TUES 4/4: Free Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Today

I may get this blog going again soon, but let's enjoy some enjoy ice cream today...

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Noon to 8pm
Free Cone Day
at participating Ben & Jerry's stores
FREE

On a dreary day, a free ice cream can lift the spirits. We might even want a pick-me-up on a sunny day.

I have seen long lines in past years when the weather has been crappy, so be ready to delay your gratification for a few minutes.

It's one per customer, although I know a guy who visited more than one location in a day... (Harvard Sq, Newbury St, Natick, etc -- it can be done.)

Exposing new flavors is one of the reasons for Free Cone Day, so I might as well share them: Cocoa Loco, Frozen Flakes, Fruit Loot, Truffle Kerfuffle, and Chocolate Cherry Garcia (Chocolate Ice Cream with Cherries & Fudge Flakes)...


(And don't worry about Ben & Jerry when chowing down on your cone -- they sold to a giant conglomerate years ago.)

TUES 4/3: Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day

TUES 4/3

Noon to 8pm
Free Cone Day
at participating Ben & Jerry's stores

It's that time of year when Ben & Jerry's give a free scoop to their patrons around the world. (It's been my experience that you get a cup if you ask nicely.)

It should be a nice day even if we don't break temperature record like most of March...

If you want to try new flavor (Greek Frozen Yogurt), go for it. If you want an old standby, indulge yourself. With an 8-hour window and multiple locations in the area, it's possible have both.

* In case you're not in the mood tomorrow: Sign up for their mailing list, and B&J's will email you a certificate for a free ice cream at the scoop shop location of your choice. Don't do it today, because you only have 2 weeks to redeem it.

6/8 to 6/10: Scooper Bowl

Over the same three days, there's free rock at Downtown Crossing in the evenings. I think the 'beer garden' will be set up like Summer Thursdays.

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Noon to 8pm
Scooper Bowl
at City Hall Plaza, Boston (Govt Center)
$8 / $4 for children ages 3 to 9

All-you-can-eat ice cream, 'nuff said!

For about the price of lunch, you can gorge yourself on scoops and scoops from 9 companies who usually offer 4 or so flavors of ice cream, frozen yogurt, and/or sorbet at any given time.

The participating companies are basically the same, but the flavors changes year to year:

* Baskin-Robbins
* Ben & Jerry's
* Breyer's
* Ciao Bella Gelato
* Brigham's
* Edy's
* Garelick Farms/Gifford's
* Häagen-Dazs
* HP Hood

Even if you go full glutton, you won't be alone. I'm an 'enthusiastic' eater, but I'm often surprised by people of all ages stacking towers of empty cups in their sticky hands.

Of course when it's all-you-can-eat ice cream, moderation reall shouldn't be part of your plan. Eat as much as you like. If you don't want to eat again for the rest of the day, then you've obviously had more than $8 of the sweet stuff.

It's okay to eat a reasonable amount as well, because the proceeds benefit the Jimmy Fund/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

FYI: This is a rain or shine event.

While looking for ticket info, I found this little discount:

Text SCOOP to 22122 to receive $1 off admission price

...which may or may not be a savings if they keep on texting you.

TUES 6/9 to THUR 6/11: Scooper Bowl

More to come, but this deserves its own spot.

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Noon to 8pm
Scooper Bowl
at City Hall Plaza, Boston (Govt Center)
$8 / $4 for children ages 3 to 9

All-you-can-eat ice cream, 'nuff said!

Nine cold, sweet, creamy companies usually have about 4 flavors of ice cream, frozen yogurt, and/or sorbet at any given time. For $8, consider this a meal replacement. If you do it right, you won't want to eat again for a day.

If you've never been, young and old people act as if they haven't eaten in days and probably spend hours proudly piling up cups in their sticky hands.

I've seen people seemingly satisfied at 7 or 8 scoops, but I suggest trying as many flavors as possible to find your favorites -- then going back to gorge on multiple cups of the ones you like...

If there ever was a good reason for unabated, decadent gluttony; it's cancer research!

FYI: This is a rain or shine event.

The tentative flavors are as follows:

Baskin-Robbins

* Cotton Candy
* Rock 'n Pop Swirl
* York Peppermint Pattie
* Premium Churned Light Raspberry Chip

Ben & Jerry's

* Orange & Cream
* Oatmeal Cookie Chunk
* Chocolate Macadamia
* Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road

Breyers

* Vanilla
* Coffee
* Cherry Vanilla
* Cookies & Cream

Brigham's Ice Cream

* Vanilla
* Chocolate
* Confetti & Cream
* Black Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

Edy's

* Coffee
* Take the Cake
* Mint Chocolate Chip
* Low Fat Caramel Praline Crunch Frozen Yogurt

Garelick Farms/Gifford's

* Chocolate
* Old Fashioned Vanilla
* Mint Chocolate Chip Yogurt
* Maine Lobster Tracks

Häagen-Dazs

* Zesty Lemon Sorbet
* Chocolate
* Bailey's Irish Cream
* Vanilla Honey Bee

HP Hood

* New England Lighthouse Coffee
* Cookie Dough Delight
* Fenway Fudge
* Maine Blueberry & Sweet Cream Frozen Yogurt

Spasso

* Amaretto gelato
* Dulce de Leche gelato
* Chocolate gelato
* Chocolate Chip gelato
* Crema Cafe gelato
* Lemon sorbet
* Coconut sorbet
* Mango gelato
* Raspberry gelato
* Zabaglione gelato

Proceeds benefit the Jimmy Fund / Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

4/6: Cheap Scoop at JP Licks

Noon to 9pm
Ice Cream Cone/Cup to Celebrate Sox Home Opener
at all JP Licks locations (Jamaica Plain, Brookline, Somerville, Boston, Newton, Chestnut Hill)
$1

Update: I copy & pasted info from last year (when it was a free scoop); it's actually a measly $1.

You didn't get tickets to Opening Day, but anyone can get a scoop at JP Licks for $1.
As in previous years, JP Licks celebrates the Red Sox Home Opening Day by offering a $1 scoop of ice cream/frozen yogurt.

The Sox will win... You win... It couldn't hurt to enter you name and email address to win Sox tix...