Jessie Voigts and her family l-o-v-e ice cream, and she's back with another great guest post about her most recent ice cream explorations. This time, tag along with Jessie as she visits Young's Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
If you’re anywhere near Yellow Springs, Ohio, there is plenty to see and do. One of our very favorite things to do (and worth a long drive) is to visit Young’s Dairy. It has excellent homemade ice cream, and plenty of family-friendly things to do.
It all started in 1869, with one red barn built by the Young family. The family added additional farming land and buildings over the next 100-plus years.
In 1968, the first Dairy Store opened with ice cream, a bakery and sandwiches.
My husband remembers driving to Young’s Dairy from nearby Xenia while he was growing up.
Fast forward to today, and Young’s Dairy has an entire outdoor entertainment complex. There are two mini-golf courses, a driving range, batting cage, a huge picnic pavilion for large group events, a corn maze and pick-your-own pumpkins in the fall, a kiddie corral and fast slide and, of course, a barn to explore! There is food in the main ice cream building, as well as a more formal restaurant (the Golden Jersey Inn, serving fresh homemade meals) just past the mini-golf.
First, I have to say that we are ice cream aficionados, and we search out great small ice cream places when we travel. There are plenty in our home state of Michigan, that’s for sure! But Ohio's Young’s Dairy takes ice cream to a whole new level. Young's is not just a place to get ice cream (and shop the store for food and cheese), but it's a place to PLAY.
On a hot day, it’s a great deal of fun, complete with an ice cream reward!
Last week, we spent some time on the shaded mini-golf course. The course is very clean, and while the outdoor music is a bit loud for my tastes, it was a pleasant experience.
We laughed, my knight of a husband rescued my ball from the mill pond, we avoided hitting the wandering cat with a golf ball, and we definitely worked up an appetite for some ice cream.
Once into the main (and air-conditioned) ice cream parlor, we now had the difficult task of deciding WHICH flavors to order. I highly recommend the key lime pie, but we also tried the strawberry, peach, a dark chocolate peanut butter, and mint chip. Don’t hate, there were 3 of us.
And if I could have tried more flavors, I would have. (I'd need the legendary large cow’s stomach for that!)
Well, the great thing is that you can always return to Young's and try new flavors. I know we’ll be back!
6880 Springfield-Xenia Rd
Yellow Springs, OH 45387
(937) 325-0629
Be sure to check out Jessie's previous story here about Toft's Dairy in Sandusky, Ohio and my story about classic eats in Canton, Ohio, which includes another classic ice cream parlor, Taggarts, in that state.
Jessie Voigts is the publisher of Wandering Educators, a travel resource for global educators. Love to learn about the world? Head to http://www.WanderingEducators.com
Photos and text © Jessie Voigts 2012 All rights reserved, used with permission
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