NOTE: This Post was written in 2016. As such, the content and exhibits in the review below may be outdated. Please look out for updated content on this location in the near future!
I always thought having homemade ice cream in your own backyard was typical. I grew up just a town away from an awesome creamery in southeastern Massachusetts. But apparently that is not commonplace. My husband, for instance, did not have anything like that near him. So the fact that we live just a few short minutes away from one of the best homemade ice cream shops in the whole State of Connecticut is nothing short of awesome.
Now, my calling it the best is not just opinion, this place has been voted the best in the state by Cosmopolitan Magazine, Radio 94.7, and these guys.
What makes their ice cream so good? Well, for one, its super rich and creamy. It’s also very fresh. Most of what you eat was just made days prior. They also have a ton of great flavors. Plus, they’re the little guy and everyone loves supporting local businesses.
Collins opens in early spring, and in this house, we count down the days. Usually within the first few weeks of opening, we are there and ready for our first ice cream of the season. And we will go all the way until they close in the fall.
The ice cream shop is located on their farm, on the “quiet side of town“, as they say on their website. It is tucked away in the back of Enfield, and if you don’t know the area, you will struggle to find it. You have to know where you’re going, and trust me, the effort to find it, is worth it!
Collins is open every day, seasonally, from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
They have a fair amount of parking in front of the corn fields, and off the side in this parking lot. I have gone on evenings when they are pretty much full but I have never had an issue with parking. Trust me, for ice cream, you make it work!
The stand itself has up to four windows open at a time. Sometimes the lines are crazy, but again, for this ice cream, you wait. It’s totally worth it.
There are a fair amount of picnic tables available but on busy nights those do fill up. Most of the time though, I’ve never had an issue finding a spot to sit. At the very least, you can sit in the car! 
They have a pretty extensive menu. From ice cream cones to sundaes, frozen drinks to stampedes (these are their blended ice cream/topping concoctions), you will find something you like on this menu. Unfortunately, you will probably find more than one thing and then you’ll have to stand there in line debating which to order… and then you’ll order your usual anyways. Oh wait, that’s just me? Listen, I like chocolate and pineapple sauce in a waffle bowl, nothing wrong with that!
And when you feel overwhelmed by how to eat your ice cream, then you have to choose a flavor… and there are A LOT to choose from.
They also have specials, just to make your decision even more harder. Those are usually posted on the blackboard on the right side of the building. Tonight was this delicious sounding frozen treat… I love pineapple!
Tonight we decided to order a sampler dish to share between the three of us. This is one scoop of four different flavors of ice cream. We chose: chocolate, sweet cream, red raspberry chocolate chip and cherry vanilla. Isn’t that beautiful?
We had to fight to get a spoonful though… this little guy was enjoying it way too much! I think he’s reaching the age for his own sampler!
Now besides their awesome ice cream, what tops it all? The cows!
We love visiting the cows every time we get ice cream! They just complete the visit to this awesome creamery!
So, there you have it. Come check out Collins yourself and decide if they really are the best in the State of Connecticut (they are, don’t fight it). Have a tasty bowl of ice cream (our family favorite is the sweet cream; but, my personal favorite is the chocolate), and visit the cows. And before you leave, make sure you take a picture to remember your visit to the Collins Creamery!
This about sums it up…
Address:
9 Powder Hill Road – Enfield, Connecticut
Hours:
Seasonally – from early spring to late fall. Follow their Facebook page for an up to date opening/closing schedule.
Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Features:
- Strollers can be hard to maneuver over the rocks (picnic area)
- Large parking lot with plenty of available spaces
- Port a potty on sight- no changing tables
- Cash Only!
