Springer's Ice Cream

Stone Harbor, NJ- Home to my favorite shopping district at the Jersey Shore and to some of the sweetest attractions. Vacationing at the Jersey Shore guarantees you several trips to the local ice cream parlor. Luckily for me, my sisters and I handpicked some of our favorites and made it a point to visit each one whenever we were in town.

Anytime I see a business that's been around for decades and is a staple of a community, I'm inclined to stop in and experience what generations and generations of customers love. For Stone Harbor, that's Springer's Ice Cream.

Springer's is nestled on Third Avenue, a quiet side street intersecting the busy and popular 96th Street, where families young and old stroll along day and night. The large white building is hard to miss with the line of customers that seems to wrap around the block and the bright sign that hangs above the sidewalk. Perhaps my favorite part of the Springer's tradition is their popular phrase "Since Prohibition". Being the history-lover that I am, I was always interested that the ice cream parlor started a short time after World War I. Unbelievable to imagine, right?

The ice cream is definitely something to admire. Each flavor is homemade and the selection each night could almost be found overwhelming. Don't worry, though, because Springer's posts their flavors outside the shop as well as inside, so that you can decide as you wait in line. The line might be the most intimidating aspect of getting this frozen masterpiece. It extends almost to the end of the block on any given night, but there are so many "scoopers" working that you can be in and out within fifteen minutes.

I always went for their Mint Cookies and Cream specialty, but later began regularly getting their "Per-snicker-ty" (Snickers) ice cream in a little sugar cone. If I had to choose their most interesting flavor, it would certainly be the Potpourri, an "everything-but-the-kitchen-sink" blend made from the remaining ice cream of several batches. Yes, you heard right. It's a flavor concocted from other homemade flavors, so odds are that two batches can never be exactly alike. A friend of mine who is a "Springer's Scooper" explained to me that sometimes the Potpourri flavor is a calm mix of ice cream and other times you'll find an exotic blend of Pistachio and Coffee in the same bowl. Something to add to the bucket list, I suppose.

Ice cream at the beach seems to be as good a combination as peanut butter and jelly. A trip never feels complete until I get to choose a sweet flavor of frozen goodness. Springer's is just one of my favorite down-at-the-shore snack spots, so of course I'll have to share more later!

Laura