EXPERIENCEPieAdd TopicDestination pies across the USAAccording to the American Pie Council — whose very existence proves the national relevance of pie — more than 186 million pies are sold every year at grocery stores alone. It’s enough pie to circle the globe in a single line (and then some).Bubby's Pie Co.Of that lineup, America’s foremost favorites include apple, pumpkin and pecan pie.Emporium PiesA new generation of pie shops, however, introduce trendy, crowd-pleasing ingredients, like s’mores and maple custard at Los Angeles’ The Pie Hole.The Pie HoleThe Pie Hole has five California locations, including two in Los Angeles.The Pie HoleBreaking tradition, an Earl Grey Tea pie is their own design, and is their small empire’s bestseller.The Pie HoleKeeping with tradition, some of America’s best pie shops use family recipes, like Lancaster, Pa.'s Bird-in-Hand Bakery & Cafe, part of an inn operated by the same family since 1911.Brian T. EvansAt Bird-in-Hand Bakery & Cafe, it’s the Pennsylvania Dutch tradition of shoofly pie — rich with molasses and crumble — credited to their very own Grandma Smucker, that’s a winning recipe.Discover LancasterMeanwhile in Philadelphia, chef and owner Holly Ricciardi takes classic pie recipes and gives each a twist at her shop, Magpie.MagpieAt Magpie, you’ll find a classic pecan pie mixed up with chocolate, coffee and cinnamon, or an apple pie sauced up with caramel. There’s pumpkin, too, for seasonal snackers.Jeff SacksIf you’re so bold to try it, any slice at Magpie can be blended into a Pie Milkshake with vanilla ice cream.Jeff SacksAsk New Yorkers, and they’ll know Bubby’s, a restaurant and pie shop with locations in Tribeca and Meatpacking.Bubby’sThe chef and owner, Ron Silver, opened Bubby’s on Thanksgiving Day in 1990.Bubby’sSilver’s pumpkin pie is the holiday favorite, although a sour cherry and apple whiskey crumble (made with local apples, surely) are worthy contenders.Bubby’sEqually famous, but in Brooklyn, Four & Twenty Blackbirds is a charming pie café helmed by sisters Emily and Melissa Elsen, whose salted caramel apple pie is fated to become a local legend.Four & Twenty BlackbirdsThe majority of Four & Twenty Blackbirds’ pies are rendered with classic fillings, like seasonal fruits, custards and straight up chocolate — made in an all-butter crust.Four & Twenty BlackbirdsThe sisters’ sensational recipes have outgrown their roots. They now have four New York locations for pie.Four & Twenty BlackbirdsPetee’s Pie Company is among New York City’s hottest bakers. Its heavy roster of even heavier pies ranges from brown butter honey pecan to coconut custard.Donny TsangPetee’s Pies’ owner, Petra Paredez, hardly needs street credit, but her pie prowess doesn’t fall far from her family tree. Her parents, based in Virginia, have long helmed the beloved Mom’s Apple Pie Company.Donny TsangWithout question, Mom’s Apple Pie Company is a favorite shop for residents and passersby of Leesburg, Va., with its original shop just 30 miles south of the White House (a recent guest was Michelle Obama).Jeff MauritzenMom’s Apple Pie Company specializes in those dreamy classics — grandmother staples, if you will — with tangy and sweet matches like raspberry-peach and cranberry-apple.Jeff MauritzenIn Richmond, Va., Proper Pie Co. makes small, handheld New Zealand-style savory pies, as well as traditionally sweet pies.Daniel Sangjib MinIf you’re a fan, Alton Brown — Food Network’s brainy chef — has boasted that Proper Pie Co.’s pumpkin pie is one of his favorites.Daniel Sangjib MinAfter a stint at one of North Carolina’s much-loved fine dining restaurants, Phoebe Lawless opened Scratch in Durham, N.C., a pie shop that crafts pies exactly as they should be crafted — from scratch.ScratchScratch’s flaky crusts are made with good old-fashioned American butter, hardly needed for her creamy pantry pie, whose main ingredients are cream, sugar and more butter.ScratchIn downtown DeWitt, Mich., as well as a second location in Grand Rapids, Mich., nostalgia is rich at Sweetie-licious Bakery Cafe.Sweetie-licious Bakery CafeOwner Linda Hundt hardly needs any frills for her award-winning pies. Nevertheless, her team of servers are fittingly proper, presenting pies in retro-form with vintage aprons and pearls.Sweetie-licious Bakery CafeYou can make her recipes yourself by scooping up her cookbook, 'Sweetie-licious Pies', but her pretty and pink shops are worth a visit for her crumbly, tart pies and treats.Sweetie-licious Bakery CafeDave Achatz — a cousin of Grant Achatz, chef of Chicago’s famed Alinea — and his wife, Wendy, have perfected pies for more than two decades at Achatz Handmade Pie Co.Achatz Handmade Pie Co.A local favorite since opening its original location, Achatz Handmade Pie Co. now has six spots in metro Detroit, as well as nationwide recognition for its Michigan four-berry flavor.Achatz Handmade Pie Co.For an ultimate small-town treat, Wisconsin’s Stockholm Pie and General Store has a few pies up its sleeve (its lemon pie in particular).Travel WisconsinOf course, it’s actually a Double Lemon pie, that’s doubly sweet and tart, that’s worth the visit.Travel WisconsinFrequently lauded for baking some of the best pies in America, Honeypie of Milwaukee isn’t short on flavors.HoneypieIts black bottom banana cream tends to make folks go bananas, but the flavors are endlessly appealing, from Almond Joy to Bourbon Fudge and beyond.HoneypieIf you wish, Honeypie’s executive pie maker, Valeri Lucks, offers pie lessons so that you can bring the flavors home to your own honey pie.HoneypieIn Chicago’s Logan Square, the only thing better than Bang Bang Pie’s namesake, might be its fresh biscuits.Bang Bang PieThe favorite pie shop’s success led to a second Bang Bang in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood, and the big hitting pies are far from secondary, with items like Chocolate Chess and Chocolate Pecan.Bang Bang PieSince 1986, Lisa Sparks has admitted to customers that she doesn’t quite care for pie. Even still, she’s won enough blue ribbons at the Indiana State Fair that she could wallpaper her kitchen.Lisa’s Pie ShopAt Lisa’s Pie Shop in Atlanta, Ind., sugar cream pie hits home and local: It’s her take on Indiana’s state pie, originally made by the area’s settlers who used custard as filling when fruit was hard to come by. (Yes, she has a blue ribbon for this recipe, too).Lisa’s Pie ShopIn Kimmswick, Mo., you’ll find a tall order at Blue Owl Bakery, just 30 minutes outside of St. Louis.Luci Branyan, Courtesy Of Missouri Division Of TourismIts 9” Levee-High Caramel Pecan Apple Pie is a towering creation inspired by the Great Flood of 1993.Amy Roth Photo, Courtesy Of FoodyDirectEighteen apples are baked into each; somehow, they’re shipped nationwide without toppling over.Courtesy Of FoodyDirectIn Dallas, you’ll find handmade, seasonal flavors at the chic Emporium Pies.Emporium PiesOther items, like Smooth Operator, a French silk chocolate pie with a pretzel crust, aren’t to be taken lightly; they’re as beautiful as they sound both in taste and looks.Emporium PiesAt Blue Bonnet Cafe, just off of U.S. 281 in Texas’ Marble Falls, the pies are a classic feature of a homespun joint.Blue Bonnet CafeVisit in the afternoon, and you’ll treat yourself to Pie Happy Hour — although, the celebrated pies are worth every penny.Blue Bonnet CafeThe original Grand Traverse Pie Company opened on Front Street in Traverse City, Mich. in 1996. Today, there are more than 15 locations in Michigan and Indiana.Ashley Day, USA TODAYSome five dozen flavors are baked in each store daily, including apple, blueberry, cherry. More than 90% of the ingredients are sourced from Michigan.Larry Olmsted, For USA TODAYGrand Traverse Pie Co. also makes seasonal savory pies including turkey, chicken and beef.Larry Olmsted, For USA TODAYPie and beer go hand in hand at the family-owned O Pie O in Cincinnati’s East Walnut Hills neighborhood. Here, sweet and savory pies are perfectly paired with local brews, fine wines and house-made Bloody Marys.Wendy Pramik, For USA TODAYLou Ginnochio, owner of O Pie O, pours a milk stout that he says pairs well with his Honey Vinegar pie – a filling Depression-Era throwback that’s become the restaurant’s most popular item.Wendy Pramik, For USA TODAYFeatured Weekly Ad