Whether you’re looking for a tasty breakfast or a sweet snack, nothing hits the spot quite like a donut! Visitors to Gatlinburg, TN will find a number of excellent bakeries that make some of the best donuts you’ll ever have. To help you make the most of your next vacation, Aunt Bug’s Cabin Rentals has put together a guide to the top four places to get donuts in Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains.
1. The Donut Friar
Located in The Village shopping area in downtown Gatlinburg, The Donut Friar is a can’t-miss destination for any Smoky Mountain vacation. This beloved bakery opens its doors every morning at 5 a.m., releasing an intoxicating aroma that draws people in from the Parkway. The Friar’s freshly baked donuts are simply irresistible, with their gourmet fillings and melt in your mouth consistency. Popular donut flavors at this shop include Bavarian cream donuts, glazed cake donuts, coconut donuts, and cinnamon sugar donuts.
In addition to their mouthwatering donuts, The Donut Friar also offers a variety of other pastries, cinnamon bread, cappuccinos, lattes, and espresso. Visitors to The Donut Friar should be sure to bring cash, as they do not accept credit cards. If you use the shop’s ATM, you will have to pay a $2.00 fee, but you will be compensated with a free $2.00 drink.
2. Mad Dog’s Creamery & Donuts
Mad Dog’s is another one of the best places to get donuts in Gatlinburg. This popular shop offers a variety of unique donut flavors, including caramel with sea salt sprinkles, red velvet with cream cheese icing, peanut butter and jelly, and Devil’s food cake with peanut butter icing. If you’re looking for a shareable snack, you can also pick up a box of tasty donut holes.
For a truly decadent experience, consider topping your donut with a scoop of their delicious homemade ice cream! Guests with four-legged friends will be happy to learn that this shop also sells special donut-shaped dog treats that your pup is sure to love.
3. Courthouse Donuts
Courthouse Donuts is the only design-your-own donut shop in the Smoky Mountains. Visitors to this unique café get to build the perfect donut creation as they choose their preferred icing, toppings, and sauce. If you would rather rely on the wisdom of the experts, you can choose one of their tried and true recipes, such as the Key Lime Pie Donut (topped with vanilla icing, Golden Grahams, and key lime drizzle) or the Peanut Butter Cup Donut (topped with chocolate icing and peanut butter sauce).
4. Cider Bar at the Apple Barn
The Apple Barn Village is a fantastic shopping area in the Smokies with its very own apple orchard. When you visit the Cider Bar at the Apple Barn, you can sample some of the South’s best apple cinnamon donuts. Made with fresh apples, these donuts are truly out of this world! Other tasty treats you can enjoy at the Apple Barn include fried apple pies, apple dumplings, apple butter muffins, and, of course, apple cider.
