We are unabashed foodies. If you have read many of our blogs, you know that eating food in each of the different places we stay is as important as taking in the sights! We very much enjoy tasting and experiencing foods from all over the country. For example, we were raised on New England seafood but have become lovers of Cajun and Creole cooking from Louisianna!

One of the things we usually do is seek out bakeries and ice cream shops! The following ice creams places are the best of the best! Gifford’s in ME has always been the standard for excellence. Bruster’s in Maryland edges Gifford’s out for its creamy taste and consistency!!

While there are many very good ice cream shops, what we have found is that the creamiest ice cream comes from shops that are “cow to cone”, for example, Bruster’s (Maryland), Gifford’s (Maine) and Wright’s (Massachusetts). All of these ice cream shops started off as a way to use the extra cream from their cows at dairy farms. Even today, when you drive onto Wright’s Farm in Rhode Island, you will be passing the cows that provided the milk and cream for their ice cream. Hence the “cow to cone” concept!

Alabama

Stacey’s Olde Tyme Soda Fountain (Foley) opened in 1929. It is still in operation in the same location. Stacey’s still offers large sundaes in glass containers. It really feels like you are going back in time! The ice cream is very creamy!

Massachusetts

Arnold’s Lobster & Clam Bar Ice Cream (Eastham) is a local favorite. It is located in the same parking lot as Arnold’s Seafood and Arnold’s Mini Golf. It is hard to beat Arnold’s creamy, flavorful ice cream on a hot day on Cape Cod!

J.P. Licks (Jamaica Plain) has been a long-time favorite of ours. There are other locations, but Jamaica Plain is the original. One of the first ice cream shops to offer items to mix in with the ice cream (M&Ms, etc.).

Smitty’s Ice Cream (E. Orleans) is a very small, locally owned ice cream shop on Cape Cod. There are a lot of varieties to choose from, especially berry flavors (blueberry, raspberry, bumbleberry, etc.). The ice cream is good and the lines are long.

Steve’s, now called Herrell’s, (Boston) was the original free standing ice cream shops. I remember standing outside in many different snowstorms for a Steve’s cone with mix-ins.

West End Creamery (Whitinsville) has excellent ice cream! West End Creamy also has Mini Golf and a petting zoo. The ice cream is very sweet and creamy. They always have at least 40 or 50 different options, including sugar free options.

Maryland

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream (Hollywood) probably has the most creamy, flavorful ice cream we have tried across the country. It is a small locally owned ice cream shop. You wouldn’t know it was even there unless you knew to look for it!

Maine

Gifford’s (Bangor) has always been our standard for the best ice cream anywhere! There are probably a half dozen shops located throughout Maine. The original shop is in Skowhegan, ME. It was an original “cow to cone” ice cream shop in Maine.

Round Top Ice Cream (Damariscotta) is a local favorite ice cream shop in coastal Maine. They are known for having unique regional flavors, for example, rhubarb sorbet and wild Maine blueberry.

Ben and Bills’s Chocolate Emporium (Bar Harbor) has fudge, chocolates and ice cream. They even have lobster ice cream for something different! It is sweet cream ice cream with pieces of real lobster meat!!! Think sweet meets savory.

Ohio

Tom’s Ice Cream Bowl (Zanesville) was opened in 1948 by two brothers. In 2024 it was sold to the lead cook who had worked for the brothers since the shop opened! Tom’s is a local favorite with creamy ice cream and great sundae toppings!

Rhode Island

Wright’s Dairy Farm, Bakery and Ice Cream Shop (North Smithfield) is Rhode Island’s only “cow to cone” ice cream. When you drive into Wright’s Dairy Farm, you can see and smell the cows that produce the cream for the bakery items and the ice cream you will be purchasing and consuming. Your ice cream can’t get much fresher than this!

Texas

Dairy Queen. Okay, so Dairy Queen isn’t exactly the cow to cone concept, but the soft serve ice cream icon that started with Rolly Klose in Austin, Texas in 1947 really can’t be beat on a hot Texas day! Who doesn’t enjoy a Blizzard on a 104-degree day?

Summary

Except for a few minor variations, any chocolate chip cookie or any apple pie are made with similar proportions of the same ingredients. At first glance, ice cream may be the same since it is made with cream or milk and a flavoring ingredient. What we have found throughout the country though, is that ice creams can be very different!!

It’s a lifestyle

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No person, business or attraction has paid us for an endorsement. AI has not been used to create any of the content in this blog or website. All of the photos in this blog and website were taken by Dave or Kathryn Harrington.