Valentine’s Day is when thoughts turn to love and chocolate. Across the country, artisan chocolatiers and candy factories alike are gearing up for a sweet holiday, says Kay Harwell Fernandez , creator of the Chocolate Travel app (Sutro Media, $2.99), available on iTunes. “There are hundreds of great chocolate destinations that people can enjoy.” She shares some favorites with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY.
This family-run plantation in the Kona region of the Big Island offers a rare chance to see every step of chocolate-making from tree to treat. “You see these huge pods and you see the tiny, tiny bean that’s roasted and ground and made into chocolate,” Fernandez says. “The whole process takes around 30 days.” Visitors love the roasted cacao nibs, made from partially ground beans.
This “bean to bar” chocolatier uses raw cacao to make her luscious candies. “It’s like a fine wine, using the best beans there are,” Fernandez says. She recommends the chocolate-dipped fruit and handcrafted truffles like the Italian Cowboy, made with espresso and bourbon, and the Aztec Aphrodisiac, which has a hint of chile. Other cruise ships offer chocolate buffets, but Fernandez is particularly impressed by the cocoa free-for-all available on many sailings. “Carnival goes all-out. It takes up to 10 pastry chefs on each ship working around the clock to get this buffet together,” she says. Standouts include chocolate wontons and chocolate rum-raisin pudding.
The home of Hershey’s chocolate makes for a sweet visit any time of year, but Fernandez says this month is a standout. The Hotel Hershey does a chocolate and wine pairing and has a huge chocolate dessert buffet, and the Hershey spa recently introduced an edible chocolate facial that will be available year-round. Special chocolate lab classes are offered at the Hershey Story museum.These year-round walking tours show off the sweet side of the Second City, hitting fine chocolate shops, patisseries, bakeries and lounges in the downtown Loop and neighborhoods. The company has launched a cupcake route, and tonight it features its annual chocolate Champagne tour. “It really runs the gamut. They’re very thorough and diverse in what they do,” Fernandez says.Part of the famous Mars candy dynasty, this privately owned factory offers a sweet break from nearby Las Vegas casinos. “It’s a mass-producer, but it has truffles and cream-filled chocolates and caramels,” Fernandez says. She recommends a visit to the adjacent botanical desert garden, which has 350 different plants. “There are benches where you can sit and take it all in and eat your chocolate.” Intervale, N.H.
This festival (Feb. 26 this year) lets you burn off calories between chocolate indulgences by snowshoeing or cross-country skiing among nine host inns and stops. (You also can drive or take a shuttle.) Each break features its own chocolate treat, from chocolate fondue to brownie sundaes, and is about 15 minutes from the next stop. “That’s a very innovative way to do a chocolate festival,” Fernandez says.
French-trained artisan chocolatier Gail Ambrosius travels to Central and South America and beyond seeking sustainably grown cacao beans. Her chocolates are single-source, meaning they include beans from only one area, and they happen to be delicious. “She designs beautiful chocolate, some hand-painted. It’s just gorgeous,” Fernandez says. What could be better than eating Norman Love’s premium chocolate? Learning how to make it yourself, that’s what. This well-known chocolatier offers hands-on classes spring through summer. Fernandez loves the hot sipping chocolate: “This is not your everyday cocoa. It isn’t graded or powdered. It’s made with fresh chocolate.”Fernandez suggests treating the body and senses with a chocolate-sugar body scrub for couples. The treatment uses chocolate-scented oil combined with honey body sugar, which exfoliates and leaves skin soft and smooth. “It’s a very sensory-overload experience. It smells so good,” Fernandez says. And to top it off, she recommends one of the spa’s double-trouble chocolate cookies.

Indianapolis may be the center of the football universe during Sunday’s Super Bowl, but basketball legend Larry Bird says his city has plenty to offer visitors, whatever their game. “We’re a small city but we have it all,” he says. “It’s so compact. You can walk to just about everything.” As a native-born Hoosier, an Indianapolis resident and an executive with the Indiana Pacers, Bird knows the city inside out, and shares some favorite sites with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY.
This historic canal runs through the heart of Indianapolis, offering waterside trails, gondola rides, boat and bike rentals and Segway tours during warmer months. It’s an ideal way to see the city from a different perspective. “It’s a great walk even in cold weather,” Bird says.He’s 55, so Bird’s clubbing days are behind him. But for those who are into the club scene, he suggests checking out this neighborhood north of downtown, known for its restaurants, galleries, shops and bars. There’s “lots of nightlife,” he says.”Someone once told me the city has more memorials than Washington, D.C.,” Bird says. “I don’t know if that’s true, but there are many that recognize and honor people who have given their lives.” Visitors can’t miss the 285-foot Soldiers and Sailors Monument with its sky-high observation deck. It’s part of the 24-acre Indiana War Memorial Plaza Historic District. Home to the NCAA headquarters, this museum proves again that Indy takes its sports seriously. The two-story hall’s interactive exhibits touch on 23 NCAA sports, with tributes to legendary coaches and players, including, of course, Bird. “You can get there walking along the canal. Again, if you’re a sports fan, you should go,” he says.Long after the Giants and Patriots have left town, Indy will still celebrate its famed 500-mile auto race. The Memorial Day weekend race is touted as the largest single-day sporting event in the world. The speedway stages events throughout the year, offers tours and has a museum. It’s a place every sports fan should see, Bird says.Long after the Giants and Patriots have left town, Indy will still celebrate its famed 500-mile auto race. The Memorial Day weekend race is touted as the largest single-day sporting event in the world. The speedway stages events throughout the year, offers tours and has a museum. It’s a place every sports fan should see, Bird says.
Granted, Indy is a sports town, but it has culture too. “Not many people realize there are a lot of great museums,” Bird says. Standouts include the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Indiana State Museum and the Indianapolis Children’s Museum, which at nearly a half-million square feet is considered the world’s largest. Bird has taken his own children there many times. “If you’re in Indianapolis and you’ve got kids, you’ve got to go,” he says.Comfort food for Bird is Italian, and two of his favorite restaurants have been around since the 1930s and are located almost next to each other. “Iaria’s has got the best pizza I ever had,” Bird says. At Milano Inn, he likes the veal chops, spaghetti and calamari. Many still associate Indiana with the 1986 movie Hoosiers, a high school basketball drama that captured the state’s obsession with the sport. The climactic scene was filmed at this 1928 arena, home to the Butler University Bulldogs. Bird calls the place “an Indiana original.” When he was coach of the Pacers, he even had the team practice there to soak in the history. Go at noon on Saturday to see Butler’s men’s basketball team play the University of Detroit.It might be a football weekend, but Bird can’t resist sending visitors to his Pacers’ home court. The arena has won many awards as one of the top venues in professional sports. “I’m biased, but many think it’s the best basketball arena in the world,” he says. “Everyone has a good seat and gets a good feel for the game.” You can see it in action Saturday night when the Pacers host Orlando. Even if there won’t be a single lay-up or dunk during the Super Bowl, Bird’s still excited about the event, including the interactive NFL Experience and the state-fair-like Super Bowl Village with drink and food booths and even ziplines. It’s all near the $700 million Lucas Oil Stadium, site of the game. “I know this about Indianapolis: The city does things right on the big events, and they will do these things right,” Bird says.