Country Creamery and Coffeehouse is a tiny (two serving windows under an overhang) roadside icecream spot in Chelmsford (just north of I-495, about a mile and a half from Sully's) that only does soft serve (and coffee.) It has a couple of parking spots around back, but it's directly attached to Friendship Park/Roberts Field which have a huge public lot (there's even a footbridge over to the field.) They also have a bunch of picnic tables with umbrellas.

First Visit

I picked a nice late summer day with a chance of rain... and as I pulled into the parking lot it started pouring. Being New England this didn't really deter anyone, and there was plenty of room for a handful of people (and one puppy) to hang out under the awning and enjoy our ice cream anyway.

They did not have dip cones, so I went with a chocolate/vanilla twist. There isn't a lot of variation in soft serve, but this was above average in richness/creaminess, which was nice. (I dashed to the car at the first break in the rain to finish it off.)

They are apparently noted for having Dole Whip which was a Disney theme-park exclusive until 2023 so I should give that a try, but what really caught my eye was that the menu lists an Affogato, and I'm curious how that even works with soft serve...

Sully's is a large (about twice the size of Kimball Farm but with the same number of serving windows), solar powered, counter-service ice cream shop, located near Chelmsford High School and the associated sports fields (even though it's right off route 3, it doesn't seem like someplace you'd accidentally pass if you were from out of town.) Plenty of parking (but also fairly busy on a Sunday afternoon), and has a bunch of picnic tables (though some of them are on a hillside and might be difficult to get to.)

First Visit

They have a long list of ice cream and frozen yogurt flavors; I got Coffee Brandy Ice Cream which had a touch of sharpness to it, and paired that with Chocolate Walnut Ice Cream (basic, but a good change of pace from my usual Maple Walnut.) Next time perhaps I should find out if "Moose Tracks" and "Maine Black Bear" will fight with each other. Even with interesting and crunchy flavors (they did have Grapenut) they also have a chalkboard of specials that's worth a look.

Chelmsford Creamery is a little roadside ice cream shack with a huge parking lot, on 3A just south of I-495. (The internet being what it is, this was Gary's Ice Cream from 1973 to 2020 and searching still turns up pictures of the old place.) Counter service with an overhang, and plenty of picnic benches out front and around the lot.

First Visit

I had a bright yellow Butter Pecan, which had more of a buttery taste than I've had before; I made the mistake of having it on top of an Orange Sherbet (I was craving "creamsicle" after missing out on it at Cabot's and it was good - but combining them was a mistake on my part.)

They also had a good strawberry ice cream, with strawberry bits in it. Overall they had a pretty good range of "summer" flavors along with the traditional New England ones.

I do owe them a return visit to get an orange sherbet frappe, and also to try their "Chocolate Decadence" Flavor.

Little Z's is just off 110 east of Chelmsford Center. Outside picnic tables and window service, but also a couple of indoor seats and an indoor counter - and an opening in the wall that connects it to Zesty's Pizza (Little Z's is basically a seasonal spinoff.) It's also in the same building as Euphoria Coffee (which should really just add an Affogato to their offerings, especially if it involves sneaking out the back door to pick up the ice cream from Little Z's. ⛾ 🍨 ) Plenty of shared parking - and the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail runs along one edge of the parking lot, so there's also plenty of trail to walk off your ice cream, if you're into that.

The Little Z's menu includes ice cream, smoothies, soft serve, frappes, floats, smoothies, and raspberry lime rickeys; an interesting list of flavors and toppings (including twix pieces, toffee bits, and sour worms.) Their August Specials included a "Salted Caramel Pretzel Frappe" which seems like too many salts, though perhaps it's worth a try anyway.

First Visit

I had Grasshopper Pie (which was a refreshingly strong mint with crumbled chocolate cookies throughout - if you often find yourself thinking that mint chip ice cream is just Not Minty Enough, it's worth trying this instead) and also Cookie Chaos (which, as the name suggests, has a little bit of everything. Lots of crunch.)

I also got a taste of their strawberry - after trying their amazing mint so I was braced for not being able to taste anything else - but the strawberry shone through, I was pleasantly surprised.

Next Time

Next time I'll probably try the Pistachio and complain about the lack of Maple Walnut (though they do have walnuts as a topping, maybe mocha chip with walnuts and pretzels to get a similar texture.)