Words and photos provided by Industrial Development & Investment Promotion Committee of Taichung City (IDIPC)
How do you plan to spend the three-day vacation to welcome 2021? If you don’t have anything planned yet, we recommend that you consider a unique New Year holiday with little-known Taichung scenic attractions and its most popular souvenirs.
Announced on Dec. 6, winners of the 2020-2021 12th annual Top 10 Taichung Gifts Festival are OKLAO Specialty Coffee; Fong Den Favor Desserts; Chen Yun Pao Chuan; Pig Lady Bakery; Day By Day; AR’s Patisserie; Shulin Biscuit Co., Ltd.; Great Taro Wonderland; Ching Wood; and FineHerbs.
Taichung City Mayor Lu Shiow-yen said that Taichung is well-known for its pastries and noted that this festival was a major annual event for the city. It also means that visitors can enjoy visits to these 10 businesses as part of their Taichung explorations and purchase some authentic local products to take home.
Taichung’s equivalent of Mount Hakodate’s panoramic views of its namesake city is Wanggaoliao Night View Park on Dadu Mountain, offering a must-visit venue for night views, fireworks show and sunrises as the new year is welcomed. About a 10-minutes drive away is Taiwan’s most beautiful church, Tunghai University’s Luce Memorial Chapel, and the nearby Pig Lady Bakery, allowing you to savor its Taichung Nostalgic Cake Rolls on Tunghai University’s green lawn as you welcome a new year sunrise. The most representative agricultural product in Taichung is Bin Lan Shin taro (Colocasia esculenta). If you head towards Taichung’s coastline, you can visit not only Mitsui Outlet Park mall, Gaomei Wetland, Dajia Jenn Lann Temple and other destinations but also Da’an’s Great Taro Wonderland, offering DIY handmade taro balls, a visit to taro fields and other fun, Asian-style parent-child activities.
If you prefer a cultural-oriented journey, try stopping off at Dakeng Scenic Area’s OKLAO Coffee Farm where you can arrange a day of leisurely DIY coffee roasting and enjoyment of coffee-flavored desserts, and creating your own wood-crafted items at Ching Wood in nearby Tanzi District. Besides making a unique handmade pen, your one-day cultural experience can also include taking photos and checking in at FineHerbs, with its museum-like ambiance.
Returning back to downtown Taichung with its abundance of culinary options, don’t pass up a wide range of legendary traditional eateries and shops, combined with recently-opened stores that are already attracting long lines. After a satisfying meal, there’s always space for dessert and we recommended Fong Den Favor Desserts’ Passion Fruit Mung Bean Ice Cake, Chen Yun Pao Chuan’s Lemon Cake, Day By Day’s Bin Lan Shin Creme Brulee Cake, AR’s Patisserie’s Lemon Tarts, and Shulin Biscuit’s Creative Cookies. These desserts offer both sweet and tart flavors, just like the sensations of falling in love.
The Top 10 Taichung City Gifts Festival, sponsored by the Industrial Development and Investment Promotion Committee (IDIPC) of Taichung City for a dozen years, saw the Industrial Policy Association announcing the city’s top 10 gifts as selected by 13 industry, government and academic experts and via public online and festival on-site voting. Taichung City IDIPC noted that these selected business’s products were prepared with locally grown products, ranging from Da’an District taro to Xinshe District coffee. When you give these special Taichung gifts to your family and friends, you’ll give them the chance to savor the unique flavors of this city. In addition, this year’s winners include a category of non-food items focused on recycling concepts, offering yet more creative and meaningful gifts.
臺中市工商發展投資策進會/文‧圖提供
2021即將到來，跨年三天連假該如何安排，推薦臺中私房景點與伴手禮，讓還沒規劃的您過個不同以往的元旦假期。 2020~2021第12屆臺中市十大伴手禮12月6日票選結果出爐，分別由歐客佬精品咖啡、丰丹嚴選本舖、陳允寶泉食品公司、豬寶妹手感烘焙坊、DAY BY DAY、法布甜健康伴手禮、小林煎餅公司、芋樂大世界農產品公司、沁木手作工作室、臻品植萃獲此殊榮。 市長盧秀燕表示，臺中是出名的糕餅故鄉，臺中市十大伴手禮更是臺中人一年一度的盛典。跟著十大伴手禮店家遊遍臺中山海屯，好吃好喝又好玩，還能帶著「等路」滿載而歸。 跨年元旦活動不可缺少的夜景、煙火秀與日出元素在擁有號稱「臺中版函館」的望高寮夜景公園絕對能一次滿足。而約十分鐘車程即抵達「臺灣最美教堂」東海大學路思義教堂以及豬寶妹手感烘焙坊。元旦早晨在東海陽光草坪上野餐，享用豬寶妹全臺首創千層蝸牛蛋捲，實在享受。 臺中在地最具代表性的農產品就是檳榔心芋頭，往臺中海線方向遊玩，不僅有三井outlet、高美濕地、大甲鎮瀾宮等景點，更能到位在大安的芋樂大世界品嘗芋樂蔬食，還有DIY手作芋圓、參觀芋頭田等適合親子共樂的活動。 偏好文青之旅可前往大坑歐客佬咖啡農場，與位在潭子的沁木手作工作室，安排一日悠閒地體驗DIY烘焙咖啡、品嚐咖啡甜點，以及體驗木作，打造專屬自己獨一無二的手工筆；還能到宛如美術館的臻品植萃拍照打卡，享受一日文青行程。 臺中是著名的美食之都，回到臺中市區，不僅有在地老字號傳統美食，也能選擇新穎的熱門排隊名店；吃飽喝足後，甜點是另一個胃，丰丹嚴選本舖百香果冰糕、陳允寶泉香柚檸檬蛋糕、DAY BY DAY檳榔心布蕾蛋糕、法布甜檸檬塔，以及小林煎餅創意煎餅，有酸又有甜，像極了愛情。 臺中市十大伴手禮由臺中市工商發展投資策進會主辦至今已邁入12年，工策會說明，十大伴手禮經過13位產官學界專家評選，綜合民眾網路與現場票選活動票數，最終選出十名首獎。 工策會進一步說明，十大伴手禮遴選特別著重產品在地特色，例如採用大安芋頭、新社咖啡等臺中特有農產品，送禮不但具有濃濃臺中特色，更讓外地親友吃到臺中特有美味。而非食品組得獎廠商則將環保、回收、再利用的理念，結合創意發想作成文創禮品，每一項商品都別具特色。