Cheesecake. Maple Bacon. Fruity Pebbles. S’mores. These sweet selections are all delicious on their own. But when these words are being used to describe the flavor of a donut, we’re talking about an entirely new level of delectability.
These donuts aren’t the stuff of fairy tales — every morning, these magical flavors grace the shelves of 11 mom-and-pop shops in Butler County, a measly 45-minute-drive north of Cincinnati. But that’s not all — these shops have converged to form the Butler County Donut Trail, a sugary machination of the Butler County Visitors Bureau which challenges hungry humans to get a passport stamped at each of the 11 locations in a quest for total donut domination.
Official Butler County Donut Trail passports are available at each stop along the trail, and a printable version is also available online. Those who successfully get their passport stamped (and eat a donut or three) at every stop along the way are eligible to claim a well-deserved prize: an official Butler County Donut Trail T-shirt.
Don’t set out unprepared: These stores close up shop as soon as their inventory runs out, which can happen as early as 10 a.m. daily.
If you do intend to visit them all in a day, plan on beginning around 7 a.m. Although Oxford Doughnut Shoppe is an optional stop — the only elective destination on the list — the popular store near Miami University frequently cleans out their shelves by 8 a.m., necessitating a particularly early start if you plan to include it. And you should — its donuts make the grogginess worth it (and there’s coffee!).
With your completed passport in hand, swing by the Butler County Visitors Bureau to claim your T-shirt (available small through XXL). Passports can also be mailed into the bureau (8756 Union Centre Blvd., West Chester, OH 45069), which will send your T-shirt to you in return.
So grab a traveling companion, make room in your stomach and hone your sweet tooth: The Donut Trail is calling your name.
For more information on the Butler County Donut Trail and to download an official trail passport, visit gettothebc.com/donut-trail.