Ice Cream – just hearing that will put a smile on John’s face and his eyes light up. So when locals in Montague were suggesting things to do and see and ice cream was mentioned, John said yes, when and where. The when was twice; the where was Country Dairy in New Era, MI.Family owned Country Dairy has been processing and bottling milk since 1983. Not only milk; also cheese, meat and of course ice cream. They also have a deli serving breakfast, sandwiches, salads, soups and of course their fresh milk. Pizza is offered in their Pizza Shoppe. And for dessert, go for the ice cream. On our first visit John enjoyed Butter Churn Pecan and Laurie savored Michigan Black Cherry. Both were excellent; rich and creamy.
Our first visit was during the week, not much of a crowd. Besides our ice cream we purchased sausage, cheese and beef bacon. Everything was so good we decided to return for a refill. Only problem, we chose Saturday not knowing how crowded it would be. We parked on the street, no room in their parking lot and entered the store to a wall of people. Our plan was to have lunch and ice cream then replenish our items. That was not going to happen unless we wanted to wait about an hour. No way. But John had to have his ice cream. So John stood in the ice cream line for about 15 minutes while Laurie gathered the items to purchase. Ice cream and items purchased, we headed outside to enjoy the day and the ice cream.
Country Dairy in on the Hart-Montague Bike Trail. Although it would have been a great ride for the day, we decided not to ride. It is about a 32 mile round trip which for us would have been a full day. There were too many other things we wanted to do and see. If we return we will plan for a day trip on the trail.
Country Dairy is worth a visit for both ice cream and their other products. Just do not go on a Saturday if at all possible!
Happy travels and many adventures along your journey.
