The Going Out for Ice Cream Poll

[Ginevra]

I'm curious about this, having just returned from a weekend at the family beach house with various in-laws. We had an absolute feast in the evening. Very enjoyable. Afterwards, the rumor was a few of the kids were trying to get the dads on board with going out (by boat) to get ice cream. (Not the first time this has happened there.) I would not say I was opposed to it per se, but it is a little odd to me because I literally never think of that or do it. What I mean is, if we are out and about one day in the summer, sure, we might stop for ice creams, however, once we are home - especially after we just ate a big dinner - it would never enter my mind to get in the car (or boat) and drive somewhere to buy ice creams. Maybe if we lived a short walk away from an ice cream stand, possibly we would, but otherwise, never even think of it.

 

(Not that it matters, but what actually happened in the end was SIL went to the grocery store and bought several kinds of ice cream and the kids had those.)

 

I'm just curious how common this is. Do you often, seldom, or never leave the house to go have a dessert somewhere else after a meal?

[Guest]

We would pretty much never do that but we are very frugal. Maybe once a year do the kids have icecream out with us, usually as a reward of fun thing after a big activity like a recital. My inlaws take the kids every few months on the way back home to us but it's still rare.

 

We don't eat much dessert, and almost never pay for it exclusively. Dessert is something someone makes or icecream that was on sale at the store. And that's super infrequently. Driving out to get dessert is kind of weird to me just because we wouldn't think to ever do it either - too much money and time, both!

[regentrude]

I have never have done that, but I almost always have ice cream in the freezer. Ice cream is a staple in this house.

 

My teens, yes - they might go out with friends, for the social aspect of it.

Edited September 5, 2016 by regentrude

[happymom4]

We rarely have dessert around here (dh is a healthy eating freak of nature) so we would never make a special trip to go get some.

[Arcadia]

We can walk to buy ice cream from Safeway supermarket or Cold Stone Creamery. If we are eating out, we just make a pit stop to buy ice cream on the way home.

[hjffkj]

Well it is common to do something like that on a beach trip one night. The atmosphere is just perfect for ice cream. The crisp salty breeze coming off the ocean and an ice cream cone can't be beat some nights. But while not on vacation,never.

[Guest]

We would pretty much never do that but we are very frugal. Maybe once a year do the kids have icecream out with us, usually as a reward of fun thing after a big activity like a recital. My inlaws take the kids every few months on the way back home to us but it's still rare.

 

We don't eat much dessert, and almost never pay for it exclusively. Dessert is something someone makes or icecream that was on sale at the store. And that's super infrequently. Driving out to get dessert is kind of weird to me just because we wouldn't think to ever do it either - too much money and time, both!

That's pretty much my take on it, too. It seemed a little weird to me, but apparently the cousins had some experience with this because they asked. I don't think my kids would ever even *think* to ask this, lol, because they know this is something I would never come up with of my own accord.

[ikslo]

No, because of food allergies. But we probably would if we could. We used to go out for Rita's a lot, until they started serving peanuts. :(

[happypamama]

When we are at the beach or otherwise vacationing/visiting somewhere, we might. Sometimes it's just fun to eat ice cream somewhere else, have someone else make it, try local ice cream, etc. This happens maybe once or twice a year. Too expensive otherwise. But when ice cream is on sale, a few times a year, I will buy several cartons, which lasts is a few days. (I mean, really, Turkey Hill was on sale, and I got six cartons for ten dollars -- that's a steal! But I had to buy six to get the deal.)

 

My kids (ahem, okay, me too) do not consider it to be a real trip to DH's and my alma mater if we don't stop at the Creamery for giant ice cream cones. Mint chocolate chip in a carton just doesn't compare to their Bittersweet Mint.

[creekland]

We never go out for ice cream when we're at home.  It's far less expensive to have ice cream we bought from the store and we're pretty darn frugal at home to save money for traveling.

 

When we travel... that's when we'll visit ice cream places, but not if we've cooked at our campsite or room - only if we're otherwise out.  Being able to eat what we want when we want is part of traveling for us.

[marbel]

We are discussing this very subject in my house right now.

 

We had a fun family outing today and thought about going out to eat but the timing was such that it made more sense to come home and eat leftovers.  Everyone is OK with that, but since we had thought about stopping for ice cream after dinner... now there is sort of an urge to go out.  

 

I don't know how it will end.  My prediction is that my girl will want desperately to go, my husband and son won't (once home, why leave again? - plus there's time to watch a tv show together) and I will be stuck in the middle trying to please everyone.

 

We often have ice cream at home but once in a while we get the mood for something more interesting than what we get at the store.  I would not buy Almond Joy ice cream in the store, because I'd be the only one eating it, but I'd love a cone of it every now and then.  (Plus, I wouldn't have to share with my husband because he despises coconut.)

 

:-)

 

ETA: Dinner's over.  Everyone agreed that going out would be a dumb idea.   But, I'm sure we'll go out for ice cream before too long; that thought will linger till it's satisfied.

Edited September 5, 2016 by marbel

[happypamama]

We probably would not drive out to get dessert, just because. We'd make dessert here. The exception is there is a local pub whose food is okay, but they have GIANT slices of cake. So huge that I cannot finish it in one or even two sittings. A hefty slice of mint chocolate cake with ganache and the whole works. DH and I like to go out for dates for special occasions, and multiple times, we have gone one place for dinner and then driven to this pub for dessert, bringing a large portion home.

 

Also, around here, Perkins has a great deal where pie or appetizers are half price after a certain point in the evening, so it makes a nice place to get together with friends to chat, or it would make an easy and inexpensive evening date. Everyone gets the dessert they want, and no effort, no dishes, no kids.

[heartlikealion]

This is how things with dessert usually work here

 

We have dessert in the house already (ice-cream, cookies, etc.)

We are out and about and get a dessert (doesn't have to be around a meal time. Frosties were 50 cents the other day)

We are out and order dessert inside the same restaurant where we just ate a meal or swing through a drive-thru for dessert if we're adamant about it

 

But leave the house after a home meal to get ice-cream? That would be very rare, like something I'd see myself doing if I was visiting with family and it was a nice excuse to get out of the house and socialize with just a few of the crowd. And even then, I'd have to weigh whether or not I was that hungry/interested. An actual ice-cream shop is a place I'd normally go to not immediately following a meal. I feel like I can enjoy it more if I haven't just eaten a whole meal.

[AimeeM]

Fairly frequently we drive out for ice cream. We have a couple ice cream stands (one local to our small town and another that is a chain) within 10 minutes (driving) of our house. I especially enjoy the local ice cream stand in our small downtown. 

[Spryte]

On vacation - maybe more frequently. We didn't do it for years, and then figured out that DS can take his own treat or be happy with a root beer (we don't do soda, normally), so now we do it on vacation to watch the sunset over the water and hang out.

 

At home, not really. Maybe after a mid day cookout.

[wapiti]

Dh says the success of the vacation is directly proportional to the amount of ice cream consumed.  This seems to apply even moreso for a beach vacation.  

 

Not on vacation, we don't often leave the house specifically to go out for ice cream after dinner, maybe once or twice per year.  However, we almost always have it in the house, and if we don't, dh might go to the grocery after dinner.

[kbutton]

Ice cream is our exception--we won't really go out for dessert except for ice cream (or an actual date).

 

Where I grew up, ice creams stands were all over, and the price of ice cream is significantly cheaper there than other places even now. You also get much bigger servings--a small there is a like a large almost anyplace else I've ever been, regardless of ice cream shop. And many places are not big shops--some are basically sheds with an air conditioning and electricity, and they are open only during the summer--basically the ice cream version of a roadside fruit or veggie stand. Some times during the evening, the lines are twenty people deep even at a stand out in the middle of the nowhere cornfield. It's still cheaper to buy a tub there, but not by all that much, and it's nice to walk to places in town (you always see people you know), or to get a ride out into the countryside (count the bears you see, etc.). You can also get a lot of variety in soft serve and things that don't come out of a tub. 

 

It's not cheap entertainment here, but the habit has stuck. We just go less often.

[Guest]

On vacation - maybe more frequently. We didn't do it for years, and then figured out that DS can take his own treat or be happy with a root beer (we don't do soda, normally), so now we do it on vacation to watch the sunset over the water and hang out.

 

At home, not really. Maybe after a mid day cookout.

Well now if someone had thrown in a sunset over the bay, I'd be all over that, but the sun had already gone down so...

[nd293]

We occasionally drive down to the beachfront for an ice cream, or hunt down Baskin Robbins. It is always framed as a "special treat" though, and not necessarily after a meal - it might be after school in the late afternoon, for instance, or instead of lunch on the weekend.

[ScoutTN]

Perhaps, at the beach. But not usually after dinner in, no matter where we are. We are on a tight budget and ice cream out is crazy expensive for what you get. My kids would rather have good ice cream at home several times than go out once!

[EmseB]

I love to do this! We don't do it often because of distance and babies and cost, but it's a super fun treat and the kids love a surprise every now and then.

[Guest]

No, because of food allergies. But we probably would if we could. We used to go out for Rita's a lot, until they started serving peanuts. :(

That stinks. :(

 

I can't comfortably eat ice cream due to lactose intolerance, so it's not a heck of a lot of fun to me anyway, but even before the LI issue, it just wasn't something that occurred to me often.

[Caroline]

We would go out for ice cream. On vacation, sometimes we have ice cream for dinner. My parents, now retired, have ice cream for dinner every Sunday. They are so predictable, that sometimes my sisters or I will call the ice cream place and pay for their ice cream in advance.

[heartlikealion]

That stinks. :(

 

I can't comfortably eat ice cream due to lactose intolerance, so it's not a heck of a lot of fun to me anyway, but even before the LI issue, it just wasn't something that occurred to me often.

 

Yeah, it's a bit of a gamble for me to eat it. I have stopped eating at certain places because as I get older I think I am less tolerant (or they changed their ingredients). I will no longer eat at Dairy Queen or Sonic. McDonald's sundaes are still safe as is some store bought ice-cream in moderation. When I want to play it really safe I'll buy the lactose-free variety but flavors are limited.

 

Side note, dh will not eat ice-cream inside an ice-cream shop LOL. It gets all over his beard and it's a disaster.

[Rebel Yell]

Other.

On vacation , going by boat to get ice cream would be fun, a really cool memory.

 

We do not have much in the budget for dinners out. We'd be much more likely to go get a carton of really good ice cream and Hershey syrup and bring it home.

 

If going out for ice cream just had to happen, it would be Wendys junior frostys.

 

Going out just for dessert would be a rare thing, like for a birthday or a special accomplishment.

 

But I don't think it's weird, I do wish we had more freedom in the budget to do fun things like that.

[alisoncooks]

When we go to the beach, we do go out for ice cream pretty often.  Or fudge.  Or something.

 

When at home, no, never.  (But we do keep a gallon in the fridge, as well as a "toppings bar" in a container and the girls love to make sundaes.)

[QueenCat]

On vacation, yes. Now that we've moved near the best ice cream I've ever had, about once a month.

[The Girls' Mom]

We do it often enough that I wouldn't find it unusual.  We have a wonderful little ice cream shop about 10 minutes from home.  We've also taken guests there after dinner.  

 

 

[Noreen Claire]

I chose 'other' because we do live a 5-minute walk from a fabulous ice cream stand and we are known to walk there after dinner maybe a half-dozen times per summer. The kids ask more often, but they know that it is a treat so they don't fuss too much if we say no.

[cjzimmer1]

I get cold eating ice cream even if it's 90 degrees outside so I would never consider eating ice cream at night. The only time I've ever bought ice cream out like that is on an extremely hot afternoon and we had some activity that kept us out in that weather for a long period, then we might stop on the way home. But never a special trip out- that's way too much effort.

[Jan in SC]

Absolutely- we usually go out to dinner when we're at the beach. Then we go play jungle golf, or go to the pier and listen to a band. We almost always get the kids ice cream at night. Even if we buy seafood and cook it, unless it's raining, we don't stay at the house or condo all night. (Well, maybe one night for games.)

[Jane in NC]

When my son was younger, we would sometimes walk or bike for an ice cream treat after dinner.

 

For the last five years or so, I have treated a group of girls to ice cream for lunch--a once a year kind of thing. We all really look forward to it.

[Tap]

We almost never buy ice cream in an ice cream shop. It is a common thing to do after swim meets though, so we did end up with ice cream gift cards over the years (prizes from coaches).  We used the gift cards and never went back.  

 

I know it is a pretty common treat for people, considering how many ice cream shops there are.  Between Cold Stone, Baskin Robins and a few local places, there are 4 shops within 5 miles from my home.  I live on the edge of a city, so not unpopluated, but not urban either. 

 

We almost always have ice cream in the house, and quite often have 4+ flavors.  Ice cream is a common desert in my house.  We just don't buy it by the scoop...tooo expensive.

 
 

Edited September 5, 2016 by Tap

[wendy not in HI]

We recently moved to a small town with a really cute mom and pop ice cream place.  We have gone there several times after dinner, because it feels like "community".  People chatting in line, people sitting outdoors at picnic tables visiting.  It just feels nice, and the ice cream's not bad either.  We rarely have ice cream at home.

 

We had about 3 weeks of company in August, and we took everyone to the little ice cream place.  The teens met up with friends there several times also.

 

We went to the OBX in the spring and went for ice cream one night, then watched the sunset while eating our cones.  Ice cream and vacation go hand in hand for us.

[Caroline]

When my son was younger, we would sometimes walk or bike for an ice cream treat after dinner.

 

For the last five years or so, I have treated a group of girls to ice cream for lunch--a once a year kind of thing. We all really look forward to it.

I would like to invite myself to be part of your group of girls. Just kidding. Maybe.

 

:)

[Joker]

We rarely have ice cream in the freezer here. We don't do it often but it's not something I consider unusual. We usually don't on weeknights when there is school but we've been known to drive just down the road to Ritter's or Culver's for frozen custard in the summer or a weekend night after dinner. 

[HRAAB]

The only time we would do that is when we are on vacation.  At home, no.  However, during the summer there is usually ice cream in the freezer.  Buying individual ice creams for everyone is expensive.  It's so much cheaper to buy ice and toppings and have it more than once at home.

[catz]

From our home as a family of 4, rarely to never.  We do have a corner store walking distance that sets out an ice cream stand in the summer in the evenings!  We also have a couple fantastic ice cream shops in range.  So we do go out for ice cream sometimes.  But more typically when we are out anyway.   Like to celebrate after a kid's recital or performance.  We probably don't average that more than once a month.  We are not huge dessert people.  I rarely have ice cream in my freezer at home.  We pretty much never get dessert when we go out to eat at a restaurant.

 

On vacation or with friends/relatives, etc - wouldn't be unusual at all. 

 

I was on a youth tour with my son to Italy this summer.  I swear there were days some of the teens had gelato 4X+.  ROFL.  Including my own kid who was in charge of his own cash on the trip.

Edited September 5, 2016 by WoolySocks

[Pawz4me]

Sure, we would do it on vacation.

 

Or rather DH and the boys would -- I'm not a huge ice cream eater and don't care for sweets in general, so it likely would never occur to me. But they would definitely suggest going out to get some at least once even on a very short vacation. At home we likely wouldn't go out just for ice cream, mostly because we always have some in the freezer. But if we'd been out to eat or doing errands and they wanted some they'd stop.

[Annie G]

Our town has an independent ice cream place and in the evenings it's mobbed. It's the place to go to get ice cream, see neighbors, let kids run and play. They have outdoor seating and there is a small park right next door. Generally the line is out the door.  

 

We usually go once or twice a year. We went once this year and since it's Labor Day, I guess the season is over.  They have really great ice cream and it's reasonably priced. But by the time dinner is over, I'm not really interested in getting back out. 

 

Plus, it's under a mile away so it's too close for me to justify driving, but walking or biking down there is a hard sell to the three others who live here. 

 

We generally eat individual cups of rainbow sherbet for dessert.  Light, defined portions, can stay in the freezer until I want one. 

[DawnM]

Not only do we not do that, but we very rarely drive from our house to go out to eat. Eating out is for when we are already out and can't get a meal together in a reasonable amount of time if we go home, or we aren't gong home anytime soon.

[Anne in CA]

Since this is a home school board I will share. I bribed my children sometimes. If you did a whole textbook, a whole one, you could request any desert on the day you were done. So, my kids often requested a diner a few blocks away with wonderful but extremely expensive milkshakes. So, on those occasions we did have dessert out.

[Alice]

On vacation it would seem less unusual to me, at home it would be very weird for us. We almost always have ice cream in the freezer. 

[Jane in NC]

I would like to invite myself to be part of your group of girls. Just kidding. Maybe.

:)

You would be welcome!

[FaithManor]

Occasionally and especially when we have out of town guests. There is a gas station about 10 miles from here that does absolutely huge cones or sundaes of hand dipped ice cream. I do not know what company's ice cream, but is really fantastic. They have a big reputation for it and lots of nice people stop for cones so it is fun to visit at the picnic tables outside.

[TABmom]

I voted frequently- but not once/week. We have a couple of seasonal ice cream places around here and they're all busy all the time! There's one that is a mile away most of which is along a river, so we sometimes walk there in the evening. Sometimes the kids and I walk there in the afternoon without dh. It's mostly a summer thing though. During the school year, I often go to Culver's with a friend while our kids are at Awana.

 

ETA: I almost never buy ice cream for home. Only for a birthday or when my parents visit.

Edited September 6, 2016 by TABmom

[Laurie4b]

Going out for ice cream has been a traditional summer activity since I was a kid. Certainly not every night, but a handful of times over the summer and most certainly on vacation. We have a wonderful ice cream place nearby. It's outside and serves homemade ice cream. So good! There is also an ice cream destination in the town where our family vacationed in the summer. It's so good the line is about 1/2 hour wait and yours truly who hates to wait in line does it willingly

 

We never go out for any other dessert and in fact, other than holidays, going out for ice cream is practically our only dessert. 

Edited September 6, 2016 by Laurie4b

[LucyStoner]

Summer vacations, fairly common. We are usually camping so it's not like we are going to toss ice cream in the cooler. Getting cones just makes more sense, lol,

 

At home, we probably would just walk the block to the grocery store and get some Popsicles or ice cream sandwiches. We usually have 4 or more kids here when we do that and it's just more economical than going out for ice cream at an ice cream parlor. Also, we can walk to the store and be back in well under 10 minutes but the nearest ice cream parlor is a longish walk or a short drive.

 

It's not uncommon for us to drive a bit out of town on summer evenings in pursuit of night sky watching with binoculars in hand. Sometimes when we do that, we stop on the way out for milk shakes and French fries.

Edited September 6, 2016 by LucyStoner

[Alte Veste Academy]

That is pretty common for us on vacation. If we had acces to a boat, we would probably go out every night because that's just too much fun! DH's grandparents had a place on a lake with a private dock for years, and we would go out all the time for meals, including dessert. It made those visits extra special. Pull up to the restaurant, disembark, get a shake, head back while chatting. Sounds like something straight out of a Robert McCloskey book!

When we do beach vacations, we occasionally go out and get dessert, sometimes just walking down the beach to a shop, sometimes bringing something back. We most love "fire snacks" though. Our three meals of the day during a beach vacation are brunch, lunner, and fire snacks. LOL Doing things very differently from our norm are the biggest part of what makes vacations magical for us.

Also, when we lived in Germany, it was very typical for locals to stroll around town every evening, and many stopped for ice cream. They had a chocolate covered cherry ice cream that was to die for. We definitely took up that custom! We will occasionally go out to Coldstone now, but it is not a walkable distance, so not as often as we otherwise would.

Edited September 6, 2016 by Alte Veste Academy

[teachermom2834]

I grew up where there were multiple places we could walk for an ice cream. It was a typical summer evening activity. A couple times a week at least. When we moved here after we got married and streets weren't walkable it was a hard adjustment for me. Not being able to take a summer evening stroll for an ice cream was sad :(

 

So to get in a car and drive for an ice cream feels wrong to me. lol. We do it once in a great while but we are much more likely to stop while we are out already. Maybe once a month.