By Rachel Chang | FoodAndWine.Com
Troy Warren for CNT
Chill out on one of the nation’s coolest food trails.
Here’s the scoop: The sweetest road trip this summer just might be along Pennsylvania’s ice cream trail. For the fourth year, the state is shining a spotlight on its small local businesses and farms by highlighting its best creameries.
This year’s Pursue Your Scoops Ice Cream Trail includes three separate routes through western, south central, and eastern Pennsylvania, showcasing the most amazing cool treats that the Keystone State has to offer.
Among the western Pennsylvania highlights are Kerber’s Dairy in North Huntingdon, which serves up 40 flavors each day of the 165 it makes per year, and Penn State Berkey Creamery in University Park, where the 12-step scientific process from cow to cone starts with a herd of 200 Holstein cows.
The south central area features Hall’s Ice Cream in Millerstown, which makes their product in 10-gallon micro batches, and The Milkhouse at Oregon Dairy in Lititz, which offers new ice cream flights (yes, similar to a wine flight, but with scoops).
Over on the eastern route, there’s Merrymead Farm in Lansdale, which is managed by the fifth generation of the Rothenberger family and serves up 32 flavors of hand-dipped ice cream, while the The Lands at Hillside Farms is located on 400 acres in Shavertown and offers farm-based educational programming.
“For those who have been confined to their homes and are looking for unique experiences to get out and explore, the Pursue Your Scoops Ice Cream Trail connects travelers of all ages with the delicious treat they crave, all while providing them the opportunity to meet and support the farmers responsible for dishing up scoops and smiles year-round [and see] new parts of Pennsylvania,” Carrie Fischer Lepore, deputy secretary for the PA Department of Community & Economic Development, tells Travel + Leisure. “My favorite experience along the trail has been seeing travelers get a true taste of these amazing small businesses.”
She also highlights the diversity of products, from wasabi ice cream at Urban Churn in Mechanicsburg to ice cream nachos at Widnoon Soft Serve in Templeton.
“It is our hope that, through these immersive self-guided trails, we continue to educate the public about the state’s number one industry and demonstrate what an important and active role farms play in our community,” she adds of the initiative. “By doing so, we work to preserve this vital industry for future generations while helping travelers form delicious memories.”
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