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CHOCOLATE TRAIL 2025 A sweetness sampling paradise

Published March 04. 2025 10:03AM
by Tami Quigley Special to the Bethlehem Press

Willy Wonka, eat your heart out.

Bethlehem’s historic downtown may not have a chocolate factory, but there were plenty of sweet selections to spin it into a confectionery chocolate delight on the Saturdays bookending Valentine’s Day, courtesy of the Historic Downtown Bethlehem Chocolate Trail 2025.

Chilly temperatures filled the air but the predicted snow held off until after the event Feb. 8, as chocolate lovers followed their map along the downtown’s chocolaty trail, popping into their favorite merchants for a sampling of savory sweetness.

A $40 passport was the golden ticket for chocolate aficionados to traverse the trail at the annual event presented by the Downtown Bethlehem Association Feb. 8 and Feb. 15. With passport in hand, chocolate lovers could savor a variety of chocolate samples at each stop.

Chocolate trail-blazers could also cast their vote for their favorite treat to help crown this year’s Chocolate Champion and be entered for a chance to win sweet prizes.

“We’re thrilled to be part of the Lehigh Valley community,” Kimberly O’Neill, proprietor with her husband David of Knobs ‘N Knockers, said. “We love having a beautiful collection of decorative hardware available in the Lehigh Valley.

“Everything is beautiful and useful to make your home just sparkle.”

Knobs ‘N Knockers has been in business for over 40 years, and still operates at its original location in Peddler’s Village. The shop opened its doors at 512 Main St. in 2019.

“We love being part of the Lehigh Valley, Main Street and Downtown Bethlehem,” O’Neill said. “We love having our hardware on an authentic historical streetscape.

“The Chocolate Trail is a great way for people who haven’t stopped by to get to know us,” O’Neill said.

“We’re about hospitality and hardware,” O’Neill said, sharing their motto.

Participating merchants and restaurants were: A Couple Craves, AM Luxe, Bitty & Beau’s Coffee, Christmas City Spirits, Clusters Handcrafted Popcorn, Crave Nutrition, Dear Santa …, Edge Restaurant, Fegley’s Bethlehem Brew Works, Franklin Hill Vineyards, Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop, Hand Cut Crystal/Bethlehem Christmas Shoppe, Kaleidoscope Collective, Knobs ‘N Knockers, Le Macaron French Pastries, Manga Lane, McCarthy’s Red Stag Pub and Whiskey Bar, Musselman Jewelers, Seasons Olive Oil and Vinegar Taproom and Twisted Olive.

Dressed up for Valentine’s Day, Le Macaron French Pastries, which opened in October 2024 at 521 Main St., welcomes customers Feb. 8 along the Chocolate Trail.
Ann Lewis of Dunmore, left, and Pam Haus of Phillipsburg, N.J., display their Chocolate Tasting Passport and a heart-shaped container filled with a sweet and savory mixture of pretzels, chips and M&M’s at Franklin Hill Vineyards in the Main Street Commons.
Kimberly O’Neill showcases a pineapple knocker, one of the many unique items available at Knobs ‘N Knockers at 512 Main St. O’Neill and her husband David are proprietors of the shop, which opened in 2019. The pineapple is a symbol of hospitality, which blends well with the shop’s motto. “We’re about hospitality and hardware – we offer the best quality hardware,” O’Neill said. “The Chocolate Trail is a great way for people who haven’t stopped by to get to know us.”
Chocolate aficionados stroll down Main Street during the annual event presented by the Downtown Bethlehem Association.
PRESS PHOTOS BY TAMI QUIGLEYLe Macaron French Pastries offers a slice of Paris in Bethlehem with a selection including authentic French macarons, French pastries, fine chocolates and house-made gelato. “I can’t take my eyes off of them,” one woman (not pictured) said as she surveyed the treats in the display case.
Jess, part-time wine-tender, left, and Monica, manager of Franklin Hill Vineyards, pour free samples of Dark Chocolate Cherry Cordial and White Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cordial.
Chris Taylor, volunteer with the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, displays the dark almond butter cups offered to Chocolate Trail visitors at Knobs ‘N Knockers. The Chocolate Trail aims to bring business downtown, and Chamber volunteers help make it a success.