By Catherine Hurwitz and Emily Smith
Bubbling Brook:
Charlotte Stone and Jack Stone, now great-grandparents, have gone to Bubbling Brook since they were kids. When they began seeing each other, they were in high school, and Charlotte lived in Milford while Jack was from Dorchester, making Bubbling Brook the perfect halfway point for dates. Once they were married, their daughter Maxine Smith said, “They bought a house a quarter of a mile away and right down the street from Bubbling Brook.”
If someone lives within the Bubbling Brook radius, it is fair to say that one of their favorite days of the year is opening day on which locals wait in an excruciatingly long line just for their first taste of ice cream of the season. After a long, cold winter, Bubbling Brook welcomes the warmer months as cars flood the parking lot to buy mouth-watering ice cream cones and meet up with friends and family like Jack and Charlotte did. One of Bubbling Brook’s most special treats is their swirled soft serve ice creams, which change flavors every two weeks from Java Berry to Piña Colada.
With their ice creams, children play around the famous brook, which the restaurant got its name from. Smith said, “I used to walk there all the time. There was a shed behind the restaurant and I remember there was a cat and her little kittens, and I remember there being sheep behind the fence near where the picnic tables are now.” Since its founding in 1951, Bubbling Brook has proudly catered to generations.
Bubbling Brook is located at 1652 High Street in Westwood.
Furlong’s:
In Norwood, quaint shop with bright red awnings, a matching door and a large print of “Candies” upon the white building catch the eyes of drivers passing through. Upon entering the store, customers smell the aroma of sweet chocolates and candies. Beginning in 1929, Norwood’s Furlong’s Candies has been a hidden gem, encapsulating the essence of the old-time candy shop and ice cream stand.
“The majority of the chocolate recipes that we use are all the original recipes from 1929. Every single piece of candy in this store was hand-dipped. We have our dippers out there that are all from 1929, so they’re 90 years old—they still work,” owner Nancy Thrasher said. One of the biggest developments comes down to the addition of a machine called the enrober, which was added about 25 years ago. Their enrober makes the once time-consuming process of coating the chocolate more efficient and resembles the machine in the “I Love Lucy” chocolate factory episode. Although the recipes have been consistent throughout the years, they recently added caramel chocolate apples.
“I recommend the dark chocolate almond turtles—that’s always one of my go-to’s, or the dark chocolate sea salt turtles,” Thrasher said. One should visit Furlongs not only for their popular candy but for the expansive collection of ice cream, which opens annually in April.
Furlongs is located at 1355 Providence Highway on Route 1 in Norwood.
Crescent Ridge:
Since 1932, Crescent Ridge Dairy Farm in Sharon has been staple to all ice-cream lovers in the Walpole area with its phenomenal range of homemade ice creams and ice cream cakes. Crescent ridge has a whopping 37 flavors of their award-winning ice cream along with 14 sherberts, sorbets, frozen yogurts and “no sugar added” ice creams. The attraction today is still a farm with cows and goats in the back. In 1894, H.F. Maxwell established this farm, and in 1932 Malby and Mildred Parrish created the Crescent Ridge Dairy on the 44-acre property. In 1953, making 325 quarts of milk each day led to the business’s capability to deliver milk to towns other than Sharon. In 1968, they used their fresh milk to make ice cream that is still loved to this day. The farm is still a family-owned business, with the third and fourth generation of the family working there currently.
“I completely love Crescent Ridge because it is open year round,” junior Nicole St. Germain said. Crescent Ridge appeals to children through their incentive program— slap bracelets called Crescent Ridge Bands, which lead up to earning a discount on their handmade cones. As a local favorite, a trip to the historic Crescent Ridge is worth the visit.
Crescent Ridge is located at 355 Bay Road in Sharon.
Watson’s/Scoops:
Walpole’s own Watson’s Candies has always had a place in the hearts of local residents. Once opening the intricately painted door, welcoming faces light up the room full of various assortments of chocolate. This spring, Watson’s celebrates its 85th year in business. Owner Virginia Griffin remarks that Easter was the shop’s first holiday that they made candies. Watson’s still makes chocolate eggs and bunnies every year, but a lot has changed since Doug and Doris Watson started the business in 1932 in the center of town. After, the shop moved into the building they are in today, which was a former homestead. Griffin and her husband bought Watson’s, and 10 years later, Scoops Ice Cream was built on the side.
“We actually make our products exactly the same way Mr. Watson made it in 1932,” Griffin said. However, they have added—and are continuing to add—even more recipes onto their list of classics.
“We have begun adding some products that are all organic and raw food,” Griffin said. “I’m going to try to start manufacturing some higher cocoa content.” Overall, Watson’s is keeping their methods the same as the originals.
Watson’s Candies is located at 761 Main Street in Walpole.
