It is prime time for frozen dairy in the Keystone State, and for the eighth consecutive year, the people in charge of boosting tourism have set up “Scooped: An Ice Cream Trail.”
Few of us, of course, need an excuse to get a cone or two of the cool stuff, and you can almost always enjoy a delicious dish without leaving town, but the point of the trail isn’t just to sate your sweet tooth. Visiting creameries you haven’t heard of can open a world of other charms you otherwise may never have known existed.
Officially, the trail this year has 51 creameries, and if you sign up on your mobile phone you become eligible for an array of prizes, just for enjoying some ice cream.
That part of the trail began May 29 and runs through Sept. 7. You get 100 points for each ice cream shop check-in, and 600 points gets you a commemorative stainless steel tumbler. Visit 10 shops and the 1,000 points gives you a chance to win an overnight getaway in Lancaster County for a “life on the farm” experience.
Other prizes you might win after amassing 1,000 points are from Fox Meadows Creamery in Ephrata: A tour and a chance to make a batch of ice cream, a tour and an opportunity to feed a calk, free ice cream treats for four people, and free lunch for four people in their Country Market.
We saw no Luzerne County destinations on this year’s Trail, but that needn’t daunt you. Part of the pleasure of visiting many of the stops is the potential to discover the surrounding area.
Take the Main Street Creamery in Wellsboro, Tioga County. The town’s main street is divided by a generous green median and still lit up with authentic gas lamps. It’s just a few miles to the Pine Creek, dubbed “The Grand Canyon of PA, where you can hike or bike a trail along the waterway, find other more taxing walks, and if it’s the right time of year, enjoy some maple-flavored treats (including maple hot dogs) from a vendor at Leonard Harrison State Park, offering a terrific view of the gorge.
Or drive south to Greco’s Italian Ices and Homemade Ice Cream in Lititz, Lancaster County, founded in 1756 by Moravians and home to the oldest commercial bakery in America, Julius Sturgis Pretzels. It’s also the first community in Pennsylvania to establish a historic district, making it a prime locale for some colonial Americana. And, of course, it is part of the state’s “Amish country.” While there, you can get your fill of covered bridges as well: Lancaster County has 28.
Those are just two examples of how much more you can enjoy besides the ice cream by taking a few trips on this year’s trail. You can get all the information you need about the trail itself at visitpa.com/trip/scooped-ice-cream-trail, including tips regarding each individual stop (hours, rest-room availability, other important tidbits.
And if all that isn’t enticement enough, well, that’s fine. Visit any of Luzerne County’s own ice cream shops, you’ve probably passed one on your many road trips, or have heard a friend sing praises of a favorite. Or just Google “Luzerne County Ice Cream” for a few ideas.
