The Chocolate Monkey

The Chocolate Monkey is a candy shop at 702 Parkway, Unit 1, in Gatlinburg, and it fits the usual Parkway pattern: you walk in for a sample and leave with a box. A local cabin-rental blog describes fudge in flavors such as mint chocolate, peanut butter, rocky road and maple nut, plus candy apples dressed with sprinkles, pecans, caramel, white chocolate or crushed cookies, with custom combinations on request. The shop's web address is chocolatemonkeyshop.com.

• Address: 702 Parkway, Unit 1, Gatlinburg, TN 37738.
• Phone: (865) 436-8244, from one directory listing.
• Hours: not published in the listings. Check the website or call before a special trip.
• Price: inexpensive to moderate; fudge is sold by the pound and candy apples individually.
• Seating: a shopper review describes a small outdoor patio.

This is a dessert shop, not a restaurant. There is no table service, so plan it as a stop on a walk and not as a meal. It works for an after-dinner treat, a bribe for tired kids, or a gift to take home. Fudge keeps for a few days if you wrap it well, and candy apples are best eaten the same day.

The 700 block is in the middle of the walkable part of downtown Gatlinburg, close to the shops, arcades and attractions that line the Parkway. A short stroll from here brings you to the entrance of Great Smoky Mountains National Park at the end of town. If you are heading into the park afterward, remember that parking tags are required there. Entry to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is free, but any vehicle parked longer than 15 minutes needs a parking tag ($5 daily, $15 weekly, $40 annual) displayed on the dashboard. America the Beautiful and other federal passes are not accepted for it; the Park Service fees page has the details.

Downtown parking is tight, and the free Gatlinburg trolley, described on the Gatlinburg visitor site, is the least stressful way to travel the Parkway. Evenings and summer weekends are the busiest hours on the sidewalk, so go in the morning if you want to take your time over the flavors.

• Families with children who want to watch candy being made.
• Gift shoppers who need something small to carry home.
• Couples on an evening walk who want a sweet ending.

Ask for a sample before you commit to a pound, and buy fudge last in your shopping loop so it does not sit in a warm car.