It’s that time of year again where even the most dedicated dieters can cave to the temptation of a refreshing scoop of ice cream on a cone or in a cup.
It’s a food that makes memories, think grandchildren, romance, and milestone celebrations.
Sometimes it’s a treat worth traveling to new town for, as well as taking in other interesting sites.
There are hundreds of places to enjoy ice cream in Connecticut and each has its unique twist in the setting and the recipes. Don’t forget UConn has a dairy bar too.
Here are 10 ice cream hot spots in Connecticut:
Kriz Farm Ice Cream
Kriz Farm Ice Cream draws customers from throughout the state, because aside from their scrumptious ice cream, including popular specialty flavors, the view and setting are spectacular.
There are wide open fields, a big sky, working farm activity, draft horses in summer at the farm in Bethany.
“I have some couples who come all the way from New Jersey because they love the environment,” co-owner Wendy Kriz has said. She owns the ice cream shop with husband Timmy Kriz who runs the farm with his son. 13 Bear Hill Road, Bethany.
People flock to eat ice cream at this scenic CT farm. A patron says it’s a ‘growing secret’
Crazy Cow Creamery
The newly opened Crazy Cow Creamery has hit a chord with ice cream lovers.
The ice cream shop in Wolcott is owned by siblings Erin Gray and Ben Waterbury, who have owned the Eagle’s View Diner and deli for four years.
In their first weekend at the beginning of May they served more than 900 cups or cones, making headlines because they had to put in “emergency calls” to Hershey Ice Cream for more product.
Early into it Gray said the unique kid flavors are hot sellers, as are the mint flavored varieties and the banana splits.
Online reviewers have raved about the taste, large portions and reasonable prices. 388 Wolcott Road, Wolcott
LaSalle Only Sweeter
LaSalle Only Sweeter will throw folks back to a simpler time when there were fewer than 10 delicious ice cream flavors to choose from and candy could be selected in single pieces.
But there’s nothing simple about the potential for people watching while savouring the sweet treats.
The ice cream shop with an outdoor patio and connected to sister business, LaSalle’s Market & Deli, is located right by the Farmington River bike trail, sometimes traveled by thousands a day. It’s also in the heart of bustling downtown Canton.
They carry high-quality, small batch ice cream made by Gifford’s Ice Cream in Maine and about 25 kinds of classic candy, including Bit O Honey, Lemonheads, Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids, Smarties, Warheads, salt water taffy, Airheads, Starburst. 104 Main St., Collinsville
Grassroots Ice Cream + Street Food
Grassroots Ice Cream + Street Food, known for their award-winning craft ice cream flavors recently announced the opening of its third location.
The business operates in Simsbury, Granby and New Milford.
The ice cream shop has been named among the best in New England by Yankee Magazine and New England Home Magazine.
The ice cream shop’s flagship Granby location serves up 36 unique ice cream flavors including goat cheese blackberry, rose chocolate, blood orange chip, salted caramel bacon brittle, double oreo. It’s at 4 Park Pl, Granby, on the Green.
Fish Family Farm Creamery
Ice cream doesn’t get any fresher or more home grown than at Fish Family Farm Creamery in Bolton because the cows are right there and so is the pasteurization plant.
The milk that goes into their 16 percent milk fat ice cream comes from 70 Jersey cows on the farm and the all important “base” of the ice cream — or core recipe.
The owner’s grandson, Justin Levesque, 36, took over the farm’s ice cream operation five years ago, and kept his grandfather’s “great recipe,” he has said, but “went rogue,” on flavor creativity.
They scoop eight to 10 flavors at a time in the farm store and now have a rotation of 53 flavors.
People in the community not don’t only go for the ice cream, but also the extraordinary, relaxing setting – made even better by ice cream.
Visitors can visit the cows, walks around looking at other farm animals, play frisbee on the lawn, relaxes at picnic tables, and attends special events. Visitors can even watch milk being bottled through a huge window in the farm store, 20 Dimock Lane, Bolton
Big Dipper Ice Cream Parlour
Many people might not know exactly where the town of Prospect is, but chances are they’ve heard of it’s famous Big Dipper Ice Cream Parlour.
Big Dipper sells its handmade small batch ice cream of unique flavors out of an unremarkable 1,350-square foot shop, but the ice cream is also sold in stores throughout the state and featured on their traveling vehicle at events.
The brand has been referred to as “ice cream royalty.”
The family-owned business was founded by the late Harry Rowe Jr. in 1986 and today is run by his son, also named Harry Rowe.
The younger Rowe told the Courant recently, “I think, live and breathe ice cream.”
Their No. 1 business approach, Rowe said, has been to carry on his dad’s traditions, such as his process for making ice cream, his commitment to fresh and in some cases, brand specific ingredients. It’s at 91 Waterbury Road, Prospect
Main Street Creamery & Cafe
Ice cream in cups and cones still rule at Main Street Creamery & Cafe, but they also sell it in flights for those who want more than a tasting spoon to try different flavors.
The flights, $10, give customers a scoop of four ice creams in a container with separate compartments.
The creamery, owned by former educator Michael Clarke and his wife, Kathy, is located in the heart of quaint, historic Old Wethersfield.
The warm, family-friendly vibe at “the creamery,” as it’s known locally, is part of the appeal, but also it’s the 60 flavors of small batch ice cream offered daily and additional, rotating specialty flavors such as lemon pie with graham crackers, white chocolate raspberry, espresso ripple bean, Maine black bear, extreme chocolate, Milky Way.
Clarke got the idea to sell flights of ice cream after seeing them used for sampling different beers at a friend’s brewery.
Clarke said he considers the creamery “a social hub in the neighborhood” and believes the business contributes to the “walkability” of the town rich in shops, restaurants, museums. It’s at 271 Main St., Wethersfield
Tulmeadow Farm Store Ice Cream
Tulmeadow Farm has produced dairy and produce through the decades, but today it’s ice cream that rules.
The West Simsbury farm has been in Don Tuller’s family since 1768 and he has said, “People love our ice cream. It put us on the map.”
They’ve been making ice cream since 1984.
Tulmeadow Farm makes more than 60 ice cream flavors, but scoop about 22 at a time. They also carry many vegan varieties, thanks to daughter, Emily, as well as sherbet and sorbet.
Some of their flavors include: red raspberry with chocolate chips, toasted almond and make peppermint year round. Since they don’t use food coloring, Tuller has said, their pistachio and mint chocolate chip are white.
They also get creative. Last year they made a sweet and savory miso and Biskoff cracker flavor ice cream that sold out fast. Recently they advertised a specialty flavor that looks mouth watering: pistachio with baklava and local honey.
The farm has a pleasant atmosphere and there’s a walking trail where customers can burn off some of the calories, Tuller has said.
“Our goal is to make really good ice cream so people come back,” Tuller has said. “Ice cream is a happy product, so people are generally in a good mood when they come to us.” It’s at 255 Farms Village Road, West Simsbury.
Mortensen Dairy Ice Cream
Mortensen Dairy Ice Cream has been chosen the #1 ice cream in Connecticut again this year’s Hartford Courant “best of” awards.
Owner Rodney Mortensen said last year after winning the readers poll in 2023 that they are always trying to be “even better.”
“Every day, every week, we think how can we improve something? How can we make it better?” he said.
The dairy business in Newington was started by his dad, Elmer Mortensen in 1915, when there was milk delivery in Hartford via horse and wagon.
Elmer always wanted to make ice cream and that happened nearly 48 years ago when the family sold their store made ice cream out of their Mortensen’s Dairy Restaurant for decades.
Ten years ago they went to exclusively selling ice cream and offer about 60 flavors.
Mortensen has said they got to the top using the best and freshest ingredients. He said 95 percent of their ice cream is all natural.
The banana ice cream is made with chunks of banana ripened to the perfect state, as are their in season strawberry and blueberry ice creams. They even have a cinnamon churro flavor with chunks of churro.
“We use the best cream in New England,” and every batch is made as if its being made for a loved one, said Mortensen, who tastes every batch.
The best part about the business, he said, are the customers, who are like family.
“When you’re in business so long you see the generations go by,” he has said. “We enjoy the people as much as they enjoy the ice cream.”
As an example of “not skimping,” on their product, Mortensen has said they continue to use the best vanilla beans in the world even though the price has skyrocketed. They also continue to double the vanilla in their recipe. It’s at 3145 Berlin Tpke., Newington
Frisbie’s Dairy Barn
The catch phrase on Frisbie’s Dairy Barn website is simple, “Eat ice cream, be happy.”
The owners are happy too.
Frisbie’s was started in Newington by Michael Frisbie in 2015 and later sold to one time store manager/college student Paul Parks III and his dad, Paul Parks Jr.
The younger Parks has said, “there’s a lot to love,” about the business.
“I love the opportunity to serve the community,” Parks III has said. “The customers when they come here are always happy to be here.”
Frisbie’s, started in New Britain, has about 30 rotating flavors and in 2021 expanded to four more locations: Bloomfield, Parkville Market in Hartford, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
“We feel strongly about making the best ice cream with the best ingredients,” Parks III has said.
Parks started working at Frisbie’s in 2019 as a manager while a college student. He said Michael Frisbie was a 1991 alum of Nichols College – the college Parks also attended – and was tuned into giving young people opportunities.
He said they’re always trying to come up with new flavors and it’s a collaborative effort with employees.
The younger Parks said he loves being able to offer high school and college students their first jobs. It’s at 951 Farmington Ave., New Britain
