Rainbow sherbet. Mint chocolate chip ice cream. Almond chip custard. Vanilla-chocolate soft serve swirl. Strawberry ice cream. Chocolate sprinkles. Rainbow sprinkles. Oreo ice cream. Mocha fudge ice cream. Pistachio yogurt. Rocky road ice cream.
I’ve lost track of the ice cream flavors we’ve tried on our Summer Bucket List adventure. Our plan to get through the hot summer by visiting a different ice cream shop each weekend has fostered a deeper appreciation for ice cream in our family. The clear winner is the fun we’re all having. And, while we can’t agree on a #1 favorite favor, we are becoming sugar cone aficionados.
Our latest visits include…
Dairy Queen, Kittery, ME – Yes, Dairy Queen! Come on, doesn’t it bring you back to summer from your childhood? It does for me, and our visit, while on a shopping trip for fall coats (Yes, fall is coming. Winter, too.), brought me all the way back. I got my favorite: the heath bar blizzard. Everyone else ordered the chocolate-vanilla soft serve in wafer cones (we definitely like the sugar cone better). Success all around.
Downeast Ice Cream, Boothbay Harbor, ME – This quaint place is right by the water in Boothbay Harbor. We visited with friends, and the four kids present were split between rainbow sherbet and chocolate ice cream. All were delicious. There were so many options, making a choice (for me) hard. After we got our treats, we stood outside on the sidewalk, watching taffy being made in the shop next door and trying to catch the ice cream before it melted on our hands. It felt just like summer.
Erikson’s Ice Cream, Maynard, MA – We learned about Erikson’s in this issue of Boston magazine, its “ice cream spectacular.” And spectacular this ice cream tastes. We visited early on a weekend day, and easily found a place to sit at one of the picnic tables behind the building. I can imagine, though, that this place is hoppin’ in the evenings. I was a little envious of the houses across the street–so close!
Captain Dusty’s, Essex, MA – We visited Captain Dusty’s on our way back from a day at the beach in Rockport. This is one of several Captain Dusty outposts on the north shore of Massashusetts, and it had good business for a late afternoon weekday. People love their ice cream. The shop reminded me of the ice cream store I worked at one summer in high school: white walls, shiny floor, ice cream decorations, and lots of options including shakes, sundaes, and specials. I’m not sure if the kids even spoke while they ate their ice cream; they just inhaled their cones.
We have more spots to try before the summer is out. And since summer doesn’t really end until September? Well, we have a good amount of time left.
Disclosures: None! We paid for–and ate–all of the ice cream ourselves.
Gosh I love that you did this! I said I was going to but didn’t but now I know what I will be doing next year.
Gosh, your post was fun for me. I used to vacation often all around ME with my late hubby. Boothbay, Kittery, Belfast, Bar Harbor etc etc. So many happy memories. Your children are adorable, what a fun vacation idea. You can never have to much icecream. I make my own when I have time, using my machine and the Ben & Jerry’s cookbook. Oh boy!