Maine Eats guide · checked October 2026
Maine dairy bars & ice cream stands
54 dairy bars, ice cream stands and farm creameries from York to Perry, each checked in business in October 2026 going by its own site or menu, Maine news, or a town or chamber listing. 31 of them are seasonal, so check the season listed with each before you drive.
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Soft serve, hard serve and a frappe
A Maine dairy bar is a roadside ice cream stand, usually a walk-up window with soft serve, hard ice cream and frappes (in New England, a frappe is a milkshake made with ice cream).
The 54 on this list
31 are seasonal and 20 post their dates; 11 of those open in March or April. 17 make their own ice cream and 7 scoop Gifford's, the Skowhegan ice cream maker, as their notes say. The longest at the same address: The Goldenrod in York Beach (York), there since 1896; The Dairy Port in Bucksport, there since 1954; Jordan's Snack Bar in Ellsworth, there since 1981. Maine's oldest restaurants has the 22 places with 40 or more years at the same address.
How we made the list: we looked up each place in October 2026 and kept it only when a 2025 or 2026 source showed it in business at that address: its own site or menu, a dated post, Maine news reporting, or a town or chamber of commerce listing. A shack or stand that posts its opening and closing dates has them printed beside it; one we couldn't source this year was dropped. No review site fed into it, the order is by region and town, and no rating decides anything. Call ahead, since hours and menus shift. Our sources are on the about page.
In the Maine Eats app the same places come nearest-first from wherever your phone is, and each opens Apple's own map card for opening times, pictures and the route.
Jump to a region
The list is grouped by the Maine Office of Tourism's 8 regions, which we draw on county lines.
- Maine Beaches (17)
- Greater Portland & Casco Bay (10)
- Midcoast & Islands (4)
- Downeast & Acadia (4)
- Lakes & Mountains (11)
- Kennebec Valley (6)
- Maine Highlands (2)
Town pages: Portland, Bangor, South Portland, Bar Harbor, Lewiston, Biddeford, Brunswick, Augusta, Auburn, Scarborough, York, Old Orchard Beach, Ogunquit, Waterville, Kennebunk, Kittery, Wells, Westbrook, Ellsworth, Saco, Kennebunkport, Wiscasset, Damariscotta, Cape Elizabeth, Mount Desert, Rockland, Camden, Freeport, Boothbay Harbor. Region pages: Maine Beaches, Greater Portland & Casco Bay, Midcoast & Islands, Downeast & Acadia, Lakes & Mountains, Kennebec Valley, Maine Highlands, Aroostook County.
Dairy bars: questions
When do Maine dairy bars open?
Many open in early spring and close in the fall. Of the 54 here, 31 are seasonal; 20 post their dates, and 11 of those open in March or April. The season is listed with each place, and a stand that's closed for the winter hasn't closed for good.
What's a frappe?
In New England, a frappe is a milkshake made with ice cream. Ask for a milkshake and you may get milk and syrup without any ice cream.
Who makes the ice cream?
17 of the 54 make their own, as their notes say, and 7 scoop Gifford's, made in Skowhegan. The “Known for” line with each place says what it serves.
Maine Beaches
17 dairy bars, by town. The region around Biddeford, York and Old Orchard Beach; the Maine Beaches page has its other guides too.
Johnson's Dairy Delite
6 School St, Berwick
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: Gifford's hard-serve ice cream; soft serve · Season: March through September
Seasonal Berwick ice cream stand scooping 18 flavors of Gifford's hard serve plus soft serve, sorbet and frozen yogurt.
Sweetcream Dairy
128 Main St, Biddeford
Dairy bar Known for: ice cream from locally sourced ingredients
Biddeford ice cream maker with its own certified dairy plant and a Main Street scoop shop.
Rococo Artisan Ice Cream
8 Western Ave, Kennebunk
Dairy bar Known for: Goat Cheese Blackberry Chambord ice cream; artisan ice cream
Artisan ice cream maker known for unusual flavors like Goat Cheese Blackberry Chambord.
Aunt Marie's Ice Cream
10 Ocean Ave, Kennebunkport
Dairy bar Known for: ice cream; lobster roll
Kennebunkport ice cream cafe that also serves lobster rolls; a sister shop of The Clam Shack.
Goose Rocks Dairy
278 Mills Rd, Kennebunkport
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: hard-serve ice cream; soft serve · Season: seasonal; check before you go
Summer ice cream stand with 20-plus flavors of hard and soft serve.
Sweet Pea's Ice Cream
37 Shore Rd, Ogunquit
Dairy bar Known for: Richardson's ice cream
Ogunquit scoop shop serving two dozen-plus flavors of Richardson's Ice Cream.
Big Licks
8 West Grand Ave, Old Orchard Beach
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: Salted Caramel Cashew ice cream · Season: seasonal; check before you go
Old Orchard Beach ice cream shop with classic-style ice cream in inventive flavors; opens Memorial Day weekend.
Garside's Ice Cream
320 Ferry Rd, Saco
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: homemade ice cream; custom waffle cones; ice cream pies · Season: seasonal; check before you go
Ferry Road ice cream stand in Saco that has made its own ice cream since the 1950s.
Martel's Ice Cream
757 Portland Rd, Saco
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: homemade ice cream; Maine Mud ice cream; waffle cones · Season: seasonal; check before you go · At this address since 1986
Route 1 ice cream shop across from Funtown Splashtown with 40-plus homemade flavors and two mini golf courses.
The Saco Scoop
209 Main St, Saco
Dairy bar Known for: Shaker Pond ice cream
Downtown Saco scoop shop in the Atkinson building serving Shaker Pond Ice Cream from Alfred, including vegan flavors.
Aggie's Ice Cream
104 Agamenticus Rd, South Berwick
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: Death by Chocolate ice cream; Rum Raisin ice cream; Mint Moose Tracks ice cream · Season: seasonal; check before you go
South Berwick stand with more than 100 flavors plus soft serve and frozen yogurt.
Big Daddy's
2165 Post Rd, Wells
Dairy bar Known for: homemade ice cream
Homemade ice cream since 1976; also scoops at 478 Main St and 47 Shore Rd in Ogunquit and 6 Spring St in Kennebunkport (the Press Herald also lists Hollis).
Scoop Deck
6 Eldridge Rd, Wells
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: homemade waffle cones; Blueberry Crumble ice cream · Season: seasonal; check before you go · At this address since 1983
Busy seasonal hard-serve stand in a barn with 60-plus flavors and homemade waffle cones.
Dunne's Ice Cream
214 Nubble Rd, York Beach (York)
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: Wild Maine Blueberry ice cream; Grape Nut ice cream; Black Raspberry Explosion ice cream · Season: seasonal; check before you go
Nubble Road ice cream stand that carries on the old Brown's Ice Cream tradition under the Dunne family's name; 50-plus flavors plus dairy-free soft serve.
The Goldenrod
2 Railroad Ave, York Beach (York)
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: Goldenrod Kisses saltwater taffy; homemade ice cream; griddle cakes · Season: mid-May to Columbus Day · At this address since 1896
Short Sands candy shop, ice cream fountain and restaurant where Goldenrod Kisses taffy is pulled in the front windows; more than 135 ice cream flavors.
Village Scoop Ice Cream
286 York St, York
Dairy bar Known for: Almond Joy ice cream; Campfire S'mores ice cream
York scoop shop with 20-plus flavors plus frozen yogurt, sorbet and sherbet.
Wicked Good Ice Cream
2 Beach St, York
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: hard-serve ice cream; soft serve · Season: seasonal; check before you go
York ice cream shop with about 50 hard-serve flavors plus soft serve and frozen yogurt.
Greater Portland & Casco Bay
10 dairy bars, by town. The region around Portland, South Portland and Brunswick; the Greater Portland & Casco Bay page has its other guides too.
Kettle Cove Creamery & Shack
2 Bowery Beach Rd, Cape Elizabeth
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: homemade hard ice cream; soft serve · Season: from about May
Seasonal Cape Elizabeth ice cream stand with more than 30 homemade hard-serve flavors plus soft serve.
Raymond's Frozen Custard
857 Roosevelt Trail, Casco
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: frozen custard; lobster roll; fried clams · Season: from late April
Frozen custard stand on Route 302 with a painted school bus for seating; also burgers, lobster rolls and fried clams.
Beals Old Fashioned Ice Cream
585 Main St, Gorham
Dairy bar Known for: homemade ice cream; teaberry ice cream
Original Gorham store of Beals, making about 100 old-fashioned ice cream recipes in small batches; also scoops in Portland.
B & R Dairy Bar
19 Portland Rd, Gray
Dairy bar Known for: homemade ice cream; soft serve
Gray dairy bar with about 30 homemade ice cream flavors plus soft serve.
Bresca & the Honey Bee
106 Outlet Rd, Sabbathday Lake (New Gloucester)
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: small-batch ice cream; sorbet · Season: opens Memorial Day weekend
Lakeside ice cream shack at Outlet Beach on Sabbathday Lake with small-batch, scratch-made flavors.
Toots Ice Cream
137 Walnut Hill Rd, North Yarmouth
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: homemade ice cream; goat-milk gelato · Season: seasonal; check before you go · At this address since 1998
Seasonal ice cream stand in a renovated rail car at Walnut Hill, making its own ice cream.
Lib's Dairy Treats
32 Auburn St, Portland
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: soft serve; Gifford's hard ice cream; sundaes; shakes · Season: early March into the fall (opened March 7 in 2026)
North Deering soft-serve and Gifford's ice cream stand that opens each March.
Red's Dairy Freeze
167 Cottage Rd, South Portland
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: soft serve; Boston sundae; Nor'easter · Season: early March to the end of the season
Seasonal soft-serve stand in South Portland's east end whose March opening is a local sign of spring.
Willard Scoops
429 Preble St, South Portland
Dairy bar Known for: homemade ice cream
South Portland ice cream shop with about 20 gourmet flavors.
Ice Cream Dugout
3 Storm Dr, North Windham (Windham)
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: Shaker Pond ice cream; baseball-themed sundaes · Season: Red Sox opening day to the end of the regular season
Baseball-themed outdoor ice cream stand off Route 302 in North Windham with 40-plus Shaker Pond flavors.
Midcoast & Islands
4 dairy bars, by town. The region around Rockland, Camden and Boothbay Harbor; the Midcoast & Islands page has its other guides too.
Bray Brook Farm
382 Union Rd, Appleton
Dairy bar Known for: hard-serve ice cream
Farm (with donkeys) and ice cream shop in Appleton with several unique hard-serve flavors.
Jefferson Scoop
271 Waldoboro Rd, Jefferson
Dairy bar Known for: Gifford's ice cream; soft serve
Ice cream stand in the center of Jefferson scooping Gifford's ice cream and soft serve, plus smoothies and slushies.
John's Ice Cream Factory
510 Belfast Augusta Rd, Liberty
Dairy bar Known for: ice cream; take-home pints and quarts
Family-owned ice cream shop in Liberty selling cones and take-home pints and quarts.
Dorman's Dairy Dream
189 New County Rd, Thomaston
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: hard-serve ice cream · Season: spring to fall (2026: opened April 9, Thursday–Sunday 12–7)
Long-running roadside ice cream stand in Thomaston.
Downeast & Acadia
4 dairy bars, by town. The region around Bar Harbor, Ellsworth and Southwest Harbor; the Downeast & Acadia page has its other guides too.
The Dairy Port
79 Main St, Bucksport
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: house-made soft serve; Gifford's hard ice cream; sundaes; shakes · Season: opened March 28 for 2026; open daily in season · At this address since 1954
Walk-up ice cream window in a narrow historic storefront on Bucksport's Main Street, across from the harbor and the Penobscot Narrows Bridge; known for its daily soft-serve flavors.
Jordan's Snack Bar
200 Downeast Highway, Ellsworth
Lobster rollDairy bar Known for: lobster roll; Big Jim triple cheeseburger; shrimp and scallops; soft serve · Season: now open year-round · At this address since 1981
Ellsworth snack bar on the Downeast Highway with seafood, burgers and weekly soft-serve specials, a playground and game room, and Wednesday-night cruise-ins.
Polar Treat
816 US-1, Perry
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: ice cream; specialty treats · Season: closing for the 2026 season on October 11
Ice cream spot with a full food menu on Route 1 in Perry, near Eastport.
Stonington Ice Cream Company
66 Main St, Stonington
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: ice cream (sixteen flavors); lobster roll; lobster and crab quiche · Season: aims for early May to late October; closed before the end of September in 2026 for lack of staff · At this address since 2008
Harborside ice cream shop on Stonington's Main Street with deck tables at the edge of the harbor; its owner added the Stonington Food Company restaurant next door.
Lakes & Mountains
11 dairy bars, by town. The region around Lewiston, Auburn and Farmington; the Lakes & Mountains page has its other guides too.
Taber's
470 Lake Shore Dr, Auburn
Dairy bar Known for: hard ice cream (23 flavors, including Maine blueberry); frappes
Lake Auburn ice cream stand and restaurant with mini golf and a driving range.
The Ice Cream Shoppe
171 Wilton Rd, Farmington
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: soft serve; flavor of the week; dairy-free soft serve · Season: mid-April into October (opened April 18 and still serving Oct. 1 in 2026)
Family-run Farmington soft-serve stand since 1988 with a weekly flavor and dairy-free options.
Route 160 Ice Cream
5 Brownfield Rd, Hiram
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: hard ice cream (20+ flavors); frappes; red snapper hot dogs · Season: opens in early May (May 3 in 2025)
Hiram ice cream stand with 20-plus hard-serve flavors that also sells red snapper hot dogs.
Sweet Scoops
258 Main St, Jay
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: ice cream · Season: mid-April into October (opened April 18 and still serving in October 2026)
Seasonal Jay ice cream stand owned by Rhonda Harlow.
Dairy Joy
109 Campus Ave, Lewiston
Dairy bar Known for: soft serve; hard ice cream; sundaes; banana boats
Family-run ice cream stand with soft and hard serve, sundaes, shakes and floats; a second stand is at 137 Spring St in Auburn.
Main Street Dairy Treat
688 Main St, Lewiston
Dairy bar Known for: soft serve; homemade hard ice cream; warm apple pie sundae
Lewiston ice cream stand serving soft serve, homemade hard ice cream and low-carb ice cream.
Softie Delite
7 Bridge St, Livermore Falls
Dairy bar Known for: soft serve; hard ice cream; brioche waffle sundae
Livermore Falls ice cream stand with soft and hard serve and gluten-free waffle cones.
Frosty Delite
190 Main St, Mexico
Dairy bar Known for: soft serve (blueberry, orange-pineapple, peanut butter)
Soft-serve stand under the lighted cone just east of the Mexico town office.
Log Yard Dairy Bar
1184 Maine St, Poland
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: frozen custard; soft serve · Season: seasonal; check before you go
Seasonal Poland stand known for frozen custard as well as soft serve.
Pine Tree Frosty
2459 Main St, Rangeley
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: soft and hard serve; weekly ice cream specials; lobster roll · Season: spring to fall (opening day May 20 in 2025)
Waterfront Rangeley ice cream stand in business since 1964.
Northland Dairy Treat
1355 Auburn Rd, Turner
Dairy bar Known for: soft serve
Turner soft-serve stand on Route 4.
Kennebec Valley
6 dairy bars, by town. The region around Augusta, Waterville and Skowhegan; the Kennebec Valley page has its other guides too.
Backs Dairy Bar
390 Route 3, South China (China)
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: hard and soft serve; Back's Bar; Chilly Bar · Season: seasonal; check before you go
Family-run seasonal ice cream stand in South China with house novelties like the Back's Bar and Whippy Dippy.
Gifford's Famous Ice Cream
307 Madison Ave, Skowhegan
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: Gifford's hard ice cream; sundaes; frappes · Season: about early April to fall (opened April 3 in 2026)
Hometown scoop stand (with mini golf) of the fifth-generation Skowhegan ice cream maker.
Gifford's Famous Ice Cream
170 Silver St, Waterville
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: Gifford's hard ice cream; sundaes; frappes · Season: about late March to fall (opened March 20 in 2026) · A branch of Gifford's Famous Ice Cream, Skowhegan
Scoop stand with mini golf run by Skowhegan's family ice cream maker.
North Street Dairy Cone
127 North St, Waterville
Dairy bar Known for: homemade 'old-fashioned' ice cream; soft serve; shakes
Waterville stand that makes its own old-fashioned ice cream (Butterscotch Royal, Red Raspberry Streak) plus soft serve.
Tubby's Ice Cream
512 Main St, Wayne
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: homemade ice cream; homemade waffle cones · Season: opens Memorial Day weekend
Wayne stand that makes its ice cream from scratch and is known for homemade waffle cones.
Fast Eddie's
1308 Route 202, Winthrop
Dairy bar Known for: homemade ice cream; drive-in burgers and hot dogs
Winthrop drive-in with its own ice cream bar that makes its own ice cream.
Maine Highlands
2 dairy bars, by town. The region around Bangor, Brewer and Orono; the Maine Highlands page has its other guides too.
Gifford's Famous Ice Cream
1109 Broadway, Bangor
Dairy barSeasonal Known for: Gifford's hard ice cream; sundaes; frappes · Season: about March to fall (opened March 6 in 2026) · A branch of Gifford's Famous Ice Cream, Skowhegan
Bangor scoop stand of the Skowhegan ice cream maker, usually the first of its stands to open each spring.
Sawyer's Dairy Bar
34 North Main St, Newport
Dairy bar Known for: shakes; soft serve; sandwiches
Newport dairy bar dating to the 1950s, serving shakes, soft serve and sandwiches.