You can walk down Centre Street with a slab of fresh fudge or a waffle cone from Fernandina's Fantastic Fudge, which has been making candy at the corner of Centre and Third since 1988. Owner Steve Colwell started making candy as a high school freshman in his hometown of Petoskey, Michigan. After college he moved to Fernandina Beach to open the shop with his parents' encouragement (they had found the town while camping at Fort Clinch State Park), and he chose the vacant Hardee Brothers hardware store at 218 Centre Street. While the building was being renovated, he worked on the construction crew himself.
It's still a family-owned and operated business. The shop's own list covers marble slab fudge, hand-dipped chocolates, pecan pralines, caramel corn and other gourmet confections, and it's just as much an ice cream stop, with waffle cones made fresh in the store. The business says its candy has been recognized by Southern Living, the Travel Channel and Food TV.
You can order from home, too. Fudge (by the slice, as a trio, or in sampler boxes) and pralines ship by mail, but the shop's current notice says it's too warm to mail the hand-dipped chocolates, so check before planning a chocolate gift. It also takes orders for weddings and events.
The corner puts it in the middle of the historic downtown district, two blocks up from the waterfront. Amelia Island Coffee is on the same block if you'd like a coffee to go with your fudge.