What better vacation activity is there on a hot summer day in Maine than to leave the confines of your camp or cabin, stop by your local ice cream stand, buy your favorite flavor, then take a stroll, cone in hand, along side one of our great area lakes or ponds?
On the sweltering summer days of my childhood, my friends and I gravitated toward ice cream treats whenever our moms would let us. Listening for the jingle of the Good Humor truck is one of our quintessential memories of those days gone by.
Whether is soft serve or hard, Ben and Jerry’s, Shain’s of Maine, Giffords, home-made or locally made, I still find myself yearning for such a treat on a summer day.
In fact, just a few days ago I had the urge to splurge on a soft serve twist dipped in chocolate at The Gazebo in Bridgton. And I felt like a kid all over again as it dripped down my hands faster than I could lick it. I ended up asking for a cup to topple my cone into.
Lesson learned (not that I haven’t learned the lesson before, mind you), when I visited The Dug Out  two days later; I skipped the cone and had my pistachio ice cream in a cup. Ah, the taste of heaven . . . Sometimes patience is a virtue as you wait in line, but it’s always worth the wait.
Leslie Hayes, Assistant Manager at The Gazebo says, “The number one choice is the Razzle®, which is soft serve ice cream plus your choice of mix-ins.”
To find out what the number one choice is at other Sebago Lakes Region Ice Cream Stands, you’ll need to visit them at these locales:
Brookside Ice Cream, Main Street, Harrison, 207.583.2599
The Gazebo, 30 Portland Road (Route 302), Bridgton, 207.647.2231
Lakeside Dairy Bar, Route 302, Naples, 207.693.3090
Raymond’s Frozen Custard Gourmet Ice Cream at Watkins Farm Stand, Route 302, Casco, 207.655.1116
Pears Ice Cream and Hoagie Shop, 974 Meadow Road (Route 121), Casco, 207.627.6022, www.pearsicecream.com
The Mosquito, 1333 Roosevelt Trail (Route 302), Raymond, 207.655.2899
Richards Dairy Delight, 264 Sebago Road, Sebago, 207.787.2200
The Ice Cream Dugout, 3 Storm Drive, Windham, 207.894.RSOX, www.icecreamdugout.com
If you dream of living near one of these nice ice cream shops and having a place on the water, as well, let our Lakefront Locator help you make your dreams comes true.