6 Favorite Connecticut Ice Cream Shops to Celebrate the Beginning of Summer

Rich Farm—Oxford  

Rich Farm in Oxford is, personally, my favorite ice cream shop in all of Connecticut. It has been since I was a kid. Even today, summer doesn’t truly start until I get a sundae from Rich’s for the first time.

Photo courtesy Rich Farm.

Rich Farm was opened in 1994 by David and Dawn Rich. The dairy farm itself has been in operation for more than five generations, having been started by Dave’s great-grandfather Raffaele Ajello, first in Seymour and then in Oxford.

Rich Farm is known for their amazing everyday flavors like cake batter, chocolate peanut butter swirl, Cookie Monster, Razzmanian Devil, and more than 80 special flavors that they serve on a rotating basis. Rich Farm is located at 691 Oxford Road, Oxford.

Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream—Mystic

Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream has a long history of ice cream making, spanning all the way back to the 1800s when Randall Brown Jr. began selling homemade ice cream from the very same spot. In the 1900s, the shop was taken over by Ebenezer Morgan, who continued the tradition, before transferring to John Koulbanis in the mid 20th century.

Photo courtesy Mystic Drawbridge.

Known for making ice cream in the “European tradition,” Mystic Drawbridge uses premium ingredients to create the rich and creamy treats that they are known for. Some of their well-loved flavors include Vermont Maple Nut, White Pistachio, Jamaican Me Nutty, Barbados Rum N’ Raisin, Pumpkin Pie, and more. In addition to ice cream and custom ice cream cakes, you can also get ice cream sodas, floats, egg creams, and smoothies.

Mystic Drawbridge is located at 2 West Main Street, Mystic.

Tipsy Cones—Stratford

Tipsy Cones bills itself as “The Grown Up Ice Cream Truck,” and with good reason—most of the 27 flavors that they offer incorporate some kind of alcohol, making for a sweet, creamy, boozy treat for any adult lucky enough to get a night off of diaper (or soccer) duty. Most of the actual alcohol is cooked off during preparation, but some remains; they do make non-alcoholic flavors for those teetotalers out there.

Photo courtesy Tipsy Cones.

They are known for flavors like creamy whiskey vanilla bean, maple stout swirl, strawberry merlot sorbet, Mississippi mudslide, and more, as well as a line of vegan-friendly treats.

Follow them on Facebook or Twitter to find out where they are on any given day.

Milkcraft—Fairfield

Milkcraft opened its first location in Fairfield in 2016 (located right next to the Mecha Noodle Bar), to a lot of fanfare. The ice cream is made to order for each customer by blending together fresh milk, selected ingredients, and food-grade nitrogen, making for a creamy, smooth, one-of-a-kind treat.

Photo courtesy Milkcraft.

The premium flavors include S’mores Campfire, strawberry balsamic, blue cookie butter, milk & cereal, Vietnamese Coffee, and more. The made-to-order ice cream is served in your choice of a cup, a thick, soft waffle cone call a “bubblecone,” or a creation known as the “creamibun,” a glazed donut that is filled with ice cream and then sealed shut.

Milkcraft is located at 1215 Post Road in Fairfield and will soon have a second location at 967a Farmington Ave, West Hartford.

Sweet Ashley’s—East Norwalk

Sweet Ashley’s has been an East Norwalk staple for more than 20 years, known for their handmade ice cream, sorbet, frozen yogurt, soft-serve, shakes, sundaes, and countless other treats. In addition to the typical ice cream flavors, Sweet Ashley’s gets creative with flavors such as pumpkin pie, Cinnabon, and Lemon Dream.

Photo courtesy Sweet Ashley’s.

Sweet Ashley’s is located at 248 East Avenue in East Norwalk.

Did We Miss Any?

We chose to highlight these ice cream establishments based off of our own experience and the suggestions of our readers, so we are bound to have left out some other, amazing places. Let us know if your favorite CT ice cream shop didn’t make it on the list and we’ll do our best to add it!