Here's the scoop on New Milford's Ice Cream Crawl

By Deborah Rose

School’s out for summer and that means it’s time for the second annual New Milford Ice Cream Crawl.

The Ice Cream Crawl will kick off July 1, giving individuals an opportunity to not only explore numerous ice cream businesses throughout town, but a chance to receive a 2024 New Milford Ice Cream Crawl T-shirt.

This year, eight ice cream establishments will participate, up one from last year.

"The New Milford Ice Cream Crawl was a great (and fun) way to showcase some of the unique locally-owned and -operated businesses in town," said Adam Fragola, owner of Villarina's Pasta Shop, whose business participated in the 2023 Ice Cream Crawl.

Villarina’s Pasta shop carries ice cream from Newtown’s Ferris Acres Farm. The selection Fragola serves is made solely for his New Milford store and cannot be found at the Newtown creamery.

"Everyone got to try flavors specific to each shop and, as a bonus, it stopped me from eating far more ice cream than is healthy," he quipped.

 How it Works

-- Purchase ice cream from five of the eight participating establishments any time from July 1-Aug. 25 – and keep your receipts. 

-- You must take a selfie of yourself with your ice cream in front of the Ice Cream Crawl sign, with staff, or  at each respective establishment and then post it in the comments under the pinned Ice Cream Crawl post on the NewMilfordNow Facebook page. The pinned post will be available July 1.

-- When you’ve had ice cream at five of the eight participating businesses, bring your receipts showing ice cream purchases only to the Mayor’s Office at Roger Sherman Town Hall, 10 Main St., Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and get a 2024 New Milford Ice Cream Crawl T-shirt.

What to Expect

Here are some of the ice cream treats that can be found along the crawl:

-- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, Heath Bar Caramel Crunch, Fudge Brownie and Strawberry Shortcake cyclones; chocolate chip cookie and fried dough ice cream boat sundaes; and more at All Aboard Pizzeria Ice Cream Parlor at 24 Railroad St.

-- Chocolate and vanilla soft serve ice cream; scoop ice cream in an assortment of flavors; Oreo Cookie and M&Ms Carvelanche; deluxe flying saucer ice cream sandwiches; Fudgie the Whale and general ice cream cakes with chocolate crunchies; and more at Carvel at 14 Danbury Road.

-- Vanilla, chocolate and confetti-dipped cones; sundaes with variety of toppings; Health caramel brownie cupfection;  brownie and Oreo cupfection; Blizzards in a variety of flavors, including Royal New York cheesecake, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, Turtle Pecan Cluster, Frosted Animal Cookie and others; banana splits; and more at Dairy Queen at 161 Danbury Road, targeted to open in July.

-- Cups, cones and pints of Ferris Acres ice cream, including Hope’s Tracks (chocolate ice cream with peanut butter, caramel, fudge and brownie), Chip’s Tracks (vanilla ice cream with caramel, fudge, cookie dough and butterscotch chips), Pinky Promise (farm classic strawberry with chunks of dark chocolate), at Villarina’s Pasta Shop at 123 Danbury Road, as well as Paradise Found and Campfire. 

-- Black raspberry, toasted almond, eggnog, waffle cone swirl, and strawberry ice cream; birthday cakes; Italian ice; pre-packaged ice cream sandwiches; and unique weekend treats like cinnamon bun sundaes and strawberry shortcake specialties; and more at Kimberly Farm at 410 Chestnutland Road.

-- Twelve handles of self-serve frozen yogurt, gelato and vegan sorbets, including Cherry Dole Whip, cake batter, pistachio, and cookies and cream frozen yogurt, all available with an assortment of toppings; Rocky Road, Peanut Butter Ripple, Matcha and more ice cream; Orange Creamsicle Chiller; custom milkshakes, ice cream floats and smoothies; and more at Tasty Waves at 7 Main St.

-- Honey lavender, rose chocolate, blood orange chocolate chip and cannoli ice cream; black cheery and cream soda floats; and more at Grassroots Ice Cream at 12 Bank St.

-- Snickers, Butterfinger and cookie dough SONIC Blasts; hand-mixed classic shakes; hand-mixed master shakes in flavors like strawberry cheesecake and Oreo chocolate; and hot fudge ice cream sundaes at Sonic at 291 Danbury Road.

For more information about the Ice Cream Crawl, email drose@newmilfordnow.org.