Maine Eats · region guide · checked October 2026
Kennebec Valley: dairy bars & diners
6 dairy bars and 1 diner in Maine's Kennebec Valley region, each checked in business in October 2026 against a 2025 or 2026 source, plus the 401 restaurants in the app's directory here.
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About this region
The Kennebec Valley region is Kennebec and Somerset counties. Of the 401 places to eat and drink the app knows here, the most are in Augusta, Waterville and Skowhegan. Our hand-checked lists have 7 places here; the towns with the most are Waterville (2), China (1) and Skowhegan (1). The most common kinds of place are Bar & Pub (77), Coffee & Café (51) and Bakery & Sweets (42).
How we draw it: the Maine Office of Tourism's Kennebec Valley region, on county lines. Counties: Kennebec, Somerset. A place is in it when its town is in one of those counties. Town pages here: Augusta, Waterville.
Where to eat in the Kennebec Valley region
The 12 towns here with the most places to eat and drink by the app's count; each link opens the web search for that town alone.
Diners in the Kennebec Valley region
1 place, by town. The statewide guide has 13.
Bee's Snack Bar
1 Lithgow St, Winslow
Diner Known for: all-day breakfast; loaded hot dogs; hand-cut fries
Long-running Winslow snack bar above the Kennebec, reopened in April 2025 by a Willette family member with all-day breakfast and comfort-food specials; open Tuesday-Saturday.
Dairy bars in the Kennebec Valley region
6 places, by town. The statewide guide has 54.
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.