VERMONT TRADE WINDS Farm opened an ice cream bar last weekend featuring all the maple delights they make at the Shoreham farm. Here’s a maple milkshake and an oreo-maple cream sundae. The bar is open Fridays through Sundays, noon to 8 p.m.
Independent photo/Megan James

What is summer if not an extended excuse to go out for ice cream? There are many places to indulge this whim in our area, and several new spots have opened this season. MiniBury editor Megan James compiled them here. 

The most exciting part of my Fourth of July weekend was trying out Vermont Trade Winds Farm new ice cream bar. The Shoreham farm — which I’ve visited many times for its maple open house and outdoor skating rink —  now serves up creemees, sundaes and milkshakes on Fridays through Sundays, noon to 8 p.m.

I’m also itching to try out Cravens, the new food truck and creemee stand (they do churros, too!) on Route 116 in Middlebury. 

Buying plants has never been sweeter now that Peet’s Farm Greenhouses in Cornwall has a creemee machine.

And Full Belly Farm in Monkton offers strawberry and maple creemees.

Tragically, the Village Creemee Stand in Bristol will not open this season — but it may reopen next year.

But Queen Bee’s Snack Bar, which was destroyed in a fire last fall, has reopened, and they’re expecting to have a creemee machine up and running again this month.

Plus, there’s always Village Green Market in New Haven.

And Middlebury is now bustling with ice cream options: Chim Chimney Bakery opened earlier this summer, and Shiretown always has a fun new special. Yogurt City is a topping-lover’s dream. Vermont Maple Market does a perfect maple creemee, and A&W is a great place to get a root beer float or a sundae and watch your kids cartwheel in the grass.

In Vergennes you’ve got the incomparable Lu Lu — I’m still dreaming about the basil and sweet corn scoops I got there two years ago — and the abundant Olsen’s, which is open 7 days a week.

Goodies Snack Bar in West Addison is worth the hike. As is Vermont Cookie Love (the cookie crumble!) in Ferrisburgh. 

And there’s nothing better than spending an evening watching the sun go down at Lake Dunmore’s Branbury Beach, then stopping for ice cream at the Kampersville store on the way home. Try it sometime.