Butler county donut trail
butler county, oh
Yes. You. Read. That. Correctly! A Donut Trail!
Located in Butler County, Ohio, located off I-75 about 30 minutes south of Dayton and 20 minutes north of Cincinnati, The Trail consists of 12 shops in which you must visit 11. At each stop you'll get your passport stamped that in turn you'll redeem at the end of the trail for a pretty cool T-Shirt and bragging rights that would make Homer Simpson jealous!
This is a uniquely fun idea for the family or that donut loving person you know and eh, what better excuse could one have to taste all different kinds of donuts and get some free merch!?
We started off early and recommend you do as well because several of the shops open around 6 AM and the goods start flying off the shelves almost immediately! At several of the stops we would run into the same people, creating a friendly competition and whenever we would see new faces, it was always fun to compare passport stamps and see who was ahead!
Each stop along the tour presents a new photo op as they all have cool road signs with sayings that are unique to their location. Dont be surprised if someone ask you if you would like them to take your picture for you. It was small things like this that really make the Donut Trail a fun experience for everyone.
To underscore this point, while at Kelly's Bakery, we met a group of "Trail'ers" (Copyright pending LOL) and struck up a conversation. By the time we finished chatting, we HAD to ask for a picture with them. Yea they were just that cool! "May man know no bond with friends stronger than one created over a plate of Glazed goodness" (Once again, copyright pending)
I will be the first to admit that I am a person of habit and basic thrills. When I find something I like, you'll vary rarely see me stray from that. Relating that to Donuts, basic is the way for me as 95% of the time you will only catch me eating a simple Glazed Donut, however this event had me trying everything but Glazed.
In addition, I had no clue half of these Donut's even existed (Hey, remember I only eat Glazed), but I just couldn't resist myself this go round. Everything from an Iced Donut topped with Fruit Loops from The Donut House to a Red Velvet Donut topped with blue icing and my weakness in the world of candy, Swedish Fish, from Jupiter Coffee and Donuts, became a victim to my curious hunger!
With 11 stops to hit, it is definitely possible to visit them all in one day, however keep in mind that business hours for Bakers generally don'tt match up with a 9 to 5 schedule (With some even being closed on Sunday and Monday or after selling out) so we highly recommend staying overnight and making it a 2 day adventure as it is NOT a requirement to obtain each passport stamp in the same day. Due to its proximity to the trail, we also recommend staying at the Courtyard By Marriott Riverfront Hotel in Hamilton which you can also read our review on HERE.
If you do decide to accept the challenge and complete your sugar infused journey in one day, plan ahead and research the best route so that your not overlapping and extending your drive.
This right here ladies and gentlemen is your 2nd reward for receiving the very last stamp on your passport, The first of course being the fact that the trail provided you with a legit reason to eat your weight in confections!
Once complete, either visit the Butler County Visitors Bureau or mail in your passport and this cool T-shirt is all yours!
I will say, these aren't your average giveaway T Shirts either, they are very good quality with a beautiful design on the front AND back that will have everyone that sees it asking you "What exactly is a Donut Trail?", Trust me, the first day I wore mine I was stopped no less than 15 times and asked this same question. Also, when you wear your shirt in the area, you qualify for discounts at several area merchants! How cool is that? Great Donuts, Free Merch AND you'll become sort of a celebrity!
A very special thanks to all of the Bakery's along the Trail, especially:
Jupiter Coffee & Donuts (Make this your last stop as you can then drive across the street to Jungle Jims! Plus they have all sorts of props you can use in your photos with the Donut Trail sign, so you'll easily spend extra time here)
And an extended thanks to everyone we met along the Trail, We appreciate you!
Visit the official Butler County Donut Trail site for more information and to download your Passport and Trail Map!
**We were invited down by Butler County to review the Donut Trail and several other area attractions. Compensation was provided for our honest thoughts.**
