Beat the Heat, Eat Ice Cream

Want to cool off and give yourself a treat? Take a trip to one of these local ice cream shops, including favorites from Suffield Patch's Moms Council, and indulge.

• Wilma's Scoop Du Jour; 122 Mountain Road, Suffield

Wilma's Scoop Du Jour offers indoor and outdoor seating, hard and soft ice cream and dozens of other frozen treats.

Olivia Longley was serving patrons on Wednesday night, making milkshakes, sundaes and cones. She said cotton candy and birthday cake ice cream are big with kids, while adults go for moose tracks and cappuccino crunch. The shop has about 25 flavors of Hershey's ice cream on its menu.

Scoop Du Jour is easy to find in downtown Suffield's CVS plaza and in walking distance of Town Hall, Kent Memorial Library and most of the restaurants in town.

• Smyth's Ice Cream Stand; 75 Hazard Ave., Enfield

has served Enfield and surrounding towns since 1977, providing frozen treats from a colorful walk-up window. Benches in the sun and seats in the shade are somewhat shielded from the traffic on Route 190.

Dipped cones, banana boats, milkshakes and flurry-style blended treats populate the menu at Smyth's. Sarah Manzone, daughter of founder Charles Manzone, pointed out one especially enjoyable choice.

"Our Italian ice is the best in town," she said.

Smyth's is easily accessed from Palomba Drive and can be overlooked from the Hazard Avenue. Make the left onto Palomba Drive from Hazard Avenue heading east – Smyth's is on the left.

• Dairy Cream, 395 Ella Grasso Turnpike, Windsor Locks

is known for soft serve, milkshakes and views of planes taking off and landing across the street at Bradley International Airport.

Benches in the open and beneath trees, along with an ample amount of open space, give customers room to enjoy their dipped cones and sundaes. The shop even offers hot dogs for customers looking for a more savory snack.

The parking lot was filled during Wednesday's evening rush but customers received quick service.

Easily accessible from both the highway and back roads, Dairy Cream's understated exterior offers a diversified and enjoyable menu.

• Tail Winds Ice Cream, Old County Road, Windsor Locks

A small, stand-alone shop, Tail Winds is set back from the road but lit up with Christmas lights, lanterns and a luminescent sign.

Tail Winds has hard and soft ice cream, shakes, sundaes and flavor and topping mix ins. The shop features hard ice cream from the Gran-Val Scoop, made at the Brown family dairy farm in Granville, MA.

Tail Winds had a long queue during Wednesday's post-dinner rush and customers need cash to make a purchase, but the line consistently moved and customers eagerly ate their purchases.