This Valentine’s Day weekend, forget love and fall in to chocolate in Downtown Jonesborough on February 11 from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Jonesborough’s Annual Chocolate Fest is back by popular demand after crowds filled the streets of Tennessee’s Oldest Town in the midst of a snow storm last year in search of homemade, unique and popular chocolate treats.
Last year’s Chocolate Fest topped out with 1,600 people in attendance. “We were sold out by 9:30 a.m.” said event organizer and owner of The Lollipop Shop, Jeff Gurley. “The high for the day was 25 degrees and we were just overwhelmed with the response, especially for the first year,” Gurley adds. The event is sponsored by JAMSA (Jonesborough Area Merchants Association) and the organization also hosted SodaFest in June, ScoopFest in August and a Cheese and Wine festival in September.
“This is a unique event because it’s an affordable festival, and there are a lot of great chocolate offerings at the downtown shops and restaurants. As a merchant, we needed something in the middle of winter,” Gurley said.
The festival strives to bring more life into downtown, providing a quintessential experience highlighting local shops, businesses, and restaurants and inviting visitors to stroll, shop, dine and revel in the sense of community Historic Jonesborough prides itself in.
Cameo Waters, Director of Tourism and Marketing for the Town of Jonesborough, loves a working and vibrant downtown. “This is somewhere you can grab a coffee, stroll along the streets and hang out with the locals for a day. Visitors can discover a bit of sweet treats and that is exactly what Jonesborough’s second annual Chocolate Fest offers. It gives an opportunity to try endless options of scrumptious chocolates, spend time with your family and friends and meet the merchants that keep downtown Jonesborough full of life.”
Additional chocolate inspired retailers will be located at the International Storytelling Center, as folks explore inside downtown businesses in search of their favorite confections noted on the official Chocolate Fest map. A tasting ticket will be required to redeem at the festival attendee’s choice of chocolate stop, with more than 20 chocolate stop locations available.
Many Jonesborough restaurants will be offering special chocolate desserts leading up to the event on February 11, including everything from conversation hearts, chocolate bark, fudge, outdoor s’mores, chocolate covered cherries and so much more.
Tasting tickets will be sold in packets of 10 and 15, with each ticket costing $1 (plus online processing fees). Tickets can be purchased in advance, by clicking here. Tasting tickets will also be sold at the International Storytelling Center on February 11 beginning at 9 a.m., until the limited number is sold out. Advance online tasking ticket purchases are recommended.
For additional information on Jonesborough’s 2nd Annual Chocolate Fest, call (423) 753-1010. To plan your trip to Jonesborough, click here.
