By Lara Tupper
At 18, I became an official shareholder in Ben & Jerry’s—just one share, a $30 investment. This meant I could attend the shareholders’ meeting in Vermont, a folk festival with unlimited ice cream. I felt right at home.
My ice cream obsession started at grade school birthday parties, where I fixated on the red and white Dixie Cup. How I loved the perfect division of vanilla and chocolate, and the satisfaction of dipping back and forth with the wooden “spoon.”
Ice cream became the reward my mom gave me after dentist appointments. (Job security for the dentist.) At Baskin-Robbins, I chose Rocky Road. (Cue Ani DiFranco’s “32 Flavors.”) At Friendly’s, I liked the peanut butter sundae. For special occasions, we went to the Ice Cream Factory in my Maine hometown. There I tackled the Make Your Own Sundae bar, more thrilling than the Dixie Cup.
It’s cruel to find, in middle age, that I’m lactose intolerant. But I’m willing to suffer for my art. Here are the results, in no particular order, of my ice cream/soft serve/gelato crawl through the Berkshires. It could have continued all summer, but there’s only so much Lactaid I can handle.
Modern Milk Bar, Sheffield
Raven and Lee Krueger skip the artificial dyes and keep the sugar levels in check. Even the sprinkles at their ice cream parlor are made from scratch. “Are you a chocolate or fruit person?” Raven asks. (Best question ever.) She prepares an informal flight from over 20 options: raspberry, coffee raspberry, chocolate peanut butter, Aztec chocolate, vegan strawberry, cherry pistachio, and confetti cake. The latter is a startling shade of blue; I assume it will be too sweet, but it’s divine, my favorite.
SoCo Creamery, Great Barrington
The atmosphere at this Railroad Street icon is sweet and joyful (checkerboard floor and coloring pages for kids). Reese, my generous scooper, serves me dirty chocolate and chocolate peanut butter ripple. Both are deliciously chewy. My favorite: almond joy, even better than the candy bar. Owner Caitlin Scott recommends the house-made hot fudge and caramel and the fresh waffle cones. On busy summer days, SoCo sells up to 1,600 cones. That’s a lot of happy customers.
Cravins Soft Serve and Frozen Yogurt, Pittsfield
In 2022, entrepreneur Ludwig Jean-Louis opened an ice cream stand to support his four younger siblings. The space is large and features a festive purple mural by Albany-based artist Mercedes Soriano. There’s a warm, nostalgic vibe. The soft serve is rich and creamy; the portions are generous. I recommend the classic vanilla and chocolate twist with chocolate sprinkles, which sends me straight back to 1983. Oni, scooper extraordinaire, says blu goo (cotton candy/vanilla flavors) is a customer favorite.
Ayelada Frozen Yogurt, Pittsfield
“The best frozen yogurt starts with the cow,” says Ayelada’s website. (Ayelada is Greek for cow.) I sample coconut hazelnut (just lovely) and the vegan cookies and cream (made from coconut milk). Fro-yo flavors change daily, as do the gelato and hard ice cream flavors (one of each). I tried strawberry Nesquik ice cream (exactly like the drink of my youth). The bright, roomy space is filled with families at tables. Many are regulars; I plan to become one, too.
High Lawn Farm, Lee
High Lawn Farm, owned by the Wilde family since 1934, is the most scenic ice cream stop, nestled among rolling hills, with bovines grazing within reach. I enjoy dulce de leche (rich and extra creamy, with the perfect amount of caramel) before walking around the farm. (The barns are open daily, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; the ice cream stand stays open later.) I must have dribbled leche on my phone while taking notes because one friendly cow licked my screen. Seasonal flavors include lemon poppy and rhubarb ginger. High Lawn is an “outing”; the animals and vistas make it extra special.
Juju’s, Lee and Great Barrington
Juju’s specializes in artisan soft serve and savory food options (fried chicken, pizza, salads). At the Lee location, I try a strawberry and sweet cream twist with chocolate sprinkles, which is light and vibrant with a strong berry taste. The Great Barrington store, just outside the Triplex, has four choices (vanilla, milk chocolate, strawberry, and vegan mango, at the time of writing). Flavors change weekly and founder Josh Irwin invites customers to make requests. “We’re here to keep spreading that good juju,” he says. It’s working.
Lickety Split, North Adams and Williamstown
Lickety Split in Williamstown features Herrell’s ice cream from Northampton, which is made “one 3-gallon tub at a time,” according to Herrell’s website. The café in North Adams serves, among other snacks, house-made ice cream to MASS MoCA’s visitors. Per the website, it’s “Where Ice Cream Dreams and Museum Adventures Meet!” This is true of both locations. I stop by the Williamstown shop after visiting the Clark Art. Scooper Jayne suggests mudpie (coffee, caramel, and crushed Oreos) and the coffee flavor is wonderfully strong. I’ll be ordering this again. A perk: sprinkles are always free.
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Berkshire Cone, Lenox
This upscale ice cream truck isn’t limited by its size. There are six varieties of both gelato and sorbet, two non-dairy/vegan options, a dozen ice cream flavors, seven sauces, 12 toppings, and six cone choices (such as lavender, dark chocolate, and pink vanilla). Julian recommends green tea matcha gelato (a gorgeous shade of emerald), mango sorbet (strong and lush), and ginger crème brûlée ice cream with chunks of real ginger (outstanding).
