Ice Cream: Nothing Is Cooler

Connecticut's rich history of dairy farming dates back centuries, so it's no surprise some of its best ice cream is still crafted on family farms and served in pastoral settings. You may also get to visit with friendly farm animals while you enjoy your treats!

Ferris Acres Creamery in Newtown has gotten national recognition for its ice cream, recently being named the #1 rated ice cream shop in the U.S. on food review app Beli. The sweet spot also made it to Yelp’s 100 Top U.S. Ice Cream Shops list in 2023, and was named to Thrillist’s list of the 40 Best Ice Cream Shops in the U.S. in 2022.

Ferris Acres is known for unique flavors like Elvis Dream, with vanilla ice cream with peanut butter, banana, and dark chocolate chunks; and Bada Bing, an almond and chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate chunks and Bing cherries. The ice cream shop has been around since 2003, but the family-owned farm has been in operation since 1864. 

Take a trip to the countryside to try these beloved ice cream destinations:

Arethusa Farm Dairy, Bantam: Head to bucolic Litchfield County to try "ice cream like it used to taste," with the farm dairy's high-quality fresh milk. Arethusa also makes award-winning artisan cheeses, milk, butter, and yogurt, and its holiday eggnog is a seasonal favorite. (You can also find Arethusa ice cream in the city, with its dairy shop in New Haven near Yale's campus.)

Buttonwood Farm, Griswold: Enjoy more than 50 premium homemade ice cream flavors at this southeastern Connecticut farm, which is known for its annual Sunflowers for Wishes fundraiser each summer. Guests visit Buttonwood's 14 acres of sunflower fields and pay to cut their own blooms, with all proceeds going to Make-A-Wish Connecticut.

Collins Creamery, Enfield: Collins advertises itself as on "the quiet side" of town, with ice cream made on the farm premises (you're likely to meet one of their friendly cows while you're there!) Its chocolate-heavy signature flavor, Collins Compost, is a mix of brownie batter and Oreo cookies.

Plasko's Farm, Trumbull: Plasko's makes its own premium ice cream and Italian ice on site daily, with flavors like Bordeaux cherry vanilla swirl, birthday cake surprise, and "donkey tracks" (chocolate ice cream with peanut butter swirl, Reese's peanut butter cups, and Heath bar.)

Rich Farm, Oxford: Rich Farm's ice cream shop opened in 1994, but the dairy farm business itself has been in co-owner Dave Rich's family for five generations. All of the ice cream is made daily on the farm, with traditional flavors like cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip and strawberry joining creative rotations like Hawaiian Cow (mango, coconut and pineapple ice cream with chocolate chunks) and Cinnamon Bun (cinnamon ice cream with marshmallow sauce and graham crackers.) Rich has two other locations in Bristol and Middlefield. 

ROBBS Farm, South Glastonbury: ROBBS has been a family-run working farm since 1905, making its own ice cream since 2005 with farm-centric flavors like Dirty Barn Shoes (chocolate with crushed cookies and fudge swirl), Tractor Grease (chocolate with chocolate cookie dough and fudge), and Cow Pies (peanut butter ice cream with cookie dough and chocolate chips.)

Salem Valley Farms, Salem: This small-town ice cream parlor offers about 80 flavors out of its red barn structure, with classic chocolate, cookie dough and mint chocolate chip joining experimental batches like basil (yes, vanilla ice cream with fresh basil puree!) 

We-Li-Kit, Pomfret: This farmstead ice cream stand in Connecticut's "Quiet Corner" offers flavors named for dairy cow breeds, like Holstein (chocolate Ice cream with white chips and almonds), Guernsey Cookie (coffee ice cream with Oreos) and Ayrshire Chip (strawberry ice cream with chocolate chips.)

Wells Hollow Creamery, Shelton: This fifth-generation farm added its creamery in 2007, offering over 60 flavors of ice cream like cannoli, sea salt caramel truffle, Tennessee Toffee (laced with Jack Daniels sweet whiskey sauce) and Play Dough, a bright yellow vanilla with red and blue cookie dough.

Your parents (and maybe grandparents!) may have enjoyed these classic Connecticut ice cream spots over the decades. They're still going strong, so you can be part of the next generation of scoops and smiles.

Ashley's Ice Cream was founded in New Haven near the Yale campus in 1979. Now with five locations along the Connecticut shoreline, the shops offer fun flavors like bourbon brown sugar, Havana Banana, lemon pie, and honeycomb crunch among a vast list of choices. 

Dr. Mike's Ice Cream in Bethel has delighted sweets lovers since 1975, with a loyal following for its Rich Chocolate and Chocolate Lace flavors. 

Mortensens Ice Cream in Newington got its start back in 1915, when dairy founder Elmer Mortensen began delivering milk door to door. The family business now features more than 50 rotating flavors, with year-round favorites and seasonal offerings in summer, fall, and around the holidays.

Shady Glen Dairy Stores in Manchester has been around since the late 1940s, as original owners John and Bernice Rieg expanded their farm with an ice cream making operation. The restaurant is widely known for its unique burger with four slices of griddle-fried cheese, but its classic ice cream, made on premises, is just as big of a draw at the retro-style diner.

These Connecticut shops like to push boundaries with innovative flavors, going well beyond tradition. If you love a culinary adventure, you'll have fun sampling at these spots!

Ashley's Ice Cream, with five locations along the Connecticut shoreline, offers fun flavors like bourbon brown sugar, Havana Banana, lemon pie, and honeycomb crunch among its vast list of choices. 

Grassroots Ice Cream, with locations in Granby, New Milford, and Simsbury, is a destination for ice cream lovers who enjoy out-of-the-ordinary flavors. Find signature creations like goat cheese blackberry, blood orange chocolate chip, and honey lavender. 

Created by the popular Avon coffee shop, Dom's Creamery serves up housemade, unique flavors like fig & parm, PB&J, honey latte, vanilla lavender, charcoal, and mint matcha. Don't miss their special treats like the ice cream taco and chocolate ice cream bombs. 

Just down Route 44 in Avon is J Foster Ice Cream, a family owned and operated shop that sources dairy from local creameries to create fan favorites like Graham Central Station, Coffee Oreo Trails, and Cookie Monster. If you’re feeling creative, they run a summer flavor contest that will give your tastebuds a shot at the big time. 

Soy sauce ice cream?! Yes, Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream went there! Its sweet and salty shoyu flavor blends locally-made Moromi shoyu into its sweet cream base. The Mystic scoop shop also added a brown butter plantain flavor to its summer menu.

Tulmeadow Farm Store in West Simsbury melds its bucolic farm setting with the super-creative flavor options coming out of its test kitchen, with recent features like tangerine ginger snap, strawberry rhubarb with almond cookie crumble, and Irish cream with malted milk balls. 

Honeycone Craft Ice Cream in Chester, run by a mother-daughter team, churns out small-batch ice cream with fresh, high-quality ingredients. Seasonal flavors rotate monthly, with specials like key lime pie, lavender, espresso chip, red velvet, bananas foster, and sweet corn blueberry. Vegan flavors and sorbets are available as well, and regulars love toppings like giant housemade toasted marshmallows.

Kelly's Cone Connection in Hamden, connected to Glenwood Drive-In, offers fun monthly specials featuring its housemade flavors, like an ice cream taco trio with various flavors, an ice cream "bouquet" loaded with scoops, and a sweet "spaghetti and meatballs" creation.

One of the most iconic spots on the University of Connecticut's Storrs campus - other than Gampel Pavilion - is the UConn Dairy Bar, where ice cream is crafted with fresh milk from UConn’s award-winning dairy cattle. The Dairy Bar opened in 1953 to sell dairy products made by the campus creamery, and ice cream is still made today with original recipes. Favorite flavors like banana chocolate chip, Husky Tracks (vanilla with fudge swirl and peanut butter cups) and an annual springtime Senior Scoop, created by members of the graduating class. The Dairy Bar team also operates an ice cream truck for campus events.