Here’s the scoop: For more than 90 years, Ohioans have turned to the creamy product churned out by Velvet Ice Cream in Utica, Ohio, to satisfy their sweet tooth. And while we admit that eating is probably the verb of choice when it comes to this all-American dessert, learning about it can be a fun activity, too — especially at Ye Olde Mill on Velvet’s campus, where visitors get a multi-sensory history lesson about the company and its product.
The property’s focal point is the 1817 gristmill, which once served as a community gathering spot for farmers and merchants. Today, the building still gathers a crowd with its interactive Ohio Ice Cream Museum, filled with old-fashioned ice cream machinery, past Velvet promotional items and other artifacts. The mill is also home to Velvet’s museum of milling, which offers a brief glimpse into the history of the industry. Guided tours of the property take visitors through the museums as well as the factory, where they can see what it takes to create more than 6 million gallons of Moose Tracks, Olde Tyme Vanilla and many more favorites each year.
Of course, families will want to finish up with a stop inside Velvet’s old-fashioned ice cream parlor for a cone, shake or sundae (just think of it as quality control). Diehard ice cream lovers should plan their trip for May 24–26 to join in the fun at the annual Utica Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Festival. We get a headache just thinking about the ice-cream-eating contest, which, along with live music, local artisans and plenty of scoops, is what makes this event a treat.