By now, y’all know I love road trips and in August, the highway led me up to Buffalo, N.Y., to spend time with family and friends. Along the way, with Radcliff at my side, I had the experience of traveling through Ohio and literally rolling through the Butler County Donut Trail. Founded in 2016, the Butler County Donut Trail is 80-miles with 12 participating donut shops serving up sweet deliciousness.
My visit to Butler County was quick, as in, 24 hours, but in that time, I packed in a lot of fun and tasty activities. Be sure to read my post where I make the comparison between Hamilton, Ohio, and Punta Gorda, Fla. Sounds strange, I know, but there’s a connection! Especially since it’s located about a 45-minute drive north of Cincinnati and Allegiant offers frequent nonstop flights between Punta Gorda and Cincinnati.
Anyway, let’s get back to donuts. Why is there a donut trail? There is one donut shop per 17,000 residents, making Butler County home to one of the country’s highest concentrations per capita of donut shops.
Because the Butler County Donut Trail spans 80 miles and I was on a schedule, there was only time to visit FIVE shops and to my pleasant surprise, each were unique in what they sold and in their appearance. Some shops either close up after selling out or have a set time to lock up so it’s advised to start early, as in, before-the-sun-rises early.
Butler County Donut Trail Passport
Each of the 12 shops participating in the Donut Trail is listed on a one-page passport and donut-diners have their passport stamped by the clerk then return it to the Butler County Visitors Bureau for a T-shirt. This year’s T-shirt design was selected from a competition and depicts the Donut Trail as a “well-rounded adventure” was created by Alice Jacobs of Hamilton, Ohio. As a blogger, I was given one of the coveted, blue T-shirts, but I still had my passport stamped. As I entered shops, I saw other people holding their passports which really warmed my heart knowing how successful the donut trail in marketing the destination. The shops also had selfie stations where you can pose with your donut!
My Butler County Donut Trail Adventure
Ready to roll, I visited my first donut shop around 8 a.m. With my passport in hand, I walked in ready for the challenge of tasting as many donuts as I could, but after seeing the colorful and creative selection, I knew this was going to be a tough task.
Stop 1: Ross Bakery, 1051 Eaton Ave., Hamilton, Ohio 45013
Open Monday – Saturday, 4 a.m. – Noon, except Saturdays, open until 12:30 p.m.
Find them on Facebook.
If my only stop for the day was here, I would be happy. Ross Bakery gave me yummy and different donuts. One was a Pretzel-Shaped donut which was sweet and light making it guilt-free! I have to admit, it was pretty amazing! The others were a Fruity Pebbles donut topped with the colorful Fruity Pebbles cereal and the other was a Buckeye which was topped with chocolate icing, light whipped-peanut butter, and mini Hershey chocolate bar.
Stop 2: Mimi’s Donuts & Bakery, 2267 Millville Ave., Hamilton, Ohio, 45013
Open Tuesday – Friday, 6 a.m. – Noon; Saturday 7 a.m. – Noon; Sunday 7 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Find them on Facebook.
I swelled with all the feels when I was presented with a mermaid-themed donut! Yes! They made me a gorgeous Mermaid donut with an edible iridescent tale of white chocolate diving into a sea of delicious blue frosting accented with edible seashells. I regret not getting her name but the baker showed me her fabulous mermaid tattoo. The other sugary goodness was a German Chocolate Cake donut topped thick with a coconut pecan frosting.
Stop 3: Kelly’s Bakery, 1335 Main St., Hamilton, Ohio 45013
Open Tuesday – Friday, 5 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, 6 a.m. – Noon
Find them on Facebook.
I had the pick of the lot and chose one of their popular donuts, the Buckeye and it was scrumptious! Unlike the Buckeye donut I picked up at Ross Bakery, this was a bit bigger, topped with chocolate icing and topped with a creamy peanut butter-type frosting.
Stop 4: The Donut Spot, 5148 Pleasant Ave., Fairfield, Ohio 45014
Open Daily, 3 a.m. – Noon
Find them on Facebook.
Oh boy, oh boy! First, this place was jamming with a line of hungry patrons when I walked in but they were ready for me and I left with one of the most amazing donuts I have ever tasted, their famous Cheesecake donut. It was filled with a cream cheese filling and topped with cream cheese frosting. The flavors of the sweet icing and filling complemented nicely with the savory flavor of the yeast donut. The other one I left with was a yummy Oreo donut which was topped with Oreo crumbles. Mmmm.
Stop 5: Jupiter Coffee & Donuts, 5353 Dixie Hwy., Fairfield, Ohio 45014
Open: Monday – Thursday 5 a.m. – 2 p.m., Friday & Saturday 5 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sunday 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Find them on Facebook.
My final stop of the trip was groovy! This hip spot was celebrating Discovery Channel’s Shark Week and seemed to be a popular hangout, especially with the Millennial and Gen-X crowd. I selected two donuts and it was overwhelming just choosing two! I chose the Cheesecake Raspberry donut, my only jelly-filled donut of the trip, and a Donut Sandwich they are known for. They take a cake donut (blueberry in this case), slice it and slather frosting on one of the rings then put the two halves together like a sandwich.
Ten Donuts!
It wasn’t until I put this blog post together did I add up how many donuts I sampled that day and realized there were TEN unique and yummy donuts. Five donut shops down and seven more to go during my next visit to the Butler County Donut Trail. Connect with them on Facebook.com/DonutTrail and Twitter.com/GetToTheBC and when sharing your adventure on social media, be sure to use #DonutTrail. Learn more at GetToTheBC.com/donut-trail.
Where to Stay While Eating Through the Butler County Donut Trail
Radcliff was my trip navigator so we needed a dog-friendly hotel. We stayed at the comfortable and wonderful Staybridge Suites Cincinnati North in West Chester, Ohio. Our suite was spacious and had a kitchen, sitting area, bathroom and bed. The dog-friendly grounds had stations with pick-up bags and waste disposal cans which are always appreciative when traveling. It is in a great location which made it easy to access attractions and donut shops. (8955 Lakota Drive West, West Chester, Ohio 45069; Tel: (513) 874-1900)
Disclosure: I was a guest of the Butler County Visitors Bureau however, they have not reviewed this post and opinions are mine. Affiliate links are included to support this blog, my traveling habit, and my special-needs dog.
My goodness that mermaid donut looked amazing! The shells and all that detail!