbury, Newington, Avon, West Hartford, Orange and Mystic.

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The Hidden Gems series features out-of-the-way mom and pop restaurants, small specialty stores you may have never heard of, little-known historical markers or beautiful nature spots that may be a bit off the beaten path, all located within Connecticut.

Columns in this series in 2022 include:

• Connecticut River Valley Wildlife Museum
• LobsterCraft
• Center Springs Park
• MLK Monuments
• The Connecticut Historical Society

Columns in this series from 2021 include:

• The First Decorated Christmas Tree
• Bolton Notch Trail Bridge
• Civil War Drum
• Civil War Powder Keg
• Mile 4, Manchester Road Race
• The West Hartford Armory
• The Capitol's Nooks and Crannies
• Wickham Park Aviary
• 55 West Main, New Britain
• Fox Hopyard Golf Course
• The Dodd Center For Human Rights at UConn
• Manchester Ropes Challenge Course
• 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm
• Fuego Picante Food Truck
• The Amistad
• 9/11 memorials
• Club Champion Golf Fitters
• New England Civil War Museum and Research Center
• Avery's Soda
• Salt 2.0 Restaurant
• The Grave of Jonathan, The Original Husky
• Golden Gavel Auction House
• Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut
• The Cogswell Temperance Fountain
• The Old State House
• BouNom Bakery
• Union Pond Park/Jay Howroyd Fitness Trail
• The Submarine Force Museum/USS Nautilus
• The UConn Dairy Bar
• Grove Hill Cemetery, Vernon
• Backwoods Smokin' BBQ
• The Ranch House
• Connecticut State Police Museum
• Berlin Historic District
• Connecticut Parachutists Skydiving Club
• Tail Winds Ice Cream Shop
• The MLK Mural
• The Hilltop Restaurant and Bar
• Fork & Fire
• Lena's Italian Kitchen
• The Benedict Arnold Trail
• Swank Pearce
• Vernon Depot Historic Park
• Farr's Sporting Goods
• Robs Drivin Diner