Famed candy shop 'sweetens' Oktoberfest in Helen

HELEN, Ga. - We can’t leave you a trail of bread crumbs to one of the sweetest sports in North Georgia, but if you take a drive up to the little Alpine town of Helen, you’ll most certainly stumble upon it yourself!

We’re talking about Hansel & Gretel Candy Kitchen, the legendary small-batch candy maker founded by the Jones family back in 1973. A local institution for more than 50 years, Hansel & Gretel Candy Kitchen specializes in handmade candies and chocolate, with top sellers including fudge, toffee, brittle, and assorted creams and caramels. 

Hansel & Gretel Candy Kitchen is a busy place year-round — who doesn’t love candy, right? — but it’s an especially popular destination this time of year when tourists crowd into Helen for the city’s Oktoberfest celebration. Now in its 54th year (making it the longest-running Oktoberfest celebration in the United States) Helen Oktoberfest continues daily through Oct. 27 at the Helen Festhalle. 

Hansel & Gretel Candy Kitchen is located at 8651 North Main Street in Helen (there’s also a second location down the street at 8078 South Main Street), and hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. For more information on the shop or to place an order online, click here. And click the video player in this article to check out our morning in Helen, living in our own candy-coated fairy tale!