New England Travel and Vacation Gazette and Other Wicked Good Content

We all love those classic New England ice cream stands -- rural ambiance and all -- but it does absolutely no good if the ice cream is lousy. Fortunately, Kimball's in Westford, Mass. (about an hour northwest of Boston), has kept its long-time quality tradition intact by serving what we feel is some of the best ice cream we've ever sampled in New England. Whether a traditional vanilla or a creative gingersnap molasses, the ice cream is always richly flavorful here -- and served in generous portions. Kimball's also has two state-of-the-art miniature golf courses, an outdoor grill and seafood shack a bumper boat area, an animal petting area, arcades, a golf putting area, driving range and batting cages. The setting is beautiful -- not touristy at all -- and the overall experience some of the most fun we had when traveling New England last summer. I remember when Kimball Farm was just an ice cream stand. Those were truly memorable times driving in my dad's wood pane...

Article and photo by Eric H. Fans of Bubbling Brook ice cream in Westwood, Mass., will have to wait until the following spring for more of its delicious ice cream and lovely relaxed, scenic setting as one of New England's best ice cream stands closes for the season on Sept. 13. A classic New England roadside ice cream stand and small restaurant (with delicious fried chicken and fried clams), Bubbling Brook is a local favorite, known for its long list of hard and soft ice cream flavors, quiet setting with picnic tables and brook, long lines and salt-of-the-earth diner-like service in the dining room. Bubbling Brook, we wish you were open year-round, but just a few months of your "sweet" presence is good enough! Bubbling Brook is located at 1652 High St., Westwood, Mass. Tel. (781) 762-9860 For more information on Bubbling Brook and other great ice cream stands in New England, click on the link above.

Article and photo by Eric H., at VisitingNewEngland.com When we saw the handwritten sign above the order window that Bubbling Brook ice cream stand in Westwood, MA, would be closing for the season on Sept. 28, we knew this meant it was officially the end of summer. Once those wooden boards cover the windows, it's almost a given that the weather becomes colder and the feeling sets in that a long, cold New England winter is knocking on our doorstep. If you're a fan of Bubbling Brook, then fill up on ice cream at this rural, relaxing summer place with the meandering brook and farmland on the horizon before it's too late. Then again, places like Crescent Ridge Dairy in Sharon, MA, will be open year-round. While it's nice to have an ice cream stand that doesn't close for the season, the combination of waiting in line, ordering ice cream and leisurely sitting on a picnic bench amidst the twilight, crickets chirping and yellow lights at the order window warmly illuminat...