The Sweet Retreat ice cream shop opens in Lincolnville Beach
The Sweet Retreat in Lincolnville Beach. Photo by Kay Stephens
Gifford’s flavors. Photo by Kay Stephens
A moose museum within the ice cream shop. Photo by Kay Stephens
And their friend, a turkey. Photo by Kay Stephens
Lulu’s Black Licorice Gelato // Raspberry Sorbetto // Cucumber Lime Cilantro Sorbetto. Photo courtesy Lulu’s Ice Cream in Rockland
Mango and jasmine sticky rice ice cream. Photo courtesy Wild Cow Creamery in Belfast
The Sweet Retreat in Lincolnville Beach. Photo by Kay Stephens
Gifford’s flavors. Photo by Kay Stephens
A moose museum within the ice cream shop. Photo by Kay Stephens
And their friend, a turkey. Photo by Kay Stephens
Lulu’s Black Licorice Gelato // Raspberry Sorbetto // Cucumber Lime Cilantro Sorbetto. Photo courtesy Lulu’s Ice Cream in Rockland
Mango and jasmine sticky rice ice cream. Photo courtesy Wild Cow Creamery in Belfast
LINCOLNVILLE—It’s been several years since Lincolnville Beach had an ice cream shop and this summer, The Sweet Retreat, part of The Lobster Pound, will be serving up Maine-made ice cream, sundaes and milkshakes.
Joe Cloud, The Lobster Pound’s new manager, said, “With so many people coming to Lincolnville Beach this summer, everybody is looking for a great, Maine ice cream and we had the space, so we decided it was time to re-open it.”
The shop will be selling Gifford’s ice cream, a well-known Maine brand whose humble roots started on a dairy farm. With more than 40 years in the business of making homemade ice cream from locally sourced ingredients, the award-winning Gifford’s brand sells more than two million gallons of ice cream around the country each year. Cloud said the most popular flavor at The Sweet Retreat is their Moose Tracks and chocolate chip cookie dough flavors.
Speaking of moose, it’s guaranteed this is the only ice cream shop in Maine, and the world, that houses two giant taxidermied moose in the shop along with their companion, a taxidermied turkey.
The shop, which is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the days the restaurant is open, offers sugar cones, waffles cones, sundaes, and custom milkshakes.
The Midcoast Ice Cream Trail
Make an entire road trip day dedicated to eating ice cream! Why not? Each of the businesses listed here is independent and serves delicious cool treats!
Dorman’s Dairy Dream-Thomaston
“One scoop is giganticosaurus!! Friendly people, delicious ice cream! Totally recommend.”
Lulu’s Ice Cream & Gelato- Rockland
“The boozy milkshakes....oh yeah!”
River Ducks Ice Cream-Camden
“Such a cute little location and adorable shop!”
Camden Cone-Camden
“My favorite ice cream stop anywhere! A frappe with chocolate syrup and peppermint ice cream is the BEST!”
Freya’s Ice Cream-Rockport
“Absolutely fabulous gelato. The salted caramel is amazing. If you are anywhere near here, you MUST try this place.”
Wild Cow Creamery-Belfast
“Super good!! They have vegan ice cream as well.”
Chocolate Drop Candy Shop-Belfast
“Felt like we stepped back in time as we walked through the door.”
John’s Ice Cream Factory -Liberty
“We love their homemade ice cream! The lemon custard and raspberries n’ cream - yummy!”
Braybrook Farm Ice Cream-Appleton
“Some of the best ice cream you'll ever have and the servings are generous.”
Stone Fox Creamery-Searsport
“Best ice cream EVER! They have about 20 different ice cream choices! Fun for the whole family!”
Click to see Google Maps Road Trip!
Cloud said the ice cream shop is not the only news: the restaurant will soon be offering breakfast and a Sunday brunch in about a month, collaborating with local Lincolnville purveyors Dot’s for baked goods and pastries and Green Tree Coffee & Tea for coffee.
“We are all about building community relationships, and along with supporting Dot’s and Green Tree, we’ve been buying our lobster from the same lobsterman for years, so likely there will be a lobster and crab benedict on the breakfast menu,” he said.
In addition, The Lobster Pound will once again, offer Happy Hour once the season gets rolling, which is welcome news to the locals. “We’ll have live music on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays,” said Cloud.
For more information stay tuned to their Facebook page.
Ice Cream for Everyone!
Maine already has a Beer Trail, a Distillery Trail, a Farm Trail, and a Cheese Trail which spans the entire state. Why not an ice cream trail?
We’ve compiled a custom list (see sidebar) including a visual Google Maps link to encourage locals and tourists alike to make a day of patronizing local Maine ice cream shops and getting a taste of everything on the Midcoast. It’s decadent, but what a summer bucket list!
The beautiful thing about Maine and ice cream is how well local, and seasonal ingredients go together from cucumber lime cilantro to mango sticky rice.
On this ice cream trail, you’ll find just about everything for every taste: hand-crafted, small-batch ice cream, banana splits, gelato, sorbetto, vegan, and even adult milkshakes with vodka.
Get your scoop on this summer.
Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com
