Who doesn’t love ice cream? And what better adventure in the hot summer months than to drive through Mystic Country and try out every ice cream stand? Well, maybe not every one, unless you have ice cream for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. This would work well for me in concept, but is probably not realistic. Even so, if you’re spending a week with us, you can make a good dent in the ice cream trail.

Along the shoreline, you have a plethora of choices from Mystic and Pawcatuck through New London down to the Lyme-Old Lyme area. The Mystic Drawbridge offers homemade hard ice cream, while others such as Sea Swirl Seafood & Ice Cream have Rhode Island-made hard and soft serve. Heading inland, FFIFFS in Salem makes their own and offers hard, soft, gluten and lactose free treats; Gelato’s Cafe at MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort Casino has the best gelato and sorbet; and Scotties Frozen Custard in Colchester has, you guessed it, frozen custard.

So don’t think you’re stuck with the same old ice cream around here – we have all the specialties covered! But the old favorites are fabulous too. My out of town friends demand a trip to Buttonwoods Farm every time they visit, and there’s always a new flavor to try.

Heading up I-395, the Quiet Corner has too many to list, but the UCONN Dairy Bar in Storrs is a favorite. The Brown Cow Cafe in Sterling is wonderful too – kids tend to love their creamy milk shakes. And take a trip back to the 1950s at RaRa’s Ice Cream Parlor in Moosup – the decor is delightful, the scramblers will change your way of looking at sundaes forever, and if you like White Russians, you need to get a cone, now. It’s my new favorite flavor.

Summer is all about ice cream in my book and no matter where you are in the area there’s a place to check out. Here’s a downloadable Sundae Drives brochure which lists most of the places in Mystic Country serving up the tasty treat. Print it out and toss it in your glove box for a handy resource during your next outing.

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