You don't have to tell me twice about a new ice cream shop.



The Frozen Barn in Oak Hill serves hand-dipped ice cream from Ashby's Sterling Ice Cream. 



They carry about 24 flavors at a time, and if I had my way, I'd try them all.



Instead, though, they do have an option where you can get five mini scoops all in one boat. Yes, please.



As per usual, I couldn't decide between fruity or chocolately, but with 5 scoops, I could do both. 



My least favorite was the anniversary cake because I just kept thinking I was eating Play-Doh. 



The Sea Turtle ended up being my favorite - no surprise there. Give me caramel any day, and I'm happy.



Have you been?



Which flavor is your fav?



Grade: A

Typically when I am visiting a city, I do my research to find the "must-try" places - usually a mix of touristy places, foodie places and random places I'm in the mood for. Double Happy fell into the last category.  



I just wanted ice cream. Truth be told, I literally always want ice cream. But this ice crem drive-thru offered up milkshakes, as well as espresso drinks & blended drinks, Happy Burgers, chicken breast sandwiches, and the World's Largest Waffle Fry.



One thing that made this place interesting is that they use A2 milk. What does that mean? 

"In business since 2017, we started making our own soft serve with locally sourced A2 milk from Indian Creek Creamery in January, 2020.

Milk has two beta-casein proteins, so A2 milk is technically A2/A2 milk. Milk that is regularly available from the store has an A1 protein as well… A1/A2.

Some people believe they are lactose intolerant, but many times are just intolerant to the A1 protein in store bought milk.

An intolerance to A1 cow's milk protein and lactose intolerance are distinct problems. Lactose is milk's sugar and not a protein. Lactose intolerance occurs in people who have a deficiency in the production of an enzyme called lactase, whose role is to break lactose molecules during the digestive process, transforming it into energy for human body cells. Intolerance to the A1 cow's milk protein can cause similar reactions to lactose intolerance, which can generate confusion between the two problems.

Interestingly, non-cow milk, including that of humans, sheep, goats, donkeys, yaks, camels, and buffalo contain mostly A2 beta-casein protein.

If A2 milk is so great, why isn’t it the “normal” store bought milk? Breeds of cows have differing gene frequency. Though the bull book has many A2/A2 animals, to transition a herd to A2/A2 can take ten years or more. Therefore, industrial scale operations have found it better, so far, to not take the big step to A2 only.

Though the scientific community is not yet convinced, our real world experience at Double Happy is significant. Two or three customers each week tell us that while they experience troubles after having regular milk from the store, they feel fine after enjoying our products.

We look forward to offering many more people the chance to enjoy locally sourced A2 milk… in our soft serve ice cream, milkshakes, and coffee drinks."

I kept it simple with a "Berry, Berry, Berry" milkshake which had blueberries, strawberries, raspberries. It was fairly mild in flavor, but lightly sweet and refreshing.

Grade: B 

Larry's Dawg House is a beloved local restaurant in Athens that serves up both hot dogs and ice cream sundaes.



"What’s better than a delicious hot dog washed down with an ice cream sundae? Absolutely nothing! That’s why, we’ve been serving up hearty combos to the good people of Athens since 1972, and we don’t plan on stopping any time soon. Whether you prefer a standard dog or want to go all out with a fried one dressed with all the toppings, we’ve got you covered. We know that good flavor and amazing service are what keep you coming back, which is why we’re always doing our very best to make sure you leave us with a smile."



At this point in the day, I had eaten my way through Athens, but I could manage a drink.  I ordered a banana split arctic swirl. I'm not usually a banana split girl, but the freshness of the fruit was calling my name. Can a milkshake be healthy? Maybe kinda if it's made with fruit, right? In that case, this was sweet, a little bit healthy and a lot delicious.

Grade: A

Crafts of Coal is taking over St. Albans. What started as an ice cream truck has now expanded into a storefront on Olde Main.



The shop focuses on ice cream - and a ton of different flavors of it. There is seating, but it's not very comfortable or large. 



In fact, there were so many, I couldn't choose. I always struggle whether I want to go the fruity route or the caramel route - and they rarely go well together. Which is why their "flight" option is perfect for people like me. 



Banana Pudding - banana pudding ice cream swirled with marshmallow creme and vanilla cookies
Blueberry Muffin - blueberry muffin ice cream, chocolate covered waffle cones and blueberries
Carolina Peach - peach flavored ice cream
Lime Daiquiri Sorbet - lime flavored sorbet
Smoky Mountain Toffee - toffee ice cream swirled with whiskey sauce and chunks of Heath car
Turtle Trail - sea salt caramel ice cream, caramel swirl, chocolate-caramel candies



On this day, my favorites were the lime sorbet - usually not one I'd go for! But it was refreshing and flavorful. I also was a big fan of the sea salt caramel - but of course. What are your favs?

Grade: A

If I see an ice cream shop, there's a 110% chance I'm going to stop. That was the case when I drove by Coke & Float in Weston. 



When I walked up to the window, I had to take a minute to look over the two dozen laminated pieces of paper hung up displaying the menu.



So, they have some food - steak hoagies, french fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks - but the majority are frozen treats. They have their "cyclones," which is soft serve with mix-ins. 



Typically, I'd go for that delish-sounding s'more sundae or turtle sundae, but the "Fruit Cup" stuck out to me with its three layers of pineapple, strawberry, blueberry, banana and whipped cream with ice cream. 



It was such a delicious, refreshing treat. And almost, almost could pretend it's healthy with all the fruit in there. But delicious, nonetheless.

Grade: A