Anne's Dairy Drive In Orange, MA

 

360 E Main St, Orange, MA 01364

(978) 544-2093

Facebook link  Their FB account is usually updated regarding hours, early closings, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

       

             This was opening day and we got there about 30 minutes after they opened.

 

  Somebody had been counting down!

 

 

They do get busier.  This was on a Sunday close to opening day so a lot of people came out.

 

I discovered Anne's ice cream place in Orange, MA a few years ago when my wife and I were out gallivanting. There were two ice cream places very close to each other and we had chosen to visit the other place a few times.  On a subsequent trip up to the Orange area, we discovered to our dismay that "our" place was closed.  So we decided to try out Anne's (which everyone, including us, calls Annie's) and we have been hooked ever since.  

Our favorite places depends upon how far we want to drive, with Mr. Cone on Granby Road our closest favorite, followed by Cindy's on Route 202 in Granby.  When we are willing to drive about 40 miles and make an event of it, our favorite is "Annie's".  We also like it there because they have a good selection of food, including fried clams and homemade onion rings.

 

           

         A picture is worth 1000 words.  We shared this clam strips meal and had plenty.

 

A few years ago I took two of my grandsons to the Community Boat House for a night kayaking paddle on the Miller River.  A local sporting goods store, Trail Head Outfitters and General Store, had sponsored one of the events including food afterwards and we helped ourselves to homemade chili, hot dogs, chips, etc.  I felt obligated to go by Annie's after the food so I could buy my grandson the largest small ice cream cone that I have ever seen. And of course it would be rude to make him eat alone so I had one too.  It comes close to being the unpardonable sin, I couldn't finish the cone and had.....to throw some of it away.  

That is how big the cones are, so order accordingly. If you have eaten the seafood platter, you might want to skip the ice cream this time!

A fair number of bikers stop by as they often do at such places during warm weather.  Annie's is a very family oriented place.  There is a big grassy area out back and plenty of room for kids to play.  It is also close to the river with a short "tunnel" under the railroad tracks leading to an area where you can pull your canoe or kayak ashore and walk over for ice cream.

For those interested in paddling, be sure to visit Billy Goat Boats  at the Orange Community Boat House where you can rent canoes, kayaks, paddle boats and paddle boards.

If you want to do some further exploring while you are in the area, continue on to Tully Lake in Royalston.  It is a great lake to paddle (with restrictions against larger motor boats), beautiful picnic sites, some islands to explore, a frisbee golf course, a hiking trail around it, and a waterfall on the backside. Camping is available and if you want to paddle further up the river, you can do that from the backside.

 

 

How Many Cooleyville Roads Are There?

 

 

 

 

I have traveled Route 202 North from Belchertown toward the Route 2, Orange-Athol area many times.  In fact one of my favorite ice cream places is in Orange.  Maybe that is why I have been on that road so many times!

Every time I am headed that way I am always amazed at how many signs there are for Cooleyville Road. You see a sign and road on the right side of 202, then shortly you see a sign and road off the left side of 202.  Then a few miles further, you will see the same thing, then again further up.

 I think there are 8 signs for Cooleyville between Belechertown and the turnoff for Orange.  When I am in that area on a scooter ride, I like to take the backroad Route 2A, through Wendell Depot and Wendell Center.  If you take a left turn right in the middle of Wendell Center, you will be on.......you guessed it, Cooleyville Road which will lead you back to Route 202, near New Salem.

Where, you ask, do all these roads lead?  Several of the first ones are very short loops and just cross 202, run parallel to it then cross back over. They are all gravel except the one in Wendell Center.  We explored one of these Cooleyville Roads and maybe we went onto an unnamed branch off it or maybe just an extension of the same road.  Either way, it went way back into the wilderness where, believe it or not, there are quite a few houses.  After following it for a couple of miles, the road was getting steeper and more rugged so we turned around when we got the chance and made our way out.  

I still want to discover where it goes.  Does it come back out on 202? Does it connect to another country road?  Does it dead end? Is there a pot of gold at the end?  A beanstalk?

So I think there are 8 Cooleyville Road signs on Route 202 and one more off Route 2A in Wendell.  Check them out the next time you are in the area and be glad you are not the mailman for Cooleyville Road!

Country Creemee (Ice Cream) Turners Falls, MA

 

 52 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA 01376

 (413) 863-3529

Current hours 11 AM to 8 PM 

Currently there is no indoor dining. 

 

A couple of years ago my wife and I were in Greenfield for the closing of a longtime popular department store.  After shopping and waiting in long lines to get some bargains, we decided to get some ice cream and relax awhile. We found one small place on Main street that had very limited flavors and none that appealed to me at the time.  We kept walking around until we found Snow's Ice Cream only to discover that they manufacture ice cream but do not sell it.  However, they did recommend a place in nearby Turners Falls.  That place with the odd name, Country Creemee, has become one of our favorite places.

During the pandemic we were anxious to get out on Sunday afternoons and this was a good destination.  In addition to ice cream, they serve homemade soups, and delicious sandwiches including one of my favorites, BLT.  

It is located at the corner of a building at Avenue A.  Currently only outside service is available so you go up the stairs to place your order at the window, then step down to await your order and allow others to order.  Prices are reasonable and the ice cream portions are huge.  If you order a small (which I recommend), you will think they mistakenly gave you a medium at least!  There are small tables and chairs along the sidewalk on both sides.  Across the street are picnic tables which are also available.

 It is a popular place and can go from no line to a big line in nothing flat but it goes down pretty fast and people are friendly and polite.

In addition to this ice cream spot, Turners Falls has a lot of old brick buildings and factories along the canal.  A short walk will also bring you to the river where you can sit under the trees and relax. It is an interesting town.  I recommend that you do some walking around and discovering while you are there.

I have posted other information on the area, here: More About Turners Falls

You can just barely see one of the tables along the sidewalk.  Others are around the corner along that sidewalk.

The order window is right on the corner of the building. Step up, order.  Step down while they prepare your order and take the next in line.  Step back up to receive your order when it is ready.

 

 I put this water bottle in the picture so you could get a sense of the size of these small ice cream cups. They are each two pretty large scoops. 

 

Hopefully I can add additional pictures soon.

Cindy's Drive In (Ice Cream) Granby, MA

 Cindy's Drive In

455 E Granby Road

Granby, MA 01033 

They are currently open from 11 AM to 8 PM

413-467- 9866

 

 

Cindy's has been my favorite ice cream place for a long time for several reasons.  First is the setting.  It is located in Granby, MA near the former St. Hyacinth Seminary and has a huge grassy area behind it. There is plenty of room, a nice country feel, lots of parking, lots of picnic tables and a playground for kids.  The oldies music playing in the background certainly gives it a 60's vibe as well as the 67 Chevy with cutouts for you to pose with. In fact they call themselves, the "Original" 1950's Drive In.  I think you will enjoy Cindy's!

They have reasonable prices and if you want more than ice cream, they have several burger and hot dog meals.  They serve both soft and hard ice cream.  It is a great place for kids. In addition to the playground, there is just a lot of room for them to safely run around in the fields behind the store.  They even have bean bag toss games.

Click the link to see their extensive menu:  Cindy's Menu.

Cindy's is a very family oriented place.

They have large areas  roped off to provide safe distancing.

Hard to see the menu from here but there is a link directly to their website.

Cindy's Menu

There is limited inside seating but I am not sure if they have opened them up due to Covid precautions.

Lots of seating options.

Lots of variety.

 

This is a pretty big serving to be a "small"!

 

Several combo meals come with fries and a drink.

Collins Creamery Ice Cream

Collins Creamery is located in a country setting near the Hazardville section of Enfield, Connecticut about 2 miles off Route 190.  It is very peaceful and sits up on a hill where you can see rolling countryside nearby and as one of their signs advertises, "On the quiet side of town."  They specialize in ice cream so be aware that other food items like hamburgers and such, are not available.

They are located very near the Scantic River Hiking Trail so you may want to make an outing of it and visit both places.  It might be more practical to have ice cream first so you can hike off some of those calories!  Their ice cream is very creamy and rich.

Address:  9 Powder Hill Road, Enfield, CT 06082

Phone:  860-749-8663

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Collins-Creamery-262357045256/about/?ref=page_internal

 

  

Lots of picnic tables nearby both in the sun and in the shade. 

 

                     

I believe they make their own ice cream.  It is very rich and creamy!

 

This is a pleasant place with lots of room.  You can see playground equipment for the kids.

 

Lots of open space and great relaxing views.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Collins Creamery is just a nice place to relax!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turners Falls Massachusetts

 Have you ever been to Turners Falls, Massachusetts?  Is it close to Montague?  Is is part of Montague? I have never been clear on that until yesterday.  After lunch and ice cream at Country Creemee, one of our favorite places in Turners Falls,  I finally found out.  As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. I was still confused by the street sign, but   looking closely at the sign to the left of the doorway of their Town Hall building you see the Town of Montague is made up of the villages of:

Turners Falls

                                                      Millers Falls 

                                                      Lake Pleasant

                                                      Montague Center

                                                      Montague City

You can read about the histories of each here:https://www.montague-ma.gov/p/20/History-of-the-Five-Villages-of-Montague

According to Wikipedia, the village of Turners Falls was founded in 1868 as a planned industrial community according to the plan of Alvah Crocker, a prominent man from Fitchburg who envisioned in the immense power of the waterfalls the means of establishing a great city. Crocker was influenced by other, earlier and successful experiments in Lowell and elsewhere. Crocker's vision was to attract industry to the town by offering cheap hydropower that was made by the harnessing of the Connecticut River, through the construction of a dam and canal. His development concept was to sell mill sites along the power canal to those companies and to sell individual building lots to mill workers who would come to work in the mills.

This sign certainly doesn't clarify which community you are in!

Look closely at the sign on the Town Hall building and you will see the answer.

 

This picture shows the mills upon which this village was designed around. The water was channeled to provide power.  These buildings look like an island out in the water.

 

The Shea movie theater was built in 1927 and has since served as a venue for a variety of entertainment from local to touring talent. https://sheatheater.org/p/7/The-History-of-the-Shea-Theater-TF-MA

 

Along Main Street. 

The main street has a lot of brick structures.

This building has been converted into The Great Falls Discovery Center.

https://greatfallsdiscoverycenter.org/about-the-center-2/ 

This appears to have been a warehouse on this side of the canal.

It is my understanding that most of these mills are not used now.  The most recent which may still be in operation is the the one in the distance with the bridge attached.

A very nice bike path runs along the river.

Petersham Massachusetts

II am always amazed at the beauty of the small New England towns that are built around the village "green" or common. Petersham, Massachusetts is one of those places.  I have passed through this quiet Westerm Mass. village many times but did not know of its historical significance until now. Neither did I know until today, via Wikipedia, that the proper pronunciation is Peter's Ham.

 

I did not know that Shay's Rebellion ended here.  Neither did I know that as the plaque states, ...."This victory for the forces of government influenced the Philadelphia Convention which three months later met and formed the Constitution of the United States".  Who knew that this beautiful little town played such a significant part in the history of our country?  See picture of the plaque below.

 

I would strongly recommend a visit to this pleasant place.

Wikipedia also provides the following information.

 Petersham was first settled by Europeans in 1733 and was officially incorporated on April 20, 1754. On February 4, 1787, it was the site of the second battle of Shays' Rebellion. The town is noted for its common, part of the Petersham Common Historic District. About 45 buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Country Store, an 1842 Greek Revival structure that has housed a general store on its main floor since its opening, sits just to the East of the common.

The town's lands were expanded greatly by the building of the Quabbin Reservoir in 1938. When the towns of the Swift River Valley were disincorporated, Petersham and neighboring New Salem benefited the most, with Petersham receiving all of the former town of Dana, much of the town of Greenwich, and a small portion of the former town of Prescott east of the Middle Branch of the Swift River. Its modern southwestern borders lie along the former East and Middle branches of the Swift River, and includes lands that were once part of Hampshire County.

See more info from Wikipedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petersham,_Massachusetts

  ^{https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMFHGN_Shays_Rebellion_The_Battle_of_Petersham_Petersham_MA}

^{More about Shays's Rebellion from www.britannica.com} 

Shays’s Rebellion, (August 1786–February 1787), uprising in western Massachusetts in opposition to high taxes and stringent economic conditions. Armed bands forced the closing of several courts to prevent execution of foreclosures and debt processes. In September 1786 Daniel Shays and other local leaders led several hundred men in forcing the Supreme Court in Springfield to adjourn. Shays led a force of about 1,200 men in an attack (January 1787) on the federal arsenal at Springfield, which was repulsed. Pursued by the militia, on February 4 he was decisively defeated at Petersham and fled to Vermont. As a result of the rebellion, the Massachusetts legislature enacted laws easing the economic condition of debtors. Though small in scale and easily repressed, Shays’s action became, for some, a persuasive argument for a stronger and conservative national government, thereby contributing to the movement for the Constitutional Convention.

 

Horse Caves     At the base of Mount Norwottuck, in the Holyoke Range near Amherst, is a rock formation known as Horse Caves.  These are a group of overhanging ledges with some good scrambling and people sized cracks to explore. The Horse Caves are also a site of historical significance, dating back to Shays’s rebellion in 1787, when Massachusetts farmers revolted against crushing taxation by the Massachusetts government. It is said that some of the farmers camped at the Horse Caves after being defeated by the Massachusetts Militia.  I have been with a group that hiked there to see the "caves".

 

 

 

 

View of the beautiful, peaceful, Petersham common.

 

This well maintained building borders the common.

There are many beautiful, well maintained homes in this community.

 

One of the churches bordering the green.

 

View of the Country Store from the green

The Petersham Country Store was built in 1840 and I believe has been operated as a store continuously since then.  http://petershamstore.com/index.html

This gazebo is to the left of the green as looking from the Country Store.

A memorial was erected in the town in 1927 by the New England Society of Brooklyn, New York. The memorial commemorates General Benjamin Lincoln, who raised 3,000 troops and routed the rebellion on February 4, 1787. 

 

For those who may not be able to read directly from the plaque, the words are shown below.

IN THIS TOWN
ON SUNDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY FOURTH
1787
DANIEL SHAYS
AND ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY OF HIS FOLLOWERS
IN REBELLION AGAINST THE COMMONWEALTH
WEE SURPRISED AND ROUTED BY
GENERAL BENJAMIN LINCOLN
IN COMMAND OF THE ARMY OF MASSACHUSETTS
AFTER A NIGHT MARCH FROM HADLEY
OF THIRTY MILES THROUGH SNOW
IN COLD BELOW ZERO.
THIS VICTORY
FOR THE FORCES OF GOVERNMENT
INFLUENCED THE PHILADELPHIA CONVENTION
WHICH THREE MONTHS LATER
MET AND FORMED
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
----------
OBEDIENCE TO LAW IS TRUE LIBERTY
----------
ERECTED BY THE NEW ENGLAND SOCIETY
OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
AS A GIFT TO
THE PETERSHAM HISTORICAL SOCIETY

 

Janine's Ice Cream Take 2

 I first visited Janine's back in 2013 and started a post but somehow never got it finished.  It was and remains a very popular place.  It is the type of place old time bikers like to visit.  That doesn't mean it is a rowdy place.  Just the opposite.  On the weekends they feature music under a tent and lots of families are gathered around.  Cleanest bathrooms you have ever seen.

Right now they are on limited hours 4-8 PM because it is so early in the season.  Soon when schools and colleges are out, summer staff will be available and they will be very busy!

Janine's Frostee (Western Mass Ice Cream Places)

Today's featured ice cream place is Janine's Frostee located on Route 9/32N just a little outside of Ware, MA.  It sits off the main road so if you miss the sign and turnoff, you wouldn't even know it is there.  The entrance driveway  is parallel to the main road.  Once there it is like a little city full of activity.  It is not just a a place for ice cream and fast food...this place is a destination.  The owner is very civic minded and promotes a family friendly atmosphere.

To the right of the building is a colorful tent where FREE live music performances are held. I think they are mostly on the weekend but the website has a schedule of all the activities including car shows and other charity events.

Here's the owner's picture without customers.  Gives you a good view of the covered seating area to the right.

 

 

 

Here it is with customers.