Ice Cream Week: Best Stands In Metro-West

BOSTON (CBS) - For some, a trip to the ice cream stand is just that:  a trip for ice cream. But, some ice cream stands want you to come for the treats and stay for the day.

If you're in Westford, Kimball Farm is just such a destination.

"We have our mini-golf, and we have a brand new arcade," said Jason, a manager there. "We have batting cages, we have pitch-and-putt—the list is endless, animal adventures, of course, our country store and our grill shack.

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Kimball Farm was founded as a dairy farm in 1908 and became known for its ice cream three decades later.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker reports.

"Here at Kimball's, we have over 50 flavors of ice," Jason said.

There are many reasons people keep going back to Kimball Farm, year after year.

"I've been coming here since I was little, so it's just kind of a part of my childhood that I want to hold onto forever," one patron said.

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And some ice cream stands stand on their own: just the ice cream, and a tradition that dates back generations.

Erikson's Dairy is located on the side of Route 117 in Maynard, and manager Irene Fraser says it's the recipe that makes their stand special.

"It's an old-fashioned recipe," she told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker. "We've tried to keep the ingredients the same."

With flavors that range from ginger to fresh raspberry to toasted walnut fudge to wintergreen chip, plus all the regular favorites, Erikson's has something for everyone, including Fido.

Check: Boston Area's Best Ice Cream Stands

"We do a doggie ice cream, with a little dog bone on top," Fraser said.

Also on the Metro-West tour is Bedford Farms, with locations in Bedford and Concord. Joe Venuti has owned it since 1984, but its history as a farm started in the 1800s.

Venuti said they're almost always making ice cream.

Web Extra: Bedford Farms

"We manufacture fresh ice cream about four to five days a week," he said.  And whatever they're doing, customers think it works well.

"I think it's the best," one patron said.  "I had mocha chip, and I've probably eaten it for twenty-something years."

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There are more than 50 gourmet flavors on the menu at Bedford Farms, and for those who prefer something more traditional, there are three different varieties of vanilla.

Ben Parker's series can be heard all this week on WBZ NewsRadio 1030. He'll look at the area's favorite ice cream places.