HARRISBURG PA – Five ice cream producers in Montgomery, Berks, and Chester counties were identified Tuesday (June 6, 2023), as well as 37 other creameries across Pennsylvania, as stops worth visiting on the state’s sixth annual “Ice Cream Trail.”
The trail, first introduced in 2018, primarily promotes Pennsylvania’s more than 5,200 dairy farm families and the small businesses they operate. It also offers state residents and out-of-state visitors an “opportunity to explore the commonwealth by the scoop,” according to Carrie Fischer Lepore, a deputy secretary of tourism with the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
Area creameries that made the 2023 trail list, all within a 34-or-fewer-miles drive (as reported by Google Maps) from Pottstown, are:
- Milky Way Farm, 521 E Uwchlan Ave., Chester Springs PA, Chester County, 16 miles;
- Freddy Hill Farms, 1440 Sumneytown Pike, Lansdale PA, Montgomery County, 22 miles;
- Merrymead Farm, 2222 S Valley Forge Rd., Lansdale PA, Montgomery County, 25 miles;
- Bailys Dairy of Pocopson Meadow Farm, 1821 Lenape-Unionville Rd., West Chester PA, Chester County, 31 miles; and
- Way-Har Farms, 7701 Bernville Rd., Bernville PA, Berks County, 34 miles.
“Nothing is sweeter than a cold scoop of Pennsylvania ice cream on a hot summer day,” state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding proclaimed at Tuesday’s trail celebration in Shavertown, northwest of Wilkes-Barre. Visiting creameries on the trail represented “a cow-to-cone” experience, he added.
In addition to the physical “2023 Scooped Ice Cream Trail,” as it’s officially known, potential visitors also can learn about its 42 creameries online in a virtual tour. Those who follow instructions found there could also earn “a commemorative stainless-steel ice cream scooper,” the state said.
The trail was created under a partnership between the Agriculture Department’s PA Preferred® program, the Community and Economic Development tourism office, and the Harrisburg-based non-profit Center for Dairy Excellence. The center focuses on dairy industry profitability.
“The dairy industry is an economic driver for Pennsylvania,” Center for Dairy Excellence Communications and Marketing Manager Emily Barge reported. “Ninety-nine percent of our state’s dairy farms are family-owned.” The Ice Cream Trail, she noted, is a fun way to meet dairy farm families who work around the clock to produce delicious dairy products, including farm-fresh ice cream.”
State statistics show Pennsylvania has the second largest number of dairy farms in the U.S. and is ranked eighth in milk production nationally. The state dairy industry provides more than 47,000 jobs. Pennsylvania continues to be a leader in the production of ice cream, butter, and Swiss cheese, the Agriculture Department said.
Top photo by Mieke Campbell on Unsplash, used under license
Family photo for Travels With The Post by Getty Images on Unsplash+, used under license
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