Author: Ice cream, bourbon, mini-golf and Labrador retrievers!
Tim White is the Director of Collections and Research at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. He has worked at the Peabody for 34 years and has enjoyed traveling to all parts of the world, both for the Museum and for pleasure. Tim is a paleontologist and his wife Maureen is an archeologist.
In the town of Plymouth Cleveland’s Country Store is a well established convenience store and delicatessen with an ice cream parlor by the name of The Sweet Tooth.
We were met by a jolly fellow who was happy to scoop almond joy for Maureen and coconut with a sliver of coffee for me, both in small cups. The Sweet Tooth sells The Big Dipper ice cream in a variety of rich, creamy flavors. They make milk shakes, floats, cups and cones with a variety of toppings.
The Sweet Tooth is a pleasant surprise, alongside Cleveland’s Country Store with all kinds of jellies, jams, pickles and lots of treats!
Took a nice quiet drive to the town of Litchfield in search of the ice cream establishment Peaches ‘N Cream, which did not disappoint. Peaches makes their own ice cream in a variety of standard and novel flavors in both dairy and non-dairy varieties.
Mighty Mo had Moose Tracks which was a rich chocolate with fudge swirl. I had a kiddie scoop of ginger that had a mild, sweet taste. They offered milk shakes, ice cream sandwiches, cups and cones.
If you’re heading west, check out Peaches ‘N Cream. You won’t be disappointed!
On the way home today we stopped at a nice ice cream shop in a Southbury plaza called Scoopin’. We were met by a friendly and welcoming couple, who make their own ice cream on site in this charming shop. They offer a wide variety of flavors in cups, cones, and shakes and have lots of toppings. Maureen enjoyed a nice complimentary cup of cafe mocha which was piping hot and hit the spot on a windy day.
Maureen and I shared a small kiddie scoop of some of the best maple walnut ice cream we have had in a long time. Scoopin’s ice cream is hand made on site with a rich butterfat that makes great ice cream.
Check out Scoopin’ if you are looking for something original and tasty!
Our next stop was the Roxbury Market & Deli in the center of this quiet village along one of the many rivers in Western Connecticut.
The Market sell the well-known Ferris Acres Creamery products. They offer cups, cones, shakes and floats. They have a dozen or so unique flavors and some basics, plus a few toppings. We shared a toddler cup of chocolate which has a creamy and smooth taste.
Check out the Roxbury Market & Deli if you are looking for a pleasant surprise…just don’t get lost!
On a balmy Sunday afternoon Maureen and I traveled to a few rural towns west of Waterbury and began out quest in the charming town of Bridgewater. If I remember correctly Marvin and Shelly’s foster parents once lived in this sleepy little town.
The Village Store has been in operation since 1899 and hosts a quaint bistro along with a small market. I had a curry carrot soup and Mighty Mo had Southwest Taco Salad for lunch, both of which were very good and filling. To wash it down I had a lemon flavored Italian Ice.
If you are ever traveling around western Connecticut try the Village Store in Bridgewater and salute our boys foster parents, Laura and Chuck and the Lone Star Animal Welfare League.
Enjoyed a ride to the northwest hills in Connecticut to check out the Connecticut Garlic festival which has been on our list of sites to visit for a long time. As one would imagine there were several delicious creations using garlic. We purchased a few things for the pantry and the refrigerator to savor for weeks to come.
I was surprised there was only one establishment selling ice cream in a truck call Blue Chip Creamery. But no garlic ice cream which was disappointing. mighty Mo passed but I tried the spicy pumpkin which hit the spot after the strong pungent taste of these garlic treats!
On the way home from a visit to Ashford I stopped at Jessica’s garden on a hot and humid afternoon. Looking for a cool drink to satisfy my thirst, I also noticed they sold Gifford‘s ice cream and how could I not give it a taste!
Jessica’s serves a variety of sandwiches and lunch entrées as well as Gifford’s hard ice cream. Unfortunately, Jessica‘s did not have coffee or chocolate this afternoon so I went with an old favorite, a kiddie scoop of mint chip ice cream in a cup, which was refreshing and delicious.
Jessica’s is also a nursery and sells a variety of different plants. If you’re out for a Sunday drive and looking for something refreshing stop at Jessica’s. You might come home with a few plants as well.
On a warm Sunday afternoon Mighty Mo and I headed north to my old stomping grounds. My grandparents would take us on drives in northeastern Connecticut looking for genealogy information in various towns with cemeteries, and often we would end up at Frog Rock in Eastford where my brother and I would enjoy an ice cream cone to end the drive.
Eastford is one of the many rural towns in Connecticut that has abundant natural areas and places like Frog Rock Park. Frog Rock Park has a lot of activity for a small town including music events, trails to hike and the amazing Summer Shak. They make a wonderful array of burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, fried food, soup and of course ice cream. To start Maureen had a homemade hamburger that was tasty, while I had a hot dog with Kraut. Both hit the spot and delish. If fact we wished we had ordered some hand cut fries that looked great to go with these treats.
The Summer Shack offers an interesting array of Hershey’s hard and Dairy Queen softserve ice cream with a wide variety of toppings. They offered cups, cones, sundaes, floats and ice cream sandwiches. For the finish, we opted for two ice cream cones. I had a kiddie scoop of Hershey’s chocolate on a sugar cone, while Mo had chocolate softserve on a wafer cone.
On a rainy spring day on my drive home from Hartford I drove through the town of Rocky Hill and stopped at Hayes Farm Market for a delicious dairy treat.
I was met by the owner Fran who was unloading milk and other dairy products and we had a nice chat about the wet spring and TGIF. Hayes Farm sells Tulmeadow Farm dairy products including ice cream.
Rather than going for a quart I had a toasted almond crunch ice cream sandwich with two chocolate chip cookies that was refreshing on a cold, wet day.
On the way home from Monroe, we were driving through the town of Derby and despite our best efforts we haven’t been able to find an ice cream place in Derby. Feeling the need for a cold drink we stopped at McDonald’s and voila’…I ordered a chocolate milkshake.
Not a lot of flavor, not worth the calories and disgustingly sweet but we got our “frozen dairy product” for Derby.
The town of Monroe is in the western part of Connecticut in Fairfield County and is named for our fifth President, James Monroe. Sip & Scoop is along one of the main drags in Monroe in an unassuming strip mall.
They offer a wide varieties of flavors in cups, cones and sundaes. In addition they have chocolate and vanilla soft serve and a lot of toppings. And as tempting as it is, Sip & Scoop offer crepes as well!
I had my old faithful, a coffee-chocolate milkshake, Mighty Mo had a chocolate soft-serve sundae, and our boy Shelly Bean had a scoop of rich, creamy vanilla in a cup.
If you appreciate our past presidents, head to Monroe for a taste of history!
About five miles down the road from my last stop is the Stop N’ Go in Chaplin, another small eastern Connecticut town. Chaplin has multiple businesses along Route 6 and a couple gas stations but no groceries or ice cream shops.
Just to be different I went for a pint of Hershey’s Green Mint Chip. Hersheys was my grandparents favorite so this brought back a lot of memories of driving around eastern Connecticut with my ma and pa.
On my way home from a meeting in Ashford, I needed to stop for fuel or petro and much to my surprise the Hampton Mini-Mart sold ice cream products! As I entered the door of the Hampton Mini-Mart, an ice cream freezer was staring me in the face. What to do?
Resorting to my old standby, I opted for a Klondike Bar which was nice cold with that sweet vanilla center with chocolate crunchy coating.
After I got my fuel I was on my way but not for long! 😉
After visiting with Magnificent Nicholas, we stopped in Prospect at a legendary place called The Big Dipper Ice Cream Factory. The Big Dipper has been around for 35 years or so. They make their own ice cream and distribute it to a number of places, mostly in western Connecticut.
The Big Dipper offers a wide variety of homemade flavors, with a variety of toppings and sprinkles including bunny poop! They sell four or five different cones, cups, sundaes and other tasty products. They also sell ice cream cakes, pies and cookies that look delicious.
Maureen had a chocolate-vanilla soft serve twist with chocolate sprinkles on a chocolate dipped wafer cone. The soft serve was a bit “soft” but tasty. I tried something different…the pistachio ice cream on a sugar cone that had whole pistachios in a sweet cream base with sea salt, which was good and refreshing!
If you are looking for a shooting star, head to the Big Dipper in Prospect.
Our trip through the western highlands of Connecticut took us to the town of Kent. Kent is on the New York border and home to three boarding schools, which gives the town a vibrant feel. Adding to the character and vibrancy of Kent is 45 on Main.
45 has been under new management for the past two years. Gary, the owner brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to 45 and has connected to his community providing a place for all those students and locals to congregate year round.
Big Dipper ice cream is the product of choice and it does not disappoint. Maureen passed on ice cream (the shame) and had the homemade, dark chocolate nonpareils. I went with the usual, coffee milkshake with a scoop of chocolate. To be honest this was the richest coffee flavored ice cream we have had in the past seven years. Maureen, our communications director, struck up a conversation with Shelby and Gary about common names for “sprinkles.” Gary who is Scottish refers to them as “hundreds and thousands,” a common expression from his homeland. Maureen, of course, refers to them as “shots.” Gary shared with us another product of Scotland, nougat wafers and oysters, which can be filled with ice cream. Hmm, that might just be next time.
All of the staff at 45 create a fun environment and give the vibe that you want to come back and see what they are up to. I know we will be back this summer!
