I know July was National Ice Cream month, and I had been working on this story in late June, but sometimes life gets in the way and things get put on the back burner.
Many of my readers may not be aware but I lost my husband on the 5th of July and my life has not been the same since. This story sat on my computer until today, I apologize for the late posting, but I hope you take these next few weeks to go out and enjoy some local ice cream parlours.
A few are open year round, so enjoy!
In June I posted on my Facebook page that I needed some volunteers to go and test some slippery and slimy stuff for my next story. I had a few takers even though I hadn’t told them what we would be testing.
Well, to their surprise, we spent the next four hours driving from one ice cream place to another.
It was a very fun-filled afternoon.
Thunder Bay is blessed to have so many great choices for ice cream. Some of these places not only serve ice cream, but also cakes and other frozen treats.
Despite the many great places to get ice cream inside city limits, we decided to venture out to Kakabeka Falls first.
The Shake Shoppe
The Shake Shoppe in Kakabeka has been open for 44 years. It was established by Reginald Rosengren, and his sons Reginald Jr. and Ralph now run this very successful ice cream stand.
The Shake Shoppe opens for the season during May long weekend and closes for the year on Sept. 7. They are open from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., seven days a week. Their prices are very good: a child's soft small cone is $1.75, a regular small cone is $2.25 and a large cone is $3.50.
They also serve hard ice cream in twenty different flavours and make snow storms, which are very similar to a DQ Blizzard. There are so many flavours to choose from that it can be hard to decide what you want.
They also have a variety of dips for the ice cream as well; a fan favourite during our tour was the toasted coconut, but mine is the cherry dip! Yogurt ice cream and slushies are just a few additional cool treats that they offer their customers. The Shake Shoppe also sells hamburgers, hot dogs and pogos.
Please note -- the Shake Shoppe is a CASH ONLY operation.
Ice Cream Cottage
Our next stop in Kakabeka was the Ice Cream Cottage which is run by mother-daughter team Marilyn Tenhave and Danielle Wemigwans.
The Ice Cream Cottage has been open for 6 summers now and has been a welcome addition to the community.
The Ice Cream Cottage opens during the first week in May and closes during Labour Day weekend. It is open daily from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m.
Their prices are great as well: a child's small soft cone is $3.00, a regular small cone is $3.75 and a large cone is $4.25. They serve Nestle hard ice cream in 12 different flavours. Like the other ice cream stand in Kakabeka, they also offer hamburgers, hot dogs and pogos. The Ice Cream Cottage takes cash or debit.
TJ’s
As we drove back into town we decided to stop at TJ's, located at the corner of Arthur and James Streets. TJ's is owned and operated by Cindy & Ted Slongo and has been open or 5 years. They are open from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m., seven days a week.
Last season they made the decision to remain open year-round. The prices at TJ's for soft serve ice cream are as follows: a kid’s cone is $2.14, a small cone is $2.95, a medium cone is $3.35, and a large cone is $3.75. TJ's also offers Twisters (similar to a DQ Blizzard), as well as parfaits with 8 different flavours to choose from.
TJ's is unique as they offer over 36 soft flavours of soft ice cream, plus the original vanilla, chocolate or twist (chocolate & vanilla). With those 36 flavours you can mix and match to have more than 50 different flavours.
TJ's carries 24 different hard ice creams made by Chapmans, as well as many premade ice cream treats and their delicious ice cream cakes. I am sure if you stop at TJ’s you will be pleasantly surprised by the variety of ice creams, cakes and other goodies you can purchase. TJ's takes cash or debit.
Mik’s Concession
Since we were already in Fort William, we headed over to Mik's Concession at 113 West Frederica Street. Mik's started out as an ice cream/slush food truck and has been open one summer.
This summer they are parked over on Frederica Street in front of their store front where they offer take-out only, they are hoping to add seating next year. Mik's is owned by Monica Kramer.
They offer a variety of soft ice cream, a regular cone is, $2.49 and a waffle cone is $3.49. Monica likes to make her signature drink, a Mik's Mix, which is a slushie with ice cream in it. Mik's Mix is new and Monica has stated she has many great things in store for her customers to come in and try.
Mik's Concession is open noon to 8pm from Tuesday to Sunday, and closed on Monday's. Check out Mik's Concession webpage at www.miksconcessions.com. Mik's Concession takes only cash.
Merla Mae
One of the oldest operating ice cream places in Thunder Bay is Merla Mae--a traditional staple in Thunder Bay that has a reputation even outside of the city. Merla Mae has been open for 64 years, making it the longest running ice cream shop in Thunder Bay and the surrounding area.
Merla Mae is located on Memorial Avenue, across from the old Perth’s dry cleaners. Merla Mae has been owned by Pasquali Nardi for the last 15 years. It is the original home of Thunder Bay's first Soft Twist Cone (chocolate & vanilla). Merla Mae opens when the weather permits, usually during the first or second weekend in May and runs until the weather gets too cold to remain open, often in late September. Merla Mae is open from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m., seven days a week.
Merla Mae offers only two flavours of soft ice cream, vanilla and twist. A small cone is $3.10, a medium cone is $3.55 and a large cone is $4.05.
They also offer 10 different flavours of hard ice cream. Merla Mae is also unique in the city, as they make all of their ice cream in-house. They also offer dairy-free and gluten-free ice cream in 5 different flavours, called gelato. Like the two Kakabeka ice cream shops, Merla Mae also offers hamburgers, hot dogs and pogos.
Merla Mae takes cash or debit.
Now, there are many other small local corner stores that also sell ice cream. One is North End Variety, at the corner of Shuniah and Huron Avenue. With over 20 different flavours of hard ice cream, it’s a great place to stop, as well.
Club Cappucino on Arthur Street, next to East Coast Lobster, also has 8 flavours of ice cream for those looking for an eat-in place and they serve gelato as well.
Cozy Corner, at 1485 John Street Road, offers 8 flavours of soft ice cream, as well as 8 flavours of hard ice cream. They also make sundaes, milkshakes and twisters.
Crystal Beach Variety, out Lakeshore Drive, also offers a variety of hard ice cream.
No matter where you chose to go, ice cream is a great treat to beat the heat (or to keep in the summer mood as autumn approaches!). Enjoy your special place with your family or friends.
Learn more about Thunder Bay dining visit the Thunder Bay Dining Facebook page. For more on the Dining Lady, checkout this website.
