NJ ice cream tour returns for second year

If you love ice cream, then get ready to travel around the state of New Jersey this summer for the second annual “I Licked My Way Through NJ Ice Cream Tour.”

The tour will last until Aug. 18, this year featuring 12 shops throughout the state.

In Monmouth and Ocean counties, they includes Belle’s Ice Cream in Spring Lake, Surfside Frozen Custard in Sea Girt, Miss Mindy’s Homemade Ice Cream in Bayville, You Scream Ice Cream in Brick Township, Skipper Dipper in Long Beach Township and Kohr Soft Ice Cream in Little Egg Harbor Township.

Elsewhere in New Jersey, there is also Randy’s Homemade Ice Cream in Pompton Lakes, A La Mode Ice Cream Parlor in Ocean City, Scoop To My Lou in East Brunswick Township, Cliff’s Dairy Maid in Ledgewood and Speak Freezy in Fords.

Anyone who visits one of those 12 shops and wants to participate can pick up a game card, which has the names, addresses and phone numbers of each shop. If someone buys ice cream at one of the shops and presents their game card, they will earn a stamp for that shop.

Four stamps earn participants a free small ice cream; eight, a medium; all 12, a large, as well as a free tour shirt that says “I Licked My Way Through The NJ Ice Cream Tour” on the front and the names of the shops on the back.

Randy Pratt, owner of Randy’s Homemade Ice Cream and organizer of the tour, said that people who complete the tour will also be entered into a contest to win free ice cream for a year.

He said that the inspiration for the tour came from when he attended a conference for the North American Ice Cream Association. There was an ice cream business whose representatives there had done something similar.

“I saw that and started thinking, how can we do this in New Jersey?” said Pratt. “We have such a diverse state and some awesome areas with great ice cream. So I reached out to my fellow members of the ice cream association and asked them if they were interested.”

All 12 of the shops included in the tour are members of the association, Pratt said. Last year, that number was nine, and he hopes to be able to add more shops in the future.

“The response we received back from customers last year as well as the shop owners was tremendous,” he said. “People loved it.”

People participating in the tour might notice some differences in the ice creams at the different shops they visit. Pratt said that, in talking with owners from other shops, he has learned that different regions tend to have somewhat different preferences.

An example he listed was that at his shop in North Jersey, he has had people tell him they prefer darker chocolate ice cream, while he has heard from shop owners in South Jersey that people tend to prefer lighter chocolate. Though, said Pratt, this is just based on what he has heard.

Regardless, he said, the ice cream will not disappoint.

“If it’s homemade…the quality far outshines what you’d get off the grocery store shelf,” said Pratt.

In addition to the ice cream itself, Pratt said that participants should look forward to being able to explore new places.

Last year, he said, he heard from customers who had been amazed at the areas in New Jersey that they had not visited before.

“You get to taste fantastic ice cream, and you get to visit places you’ve never been to before,” said Pratt. “I think there’s a real benefit here and I think it’s a great way to promote the state and what we offer.”