Country Living and Hershey’s S’mores Across America reveals whether Americans prefer Camp Toasty or Camp Gooey—and celebrates the traditions behind the beloved summer sweet
From the LifeMinute.tv Team
August 20, 2026
As part of its celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, Country Living partnered with Hershey’s for S’mores Across America, creating 50 s’mores recipes inspired by the unique flavors, ingredients and traditions of all 50 states.
The concept was simple: take the classic s’more—Hershey’s chocolate, a toasted marshmallow and a sturdy base—and give it a local twist. Some favorites include Colorado’s Trailblazer, which takes cues from classic trail mix; Alaska’s Aurora S’morealis, featuring a coating of galactic/glittery sugar; and Georgia’s Just Peachy, topped with brûléed peaches.
The 50 recipes showcase just how many ways the classic s’more can be reimagined. But the project didn’t stop in the kitchen.
S’mores Across America hit the road, traveling from CMA Fest in Nashville to the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan, and the Oyster Fair in Connecticut.
Along the way, people shared their s’mores traditions and talked about the memories a classic s’more can evoke. Whether at the beach, the lake or in their own backyard, many described those shared moments around a campfire as their “happy place.”
Those conversations also helped settle one of the biggest s’mores debates of all: Camp Toasty vs. Camp Gooey.
Camp Toasty fans prefer a deeply toasted marshmallow with a little structure and a hint of smoky flavor. Camp Gooey fans believe the messier, the better—with a lightly toasted marshmallow that’s soft, warm and oozing out the sides.
Thousands of people cast their votes during the S’mores Across America tour and through nationwide polling. Country Living, along with its sister brands Delish and Good Housekeeping, also asked their social communities to weigh in.
The verdict? Camp Toasty edged out Camp Gooey. Of course, when it comes to s’mores, everyone’s a winner. Whether you prefer your marshmallow deeply toasted or deliciously gooey, the real fun is making—and eating—the perfect s’more.
To explore S’mores Across America and discover all 50 state-inspired Hershey’s s’mores recipes, visit countryliving.com.
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00;00;05;17 - 00;00;25;15 Unknown Hey, I'm Rachel Barrett of Country Living. And around here, we love a good s’more There's such an easy way to bring people together and make memories, whether at home, the lake, the beach or mountains. As we were thinking about ways to celebrate America's 250th, we really wanted a concept that was about bringing people together. And in a casual, very Country Living kind of way.
00;00;25;17 - 00;00;53;16 Unknown S'mores were such a natural fit. So we partnered with Hershey's to create S'mores Across America, a campaign that celebrates the unique flavors and traditions found across the country. It was a very fun assignment. We took inspiration from local ingredients and regional specialties.
Everything was fair game. Every recipe starts with Hershey's chocolate and a marshmallow paired with a sturdy base, whether that's traditional graham crackers, a pretzel crisp for a cookie, and then finished with a uniquely local twist. 00;00;53;22 - 00;01;18;05 Unknown A few favorites included Colorado's Trailblazer, which takes some cues from classic trail mix. Alaska's Aurora S’morealis, which has a fun coating of glittery sugar, and Georgia's Just Peachy Combo.
The brulée peaches really push that one over the top. It was such a fun, creative challenge to dream up and test all 50 recipes, and it really shows how versatile the classic Hershey's S'more can be. To bring them to life. 00;01;18;05 - 00;01;41;10 Unknown We traveled everywhere from the CMA Fest in Nashville to the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan and just this past weekend to the Oyster Faire in Connecticut.
A lot of the people we met on the road this summer talked about the memories that a classic Hershey s'more can evoke. Whether they're enjoying s'mores at the beach or in their own backyard, they describe those shared moments of joy around a campfire as their happy place. 00;01;41;12 - 00;02;07;26 Unknown It was fun talking to people about their s'mores traditions and preferences and what makes for the perfect s'more. So Hershey's decided to use these conversations to help settle one of the biggest debates, are Americans Camp Gooey or Camp Toasty?
Camp gooey believes the messier the better. A lightly toasted marshmallow that's soft and oozing out the sides, while Camp Toasty loves a dark, toasted marshmallow with a little bit of structure and a hint of smoky flavor. 00;02;08;04 - 00;02;30;21 Unknown I'm camp toasty. My kids are decidedly camp gooey.
Thousands of people cast their votes onsite during our s'mores tour and through nationwide polling. We also asked the huge social communities of Country Living and our sister brand, Delish and Good Housekeeping to weigh in. We finally have our answer with Camp Toasty edging out Camp Gooey. Of course, anyone enjoying a s'more is a winner.
00;02;30;21 - 00;02;39;06 Unknown The debate itself is just part of the fun. You can check the Hershey's S'mores Across America recipes all 50 of them, over at CountryLiving.com
