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Imagine it’s a hot summer’s day while visiting a beautiful state in New England. You’ve had an absolute blast, but you need to cool off. So, you grab some of the best ice creams in New England!
You’re in luck because there’s so much excellent ice cream throughout the New England states, and this post covers it all. There’s a great mix of more well-known spots and hidden gems popular among the locals.
Without further ado, keep reading to learn more about the best ice cream in New England!
Jordan’s Ice Creamery, Belmont, NH
Location: 894 Laconia Rd, Belmont, NH 03220
First up is Jordan’s Ice Creamery in Belmont, New Hampshire. This shop serves up all the ice cream of your dreams, and they have great portion sizes for the price you pay. Just walk right up to the window, place your order, and sit at one of the picnic tables!
Their ice creams are homemade, and Jordan’s Ice Creamery is also a family-run business. They occasionally have super unique flavors, too, like Strawberry Lime Margaritaville and White Chocolate Habanero.
Milkhouse Ice Cream, St Johnsbury, VT
Location: 292 Portland St, St Johnsbury, VT 05819
This ice cream shop in St Johnsbury is the perfect place to cool off in Vermont. Not only does Milkhouse Ice Cream itself have cow print on it (making it nearly impossible to miss), but they have some of the most exciting flavors that you can get, making them one of the spots for best ice cream in New England.
Not only do they have Gifford’s hard ice cream (made in Maine), but they also have a variety of soft-serve flavors available. Sometimes, they even have quarts that you can buy to take home!
The Gelato Fiasco, Brunswick, ME
Location: 74 Maine St, Brunswick, ME 04011
While not technically ice cream, this list had to include at least one spot that serves up incredible gelato. The Gelato Fiasco in Brunswick, Maine, is the perfect small shop to grab tasty gelato on a hot day. They have a variety of vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free gelatos.
On the daily, they have around forty flavors or so and tons of seating, both indoor and outdoor. They also have free wifi and board games you can play while you eat!
Hayward’s Ice Cream, Nashua, NH
Location: 7 Daniel Webster Hwy, Nashua, NH 03060
One of the best ice cream shops in New England is Hayward’s Ice Cream in Nashua, New Hampshire. This is a classic walk-up-and-order shop, but they’ve been around since 1940, making them one of the most established ice cream shops you can visit!
The menu is so long, and there are classics like chocolate peanut butter cup and strawberry and unique ones like peanut butter snickers, monster trax, and chocolate tsunami. They also have sorbet, frozen yogurt, sherbet, no-sugar-added ice cream, and lactose-free ice cream options.
Red’s Dairy Freeze, South Portland, ME
Location: 167 Cottage Rd, South Portland, ME 04106
Located in South Portland, Red’s Dairy Freeze is an excellent spot for ice cream in Maine! They’re known for their soft serve and frozen yogurt options. In particular, this ice cream shop is also always praised for its incredible service.
Red’s Dairy Freeze opened in 1952. Try ordering their Nor’easter, which is ice cream mixed with candy for a real treat. They have unique ones like unicorn bark or gummy bear and classics like snickers!
New City Microcreamery, Hudson, MA
Location: 28 Main St, Hudson, MA 01749
In Hudson, Massachusetts, there’s an incredible ice cream place called New City Microcreamery. This ice cream shop feels very upscale compared to others on this list. The inside has a very elevated feel to it, with dark decor everywhere.
If out-of-the-box flavors are your jam, then you can’t miss out on this shop. They have fun flavors like Don’t Be Salty with caramel swirl and chocolate-covered potato chips or even Dipped & Swirled, which has rum, chocolate-covered waffle cone pieces, and caramel and fudge swirls.
Rich Farm Ice Cream Shop, Oxford, CT
Location: 691 Oxford Rd, Oxford, CT 06478
Rich Farm Ice Cream Shop in Oxford, Connecticut, is a great ice cream store that serves some of the tastiest housemade ice creams that you can have. The shop is located right on a dairy farm, and there’s tons of seating outdoors.
They have every type of flavor that you can think of, including mint chocolate chip, rum raisin, and german chocolate brownie. They also have seasonal options throughout the year, like pumpkin oreo in the fall and Irish cream in March!
lu•lu ice cream, Vergennes, VT
Location: 185 Main St, Vergennes, VT 05491
This is easily one of the spots for the best ice cream in New England! lu•lu ice cream is a walk-in ice cream shop that’s very Instagram-worthy. They offer artisanal ice creams in addition to coffee and pastries. There’s a bit of seating outside but quite a bit inside.
This shop is unique because they specialize in small-batch ice cream, meaning that each of their flavors is genuinely made with so much love and quality. They have fun flavors like Garden Basil (made with VT basil) and even Semi-Charmed Kinda Life with Lucky Charm marshmallows.
Beal’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream, Gorham, ME
Location: 579 Main St, Gorham, ME 04038
Beal’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream in Gorham, Maine, is a lovely underrated ice cream shop! They have soft serve, hard ice cream, and more. Plus, they even have a food truck that you may see around the state.
Their serving sizes are incredible, and they have some of the tastiest sundaes that you can get in Maine. Plus, if you’re not in the mood for ice cream, they also have cakes and pies!
Scoop Deck, Wells, ME
Location: 6 Eldridge Rd, Wells, ME 04090
Scoop Deck in Wells, Maine, is a seasonal ice cream shop that you won’t want to miss out on. They first opened in 1983 and have crazy flavors and frozen yogurt options. They get swamped in the evenings during the summer, so try to drop by during the day to miss the crowds.
What makes Scoop Deck so incredible is the size of its menu. Seriously, there are more than fifty different flavors. You could go every day of the summer and order something different!
Memories Ice Cream, Kingston, NH
Location: 95 Exeter Rd, Kingston, NH 03848
Memories Ice Cream in Kingston, New Hampshire, is one of the best ice cream shops in New England that’s incredibly family-friendly! To order, just walk up to their window! They have quite a bit of seating, some of which is shaded, making it perfect for summer.
Don’t forget to take a photo in the giant chair which you can sit in! It looks hilarious and is perfect for showing your support for the ice cream shop on Instagram.
Brickley’s Homemade Ice Cream, Narragansett, RI
Location: 921 Boston Neck Rd, Narragansett, RI 02882
Brickley’s Homemade Ice Cream has its primary location in Narragansett but is also located in Wakefield, Rhode Island. All of their ice creams are made right on location in Narragansett, and they usually have just shy of fifty flavors available each day! They’ve been open for over twenty seasons.
When visiting, be sure to order something on one of their waffle cones. They’re absolutely drool-worthy and pair perfectly with any ice cream flavor!
Toscanini’s Ice Cream, Cambridge, MA
Location: 159 First St, Cambridge, MA 02139
Toscanini’s Ice Cream in Cambridge is an ideal place to grab ice cream if you’re in Boston or the greater Boston area during the summer. They have excellent gourmet ice cream and coffees, which pair perfectly together! They are truly one of the best ice cream shops in New England.
Flavors are updated a lot, but some of their flavors in the past have included mocha cookie dough, Milo Godzilla, and even gingersnap molasses.
The Ice Cream Machine Co, Cumberland, RI
Location: 4288 Diamond Hill Rd, Cumberland, RI 02864
The Ice Cream Machine Co located in Cumberland has excellent ice cream to cool you off on a summer’s day. They are a classic New England ice cream shop with walk-up order windows, but they also have tons of hard and soft ice cream flavors.
This shop has been open since the 1970s, and they have tons of picnic tables outdoors where you can sit and enjoy your ice cream.
Acushnet Creamery, Acushnet, MA
Location: 264 Main St, Acushnet, MA 02743
If you visit only one spot on this list of best ice cream in New England, make sure it’s Acushnet Creamery! Located in Acushnet, Massachusetts, this is one of the best-hidden gems where you can order ice cream at. What makes their ice creams so decadent are their homemade waffle bowls that you can smell outside when you arrive.
When visiting, be sure to plan for crowds. This shop can get super busy on a hot summer day, and sometimes the line goes all the way outside!
Hopefully, this post has helped you to find the perfect spot for the best ice cream in New England! Don’t forget to share this post and save it for later.
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