I Scream, You Scream…
Okay, right off the bat let me say I will not name a favorite ice cream place in this article. I want to be welcome everywhere I go for dessert all summer (if it ever gets warm around here).
That being said, we have a cornucopia of riches around when it comes to ice cream, frozen custard, frozen yogurt and the like. And I like. So take a trip on the dairy train with me and make sure you make time to visit them all this season.
Starting out on Route 9, at Dairy Farm Road, (technically, Lewes) we have Hopkins Farm Creamery. Look for the silo with ice cream cones painted on it. Look for the cows. It’s best when the wind is blowing Southwest.
The ice cream flavors are bountiful, the quality is tops and the staff efficient and friendly. There are often lines at the Order Here and Pick Up Here windows but they move fast. I think the Black Raspberry ice cream is exceptional. My favorite time is sunset, with the last rays making a beautiful canvas of the building.
Heading into Rehoboth, first stop is Double Dippers on First Street, just off Baltimore Avenue—since 1999. They stay open later than most and offer Hershey’s Ice Cream—simply delicious. With Joe Mack behind the counter, offering 40 flavors of ice cream, the place is always a party—and the mint chip Moose Tracks rocks. I admit I was always fairly boring in my flavor choices until Joe introduced me to Moose Tracks. I have been known to sneak in there, late-afternoon, and apply the theory “Life is uncertain, eat dessert first.” And the Sissy Scoop is enough for me. And for a Rehoboth walking tour, you have to see the mural painted on the wall. It’s a hoot.
If it’s a bit of history you want with your sundae, head over to the ocean block of Wilmington Avenue and The Royal Treat. Housed in a classic Rehoboth cottage, this 30-year, family owned business is most like a traditional soda fountain and ice cream parlor. The ice cream sodas, in those tall, also-classic glasses, with long-handled spoons are as archetypal as the surroundings. Here, my weakness is a chocolate soda with chocolate chip ice cream (in a paper cup with a long-handled plastic spoon for carry-out). Then a stroll to the boardwalk, which is just steps away.
Heading down the boardwalk back towards Rehoboth Avenue, there are two famed places. On the South side of the ocean block is The Ice Cream Store, a wide walk-up window offering—get this—70 flavors. And while the name of the venue may be bland, there are dozens and dozens of flavors that certainly are not. Famous for great ice cream as well as a number of weird and crazy flavors, this place is always busy, day and night. Often, the sidewalk gets clogged with people scanning the flavor list and laughing as they try to figure out what to try.
Across the avenue, on the other side of the bandstand we have the iconic Kohr Brothers Frozen Custard walk-up window. This brand has been around since the beginning of the 20th Century, and they still use the original low fat recipe concocted by Archie Kohr in 1909. And it’s delicious. This is my go-to place with Schnauzers. Over the years my wife and I have enjoyed our delicious, creamy, vanilla cones with chocolate jimmies (or sprinkles as we say in NY) while standing in the first ballet position, small cups of vanilla custard lodged in the triangle made by our feet, as our pups lapped at their small portion of custard. Windsor is our fourth Schnauzer to relish this treat.
Heading to Lewes, there are two standouts in my book. Second Street offers King’s Homemade Ice Cream, a store in another historic building, this time on Second Street in Lewes. Not only is the hand-dipped ice cream delicious, but this place has the distinction of being one of the most painted buildings and street scenes in Lewes. Many, many artists celebrate King’s on canvas.
And for my final stop on the tour, there’s the Dairy Queen at the end of Savannah Road, almost at Lewes Beach. I love to get the smallest cone and have it dipped in chocolate…then walk down to the beach, sit on a bench and enjoy. It’s heaven. For those of you who live west of town, there’s also a Dairy Queen in Milsboro owned by CAMP’s friends Bill and Kathy Shook.
Okay, so I’m sure I’ve missed a few others and perhaps some of your favorites. That means I might have to go on another ice cream adventure. Stay tuned. And now, back to our regular calorie-counting.
Editor’s note: Since Fay submitted her ice cream sojourn, we have acquired a new advertiser, Bonkey’s Homemade Ice Cream and Snoballs on Route 1 next to Fractured Prune. Add them to your list of treats to try.