I: Ice Cream

Cold, sweet, creamy…is there anything better than ice cream? I’d heard that it was first served in the White House by Dolley Madison, but apparently that’s not true. George Washington had his own ice cream machine in 1784, 25 years before Dolley’s husband was elected.

Ice cream is not a seasonal treat in my house. We eat it all year long. But it is best eaten outside on a warm summer evening. In and around Old Town, get your scoop on at: Ben and Jerry’s, Cold Stone, D & J’s Old Time Ice Cream Shop (haven’t been there…is it open?), Kilwin’s, Walrus, and Yesterday’s.













There’s ice cream south, too. Cold Stone and Walrus have second locations on Harmony and Boardwalk, respectively. Pioneer Candies and Ice Cream, also on Harmony, is part of the same family of stores as Laura’s Fine Candies and Hayley’s Homemade Ice Cream, both of Estes Park. And, yes, I like Dairy Queen and appreciate the fact that they now have a mini-size Blizzard.




Fort Collins also has equally delicious frozen custard, frozen yogurt, and gelato, but, as those don’t start with ‘I,’ they didn’t make today’s cut. And if these treats are just too vanilla for you, this blog devoted to Japanese Ice Cream is worth a look. Green tea, sure, but octopus…?





I do miss Swensen’s Ice Cream Parlor, formerly located at the corner of College and Monroe, where Chico’s is now. They had a great selection, and a train which circled the room on an elevated track. My husband, who loves ice cream almost as much as he loves me, proposed to me after a date there.






For five or six summers when I was growing up, we had an ice cream man in our neighborhood. Instead of a truck, he rode a bicycle with a small attached freezer and lots of jingling bells. I’d love to see something like that again.

If you love ice cream too, leave a comment with your favorite shop or flavor. For my money, it's hard to beat anything with almonds, coconut, and chocolate.