Summer is coming to an end, but that still doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ice cream. Besides, this weather has been pretty warm and after a hard day at school, then some play time at the Bloomfield Boundless Playground, this little guy deserved some ice cream! So we checked out a local favorite in Bloomfield: Bloom Hill Farm.
When I was pregnant, my doctor was located on Cottage Grove Road, so I knew this area pretty well. But I never realized this little ice cream stand existed until we started school a couple weeks ago. It’s tucked away from the road, but if you look carefully you’ll see a sign that says “ICE CREAM”. Of course, now that I have a child obsessed with ice cream, I see those signs from like a mile away. You’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for the little white house with the big OPEN flag waving in front because it comes up fast when you are moving along Cottage Grove. The farm’s name, Bloom Hill Farm, is not visible from the road, so make sure to watch for the Ice Cream sign or the big OPEN flag.
Here’s a map with Boom Hill Farm’s exact location.
The ice cream stand is located in the large brown barn. It is stroller/wheelchair accessible, and also has a staircase ramp. It is open to their gravel parking lot, and since my child is obsessed with gravel, I was doing a lot of chasing after him. We’re still trying to drill in those “parking lot rules” every where we go!
We visited on a Friday afternoon (around 4 p.m.) and it was pretty bustling. It seemed like a lot of people were stopping by for their end of week treat! Most people were sitting around outside, or in their car, enjoying their ice cream. There was no line at the moment, so we were served quickly, but we watched as customers came along at a pretty steady flow! And after trying their ice cream, I can understand why!
Their ordering windows are located right in the front of the brown building. Their full menu is posted at the window, and they ask that you check it out while you are waiting so you can order quickly and keep the line moving. I assume they have some busy evenings during the summer months!
On the menu is the standard soft serve and hard ice cream. You can serve it up in a dish or a cone, including waffle cones. You can also bring home a pint or quart of their ice cream. They also make sundaes with a lot of toppings!
As for hard ice cream, they have almost 30 different flavors! There are the standards like vanilla and chocolate, and then some different flavors like “Nightmare” (which is a peanut butter based flavor), lemon pie and cheesecake. With all those flavors to choose from, everyone should find something they enjoy!
They make milkshakes in a few different flavors. Raspberry sounds good! They also sell doggy treats for your canine buddies!
They have a lot of seating at Bloom Hill Farm’s ice cream stand. There are chairs found all around the upper level near the counter, which is where we started our ice cream, and later finished it.
They also have seating in a covered area by the front of the barn. I wasn’t able to get a shot of that since it was full of customers enjoying their ice cream!
Additionally they have a whole seating area in the back of the barn right next to their animals.
We stayed down here for a while at a picnic table, me eating my chocolate soft serve (I know, I always get the same thing!) and him taking teeny bites of his plain ol’ vanilla hard ice cream.
Tiny bites because he was too busy watching the chickens, birds and peacock!
The animals are behind a fence that stretches around the whole seating area. From a distance I spotted some goats too! This area was really beautiful, especially with all the flowers and plants. We sat back here for a while and I was actually able to finish my ice cream without being rushed for once!!
They also had a little play house which was enough to keep him occupied. That is, until he made a friend up on the porch by the counter. We ended up back in those seats on the upper patio so he could chat for a while with her.
I absolutely loved Bloom Hill Farm. The ice cream was delicious (and I’m a tough critic with my chocolate soft serve – I order it at every new ice cream shop because if I like that, then I’ll like everything!). I also loved the farm animals in the back area. That was super fun to watch, and my son loved it too. The atmosphere is really great too – the flowers are very beautiful and the people that worked there were so friendly. And the customers were great too. I always love having more options for ice cream, and this one comes in handy because its on our way to school!
For ice cream lovers, you’ll want to add Bloom Hill Farm to your list of places to check out!
This about sums it up…
Address:
696 Cottage Grove Road – Bloomfield, CT
Hours:
Seasonally – spring fall. Follow their Facebook page for an up to date opening/closing schedule.
Open Tuesday through Sunday, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. **Closed Mondays.
Features:
- Strollers can be hard to maneuver over the rocks but there is a ramp that brings you up to the counter
- Large parking lot with plenty of available spaces
- Parking lot is open from the barn – if you have a runner like me, be mindful!
- Cash or credit
- Soft Serve, Hard ice cream, milkshakes and more on the menu
- Animals on the farm that you can watch (not a petting farm)
- Tons of seating, in shade and in sun
