A self-guided dessert experience through Memphis’s century-old candy traditions, beloved butter cookies, neighborhood bakeries, modern scratch baking, and iconic glazed doughnuts.
5Stops
13 milesTotal distance
35 minsTravel time
About 4 hoursExperience
Established and Evolving
The Sweet Story of Memphis
Memphis’s dessert story is built on family recipes, neighborhood traditions, and more than a century of local baking. From Dinstuhl’s handcrafted candy and Makeda’s beloved butter cookies to Muddy’s scratch baking, Frost’s Memphis-inspired cakes, and Gibson’s iconic glazed doughnuts, each stop reveals a different chapter of the city’s sweet history.
Itinerary for Your Self-Guided Tour
Follow the Dough through Memphis
Follow the Dough through Memphis and experience a dessert story shaped by more than a century of candy making, family recipes, neighborhood bakeries, and iconic local sweets. From handcrafted chocolates and beloved butter cookies to scratch-made cakes and classic glazed doughnuts, these five stops connect the people, places, and traditions that have helped define Memphis’s sweet side.
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Turn Your Tour Into a Memory
Choose a date for your self-guided tour, add it to your calendar, and check in as you visit. Check in at any 3 tour stops to unlock your Memphis Follow the Dough badge.
Plan your visit
Choose when you want to go, then save the tour to the calendar you already use. Your event will include the tour link, starting stop, estimated duration, and a reminder to verify current hours.
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Visit any 3 tour stopsUse the Check In button on the corresponding bakery card when you arrive. You can keep exploring after your badge is earned.
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Confirm your visitUse one-time GPS verification or choose the manual fallback when location services are unavailable.
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Unlock your city badgeCheck in at any 3 tour stops, then save or share your badge with your favorite tour photos. Visit all 5 stops if you want to complete the full tour.
Tour Check-In Status0 of 3 toward badge
Doughful requests your location only when you choose GPS verification. Your location is not continuously tracked.
Your Memphis Badge Awaits
Check in at any 3 tour stops to earn your city badge. Share it with your favorite photos, tag @doughful, and use #FollowtheDough.
Check in at 3 tour stops to unlock your badge and sharing.
Plan Your Tour
Make the tour work for your day
Choose where to begin, remove stops you do not plan to visit, or change the order using the arrow controls. The numbered map updates instantly.
Know Before You Go
Tour Tips
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Best time to begin
Late morning, ideally between 10:00 and 11:00 AM. For the full five-stop experience, plan your tour Wednesday through Saturday when Muddy’s Bake Shop is open.
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Cost guidance
Plan to spend about $5–$15 per person at each stop, depending on what you choose to sample or take home. Sharing items can make it easier to experience all five stops.
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Parking
Parking varies by neighborhood. Downtown stops may require street or garage parking, while Broad Avenue and East Memphis locations generally offer easier access. Allow a few extra minutes at each stop for parking.
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Accessibility
Accessibility can vary by location. Visitors who need specific accommodations should confirm entrance, seating, restroom, and parking accessibility directly with each business before visiting.
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More tour tips
Come hungry, but pace yourself—five stops can add up quickly. Consider sharing treats, bringing a small cooler or tote for take-home items, and checking each bakery’s current hours before you begin. Muddy’s Bake Shop is currently open Wednesday through Saturday, so visitors touring Sunday through Tuesday can enjoy the other four stops and return for Muddy’s another day.
Plan Your Sweet Adventure
Frequently Asked Questions About the Memphis Dessert Tour
Planning your day? These answers cover common questions about taking a self-guided dessert and bakery tour through Memphis.
Is there a self-guided dessert tour in Memphis?
Yes. Follow the Dough is Doughful's self-guided Memphis dessert tour, designed so you can explore at your own pace using a curated route, maps, recommended timing, bakery stories, and signature sweets. If you're looking for a Memphis bakery tour or dessert crawl, this experience gives you a ready-made route while still letting you customize your day.
How long does the Memphis dessert tour take?
The recommended Memphis dessert tour takes About 4 hours. Your actual time may vary based on traffic, walking or transit time, parking, lines, how long you spend at each bakery, and any changes you make to the suggested route.
How many bakeries are on the Memphis dessert tour?
The current Follow the Dough Memphis tour includes 5 curated bakery and dessert stops. You can follow the recommended order or use the tour planner to remove stops, change the order, or choose a different starting point.
What desserts is Memphis known for?
The Memphis tour highlights signature sweets includingChocolate Pecan Fudge, Original Butter Cookie, Seasonal cupcake or slice of pie, Memphis Cream Cupcake, Classic Glazed Donut. Together, the tour stops show how local traditions, neighborhood bakeries, and newer pastry ideas shape the city's dessert story.
Can I use Follow the Dough as a Memphis food itinerary?
Yes. Follow the Dough can be used as a dessert-focused Memphis food itinerary. The page gives you an ordered route, estimated timing, signature-item recommendations, maps, and planning tools, making it easy to build the dessert portion of a larger day of eating and exploring the city.
What are some unique things to do in Memphis for foodies?
One of the most distinctive things to do in Memphis for foodies is explore the city's baking culture neighborhood by neighborhood. Follow the Dough turns that idea into a self-guided foodie experience by connecting locally significant bakeries, signature desserts, cultural stories, and a route you can experience on your own schedule.
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Doughful requests your current location only after you tap Check In. Your location is used once to estimate your distance from the stop and is not continuously tracked.
Keep Exploring Memphis
Browse every bakery and baked dessert destination in Memphis, including places beyond this self-guided tour.
Doughful requests your current location only after you choose GPS verification.
Your location is used once to estimate your distance from the bakery and is not continuously tracked.
Manual check-ins are stored as unverified visits.
My Doughful
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