{"id":214743,"date":"2026-06-09T17:14:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T17:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/214743\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T17:14:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T17:14:06","slug":"ice-cream-trail-launches-in-pennsylvania-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/214743\/","title":{"rendered":"Ice Cream Trail Launches in Pennsylvania This Summer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>NEW HOLLAND, Pa. \u2014 The Shapiro Administration is serving up a sweet start to summer across Pennsylvania. Today, Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell<br \/>Redding and PA Tourism Office Executive Director Kaitie Burger visited Lapp Valley Creamery in New Holland, Lancaster County, to officially launch the 2026 Scooped Ice Cream Trail.<br \/>Now in its ninth year and bigger than ever, this year\u2019s program includes 59 PA Preferred creameries stretching from one end of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.morningagclips.com\/category\/pennsylvania\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pennsylvania<\/a> to the other.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYear after year, the Ice Cream Trail reminds us of what makes Pennsylvania agriculture so special: the people behind it,\u201d said Secretary Redding. \u201cThese farm families are up before dawn, working hard every day to bring fresh, local dairy to your cone. Every scoop you enjoy on this trail is a direct investment in Pennsylvania\u2019s farms and the communities that depend on them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 2026 trail marks a milestone of nine summers of connecting dairy lovers with the farm families who make Pennsylvania\u2019s ice cream some of the finest in the country. This<br \/>year\u2019s trail features 59 participating PA Preferred creameries including the return of Hall\u2019s Ice Cream, rejoining the trail this season. From working dairy farms where visitors<br \/>can meet the cows to artisan micro creameries crafting bold, rotating flavors, the 2026 lineup offers something for every kind of ice cream adventurer across all corners of the Commonwealth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Ice Cream Trail is economic development you can taste. When a family stops at a creamery in a small Pennsylvania town, they\u2019re not just buying a delicious treat. They\u2019re<br \/>supporting a local business, a farm family, and a community,\u201d said Kaitie Burger, Executive Director, PA Tourism Office. \u201cThe Shapiro Administration is committed to growing Pennsylvania\u2019s tourism and agriculture sectors together, and this trail is a perfect example of what that looks like in action.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lapp Valley Creamery, located in New Holland, is a fitting host for the 2026 kickoff. The farm-to-cone experience invites visitors to meet friendly farm animals, feed calves, and<br \/>learn about the benefits of A2 milk, all while enjoying handcrafted ice cream made from the farm\u2019s own herd. It\u2019s the kind of immersive, hands-on dairy experience that defines what the Ice Cream Trail is all about.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing part of the Scooped Ice Cream Trail helps us do what we value most at Lapp Valley Creamery \u2013 welcome families to the farm and connect them with real dairy<br \/>farming,\u201d said owner Dave Lapp. \u201cIt gives us a way to share our story, our cows, and our homemade ice cream all in one stop, and to be a part of the larger experience that celebrates local agriculture across Pennsylvania.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Travelers can plan their 2026 Ice Cream Trail adventure, explore participating creameries, and sign up for free at visitpa.com\/scooped. The digital passport rewards dedicated dairy lovers with points for every stop and purchase made between June 4 and September 7, 2026. Prizes include:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;padding-left: 40px;\">\u2022 A commemorative insulated bag if you visit a total of 6 stops on the trail<br \/>\u2022 An entry into the grand prize drawing for a Merrymead Farm Family Experience and overnight stay at Normandy Farms if you complete a total of 10 stops<br \/>\u2022 Both the insulated bag and a grand prize entry if you complete 16 stops<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">This year, 17 participating creameries are also offering exclusive trail discounts from 10 percent off at Destiny Dairy Bar and Batch Microcreamery, to buy-one-get-one soft serve at The Milkhouse at Oregon Dairy, and 25 percent off pints at Fox Meadows Creamery locations.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cThe Scooped Ice Cream Trail connects consumers directly to PA dairy farm families, giving them a firsthand look at the commitment these families have for their animals, land, and local communities,\u201d said Emily Barge, Communications &amp; Marketing Manager, Center for Dairy Excellence. \u201cWhen people visit a farm, try the ice cream, and talk to the family who made it, it allows them to personally connect with Pennsylvania dairy and where their food comes from.\u201d With 4,940 dairy farms and 468,000 cows producing 10 billion pounds of milk each year<br \/>\u2014 about 2,501 gallons per cow \u2014 Pennsylvania ranks eighth in milk production nationally. Pennsylvania\u2019s dairy industry provides more than 47,000 jobs and supports our state economy to the tune of $11.8 billion annually. Pennsylvania also ranks sixth in number of dairy cows, second in butter production, third in ice cream and Swiss cheese, and fourth in sour cream.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The Scooped Ice Cream Trail fits naturally into Governor Josh Shapiro\u2019s 10-year Economic Development Strategy. In 2024, tourism brought in $84 billion to Pennsylvania\u2019s economy and supported more than half a million jobs. Whether it\u2019s a weekend road trip through farm country or a summer-long quest to collect all 59 stamps, the 2026 Scooped Ice Cream Trail offers a delicious reason to explore Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">About Visit PA<br \/>Visit PA, the official tourism resource of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and part of the Department of Community and Economic Development, leads promotion of the state\u2019s 67 diverse and inviting counties. Lauded as The Great American Getaway, Pennsylvania blends rich history with vibrant cities and tranquil landscapes. From historic battlefields and three UNESCO World Heritage sites to fresh-air adventures across 125 state parks and a thriving arts and culinary scene, authentic moments await around every corner. Pennsylvania blends the past, the present, and the exciting future ahead.\u00a0 To learn more about traveling to Pennsylvania, go to visitpa.com and follow along on social media with @visitpa, #VisitPA, and #PAGetaway.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">About the Center for Dairy Excellence<br \/>The Center for Dairy Excellence is a non-profit organization initiated by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture in 2004. Bringing together people from more than 40 different dairy organizations in Pennsylvania, the Center\u2019s mission is to enhance the profitability of the dairy industry by empowering people, creating partnerships, and increasing the availability and use of resources. Learn more at centerfordairyexcellence.org.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">About PA Preferred<br \/>The PA Preferred program connects consumers with locally grown and produced products while supporting the farmers, processors, and agribusinesses that power Pennsylvania\u2019s economy. Through initiatives like the Scooped Ice Cream Trail, PA Preferred highlights the people and products behind the Commonwealth\u2019s agricultural heritage and encourages families to explore and support local farms across the state. Find farmers near you or become a member at papreferred.com<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">\u2014 PAcast<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW HOLLAND, Pa. \u2014 The Shapiro Administration is serving up a sweet start to summer across Pennsylvania. Today,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":214744,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1875,49692,28,30,29],"class_list":["post-214743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-dairy","tag-local-food","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=214743"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214743\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/214744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=214743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=214743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=214743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}