The Last Ice Cream Summer Bucket List Post

It’s a rare Sunday post for Red Shutters, but with the start of autumn only hours away, I had to get in the last of our Ice Cream Summer Bucket List posts.

For new readers, here’s the skinny (pun intended): one of my family’s summer goals was to try a different ice cream spot every weekend. The intent behind this was to both have fun and to get us to explore new places instead of only going to the ice cream shoppes in our town–which could have happened as we have four ice cream shoppes on our town’s main street alone.

Our final ice cream stops of the summer of 2013 included…

Kimball Farms – In our first post, we headed to the Kimball Farms satellite location in Carlisle. This time, we headed to the mother ship in Westford, MA. One of my friends said good luck when she heard we were going there on a Sunday afternoon, and she was right. It was a ZOO. But, it makes sense; this place has everything: batting cages, a driving range, petting zoo, bumper cars, mini golf, and, of course, ice cream (which was great, the fall flavors–pumpkin, apple crisp–especially). We had a fun time, and will go back, though we’ll arrive when it opens to get ahead of the crowds.

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Kimball’s: Swing, batter, batter! Swing!

Inman’s Diner and Dairy Bar – This spot in Bethel, Maine was a pit stop during our Story Land weekend (we stayed nearby). The ice cream was good (they served Gifford’s), the kids loved the ice cream cone shaped trash can, and we all enjoyed the silence that comes from kids who are so happy to get ice cream. I got a kick out of how the teenagers behind the window had tried every flavor in the shop and could speak with authority about each one. That’s dedication.

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Inman’s: Mom, can bring this can home?

Fruitee Yogurt – Have you tried the frozen yogurt craze? These chose-you-own-frozen-yogurt places seem to be everywhere. Fruitee, in Lexington, MA, is right off the Minuteman Bikeway, which makes it a great spot to stop when you’re out for a ride. The shop is bright and cheerful, offering a dozen flavors and a variety of toppings (heath bar is my favorite). You pay by the weight of what is in your cup, so be careful–it’s easy to end up with much more than you expected. This is definitely a special treat outing, as the fro yo, with those toppings, ends up being more like a sundae than a small cone. Fruitee has a frequent buyer’s card, too, so if you go often you could end up with free treats.

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Fruitee: Even Grandma’s hooked on fro yo now.

I learned a few lessons about our Summer Bucket List adventure that I’d like to share in case you’re thinking of planning such an ice cream excursion in 2014:

1 | Ice cream cones are HUGE. It’s no wonder we have an obesity epidemic in America. Therefore, always order a kiddie cone. And, don’t be upset if you kid’s cone falls on the ground: it’s the universe’s way of getting rid of calories.

2 | It’s easy to get the same flavor every time, so be open to branching out.

3 | I wish I had tracked how much we spent at every place and every single flavor we got. Consider doing that if you take this on.

4 | I likely should have titled this adventure “My quest to gain weight this summer.” Even ice cream or frozen yogurt once a week was a lot for me, and I see the impact on my waistline. Next year, I’ll be the official family taster, just licking everyone else’s cone.

Our Summer Bucket List adventure was a success. The best part was taking time away from our always busy weekends to be together as a family and to enjoy one another’s company. That was the sweetest part of all.

Disclosures: None! We paid for all of the ice cream ourselves. (We ate it all ourselves, too!)

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