Ice cream trail

By Insider Staff - Aug 1, 2023 | 0 comments

The ice cream bar at Granite State Candy in downtown Concord. GEOFF FORESTER

The sign outside the Ilsley’s Homemade Ice Cream stand in Weare. GEOFF FORESTER

The Richardson farm in Boscawen concentrates on making high quality ice cream and pies with three full-time employees and a collection of part-time help. Jim Richardson’s family started the tradition of a dairy farm in the last century. GEOFF FORESTER

Adeline (left, 3) and Ella (5) Lundquist of Hopkinton eat a chocolate-vanilla twist ice cream cone at Arnie's Place on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018. Caitlin Andrews

Caitlyn Petro, 20, of Salisbury scoops ice cream at Smoke Shack BBQ in Boscawen on Wednesday, August 10, 2017. Petro is attending college at UMass Amherst and is working as a cashier at Smoke Shack this summer. (ELIZABETH FRANTZ / Monitor staff) ELIZABETH FRANTZ

The 2023 New Hampshire Ice Cream Trail, developed by Granite State Dairy Promotion and your local NH dairy farmers, features 42 ice cream shops all across the state. From north, south, east, and west, there isn’t a region left unseen.

Participants who complete the entire trail will receive a complimentary #eatlikeacow sweatshirt and be entered into a grand prize drawing for a chance to win a variety of NH made goodies. “The passport is a fun and unique incentive, and people enjoy the challenge,” said Amy Hall, Director of GSDP.

While the map features everyone’s favorite summertime treat, it’s also equipped with dairy facts, statistics, and information about dairy farming in New Hampshire.

“It’s my hope that trail goers will gain a better understanding of dairy farming, the rapid decline of farms in our state, and the importance of real dairy in their diets. It’s an education piece that consumers need to read and understand,” said Hall.

The New Hampshire Ice Cream Trail is released annually on Memorial Day weekend and can be found at every NH rest area and participating shop. So go ahead, create a day, weekend, or whole summer of fun touring New Hampshire. You may even encounter a dairy cow or two.

Learn more at nhdairypromo.org/2023-ice-cream-trail.