BALTIMORE — 14 creameries, dozens of flavors, and thousands of scoops later, Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail has been making its rounds all summer long, giving dairy farmers a much-needed boost in a tough industry. In the final weeks of summer, WMAR-2 News Kara Burnett hit the trail to get the scoop on how it’s helping local farms.
Happy Cow Creamery – Union Bridge, Carroll County
At Happy Cow Creamery at Grand View Acres Farm, owner Chip Savage says the secret to great ice cream starts with how they care for their cattle.
“We feel the way we take care of our cattle, the pride that we put into it, our product is probably better than a lot of the products that you could buy at your chain stores,” Savage said.
The family bought their property in 2009, a continuation of a generations of dairy farmers.
“My family's dairy farmed all their life. My parents originally were farming in Germantown. We moved out of the Germantown in the late 80s. They currently have a farm near Charlestown in the Brunswick area and I have siblings that farm,” Savage said.
Savage’s sons handle the ice cream operation, rotating flavors weekly.
“We enjoy the fact that the family all gets to work together,” he said.
On my visit, I went for strawberry with rainbow sprinkles and a side of classic vanilla soft serve.
Broom’s Bloom Dairy – Bel Air, Harford County
For Kate Dallam, owner of Broom’s Bloom Dairy, the trail has been a way to introduce her 9th-generation family farm to visitors from across Maryland.
“It's great, we've had a huge participation. I would say more than years in the past. I’ve noticed it’s something that grandparents do with their grandchildren,” Dallam said.
It takes about two and a half days for milk to go from cow to cone at Broom’s Bloom.
“It all happens here, we milk the cows, we pasteurize the milk, make the ice cream,” she said.
The flavors range from sweet corn to caramel macchiato. On my visit, I tried Blue Moon and Lemon, with crushed Lemonheads mixed in.
Prigel Family Creamery – Glen Arm, Baltimore County
The Prigel family has been farming in Maryland for six generations, starting as sharecroppers before buying their own land.
“So what makes it so special is you can actually see where your food’s coming from. Our farmers are here all the time, you can grab one, talk to one, really understand where your food is coming from,” said Jennifer Peace, Events & Catering Manager.
From the milk, cheese, to the grass-fed beef, Pace says customers come for the ice cream but stay for all the local products.
“The ice cream trail definitely gives us a boost. We're happy to see the new customers and for them to discover the other things that we have here,” said Peace.
Butter pecan and caramel pretzel caught my eye, but I went with a double scoop of cotton candy.
Keyes Creamery - Churchville, Harford County
You can’t go wrong with the Mint Chocolate Oreo at Keyes Creamery, according to co-owner Megan McMillan.
“It’s a chocolate base with peppermint flavoring and crushed up Oreos. It’s so good,” she said.
Just like their long list of rotating flavors, Keyes Creamery, has gone through some changes over the years.
“Dairy farming in general is a tough industry to be in, exhibit A, we wanted to continue doing it but the landowner decided it wasn’t what they needed, so we had to make the tough decision,” she said.
While the family once owned 100 cows, development forced them to sell their herd. Now, they use milk from a neighboring dairy farm. McMillian says the ice cream trail helps to keep business flowing.
“I feel like we're getting a lot of traction with it, we’ve been with the trail since the beginning,” she said.
Despite the changes the family says it’s been a joy to keep serving customers and come up with new flavors.
“The cow's feet and the goose feathers, that was my parents. I don't know how they came up with that but it stuck,” said McMillian.
Brown Cow Creamery – Mount Airy
One of the newest additions to the trail, Brown Cow Creamery offers flavors like Black Raspberry, Ginger, and Orange Dreamsicle, all made on the farm.
“Everything in the store is also local,” said owner Laurie Savage. “We have a little internal competition between the creameries to see who’s checked in the most. It’s been really fun this summer.”
But Savage says the best part is keeping the consumer dollar in the farmer’s pocket. While summer may be winding down, their creamery is open all year long.
“We have a peach for the summer and we do a pumpkin and an apple in the fall,” she said.
My shortened ice cream trail ended with their seasonal peach flavor, made with peach butter.
A Sweet Tradition that supports local farms
This year marks the 13th season of the trail, which features 14 creameries across the state. Visitors can check in using the Let’s Rallie app, sample different flavors, and even burn off a few calories at nearby state park trails.
“Farming is hard and it’s expensive,” said Kristin Hanna, Director of Special Projects with the Maryland Department of Agriculture. “One of the ways that our farmers can actually make a profit is having these value adds.”
More than 2,900 people have participated in the trail so far this year and about 150 are on pace to finish all 14 stops. Those who complete the route earn a custom ice cream scooper, and one lucky finisher will be named Grand Champion Trailblazer, winning a $50 gift certificate to the creamery of their choice, a copy of the children’s book “Tales of the Dairy Godmother: Chuck’s Ice Cream Wish,” and the 2025 Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Champion Trailblazer trophy.
The 2025 Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail wraps up September 1. Click here for a full list of participating creameries.
