Blue Moon Ice Cream… the stuff of legends
personal April 6th, 2009
Maybe it’s because I’m originally from Michigan, but I can’t get enough Blue Moon ice cream. For those uninitiated, Blue Moon isn’t a place, it’s a flavor. Wait… calling it simply a flavor doesn’t do it justice. It’s a taste delight!
This ice cream is commonly found in the upper-Midwest states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Thankfully there is a Michigan-based ice cream franchise, Kilwin’s, which carries this heavenly taste as far south as Florida. I was on vacation in St Augustine this past weekend and stumbled across a Kilwin’s location selling Blue Moon. My family had to endure an excruciating long walk in order for me to get this ice cream. They were all troopers knowing just how much it meant to me (and the fact that they were getting the ice cream of their choice as well).
I can’t really describe the taste of Blue Moon. Words fail me. The best I can come up with is it’s a cone full of joy. It reminds me of trips to my Grandmother’s house in Baldwin, Michigan. Jones Home Made Ice Cream shop was just up the street and we’d go there every visit to Grandma’s (regardless of the time of year or amount of snow on the ground). The memory of Jones Blue Moon ice cream still haunts me. Kilwin’s Blue Moon is REALLY good, but not quite as good as I remember Jones. Probably just my memory playing tricks on me.
To see if there is a Kilwin’s location near you, check out the list of retail locations. If there is one near you, it’s worth the drive to check out Blue Moon ice cream. It’s probably for the best that I can’t get Blue Moon ice cream here in my hometown. I would probably grow accustom to Blue Moon, take it for granted, and fail to celebrate its wonder as often as it deserves!
Looks like there is a Kilwin’s location about 3 miles from the DragonCon host hotel in Atlanta. Over Labor Day weekend, I think I’ll be making a detour on my way to the dealer room…
April 6th, 2009 at 10:18 am
count me in on this side trip…
May 1st, 2009 at 9:21 am
I love Blue Moon ice cream – I’m orginally from upper Michigan and now live in the South. We discovered Kilwin’s last year in South Charlotte, NC and drove there with an cooler. We bought gazillons of gallons to take home and now we’re ready for our return trip. Nothing could be finer than to live in Carolina and be close to a Kilwin’s! Nothing tops Blue Moon ice cream!
May 1st, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Val – You’re my new BFF! Genius idea about stocking up! I may try that.
May 3rd, 2009 at 3:04 pm
superman says mix blue moon w strawberry and banana ice creams to get superman ice cream. the best flavor ever.
May 29th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
In case you live no where NEAR a place that sells it, you can go to this site and they will deliver it to you! It’s kind of pricey but it works if you are having a total craving
June 8th, 2009 at 11:47 pm
You are my hero! Blue Moon ice cream is my absolute favorite! Of course — I’m from Michigan. Grand Rapids/Holland area. A year and a half ago I moved for Northern Virginia and have been craving Blue Moon and NO ONE here knows what it is or carries it. I just found out there’s a Kilwin’s location in Annapolis, Maryland thanks to your post here. Thanks so much!
June 10th, 2009 at 12:01 am
Leslie – Glad to help! I’m always there for a fellow Blue Moon fan.
June 10th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Great post – finishing a bow of Blue Moon as I type. Grew up in southern Wisconsin and now live in Madison and we have several types of Blue Moon to shoose from – I feel a bit spoiled — NOT!
June 18th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
My brother enjoyed this wonderful ice cream when we were young. We could only get in from a small mom and pop store by our house. The store has been out of business for years. We would always talk about this ice cream and people who never had it thought we were crazy. We are both so happy to see we were not just dreaming this flavor up. Now the hard part…HOW CAN WE GET SOME. Remember it’s been years …we need our fix of blue moon HELP US PLEASE
June 22nd, 2009 at 1:39 pm
I love Blue Moon. I live in SoCal but grew up in Michigan’s UP. I was just telling the kid at the ice cream store about Blue Moon last weekend. He has never heard of it.
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:28 pm
OMG! I googled Blue Moon Ice Cream to provide a link for my blog entry and found yours! I’m from Riverview, MI and just finished writing about it! How exciting to find your post! I just found something similar in Oklahoma but with cake pieces (which I prefer it didn’t have!). But VERY excited to see there are other Blue Moon fanatics out there!
July 6th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
[...] origins of Superman ice cream has proven to be equally elusive. The blue appears to descend from Blue Moon, an ice cream originally made in South Haven, Michigan…or Milwaukee, Wisconsin, depending on [...]
July 6th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
For Blue Moon fans in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area, Cub Foods carries the flavor (by Cedar Crest).
July 6th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
Arrrggghhh! I was just in Minneapolis last week! I wish I’d known this then.
Oh well, thanks for the information.
July 7th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
I grew up in northern Illinois and Blue Moon was a staple in my childhood! My sister and I have been in search of Blue Moon in Minneapolis and have yet to find anywhere that carries it on a regular basis! I will try the Cub- but whatever happened to the handmade version in the ice cream shops?
July 15th, 2009 at 1:43 am
I’m also from Michigan and love Blue Moon. Just had the first of the summer today. Brings back lots of memories from my childhood of sitting in the Purple Cow cafe in Meijer with my grandpa eating Blue Moon, getting it at a little ice-cream shop after swimming at the beach, or getting a cone after the 4th of July fireworks. Who knew that ice-cream could hold such dear memories?!?
July 25th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Pronounced “Jone-zees”, I always thought is was tutty fruity gum flavor. And Blue Moon is also a very good beer.
July 31st, 2009 at 6:36 pm
I am in TOTAL SHOCK! Blue Moon Ice Cream is my ultimate favorite ice cream and I have googled it in the past to see if I could get it in Colorado and didn’t have any luck. Well, I just went onto the Kilwin’s website and there is one in Fort Collins, CO!!!! It’ about an hour drive from Denver, but I’m am so doing it this weekend!!!! The internet is improving! Thank you for posting this!!! I LOVE YOU MAN!!!!
August 5th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Oh my gosh, I don’t believe it. After all these years (30 years at least) I’ve been trying to find “blue moon” ice cream and every time I would go into an ice cream shop I would ask for it, of course no luck. My friends began to think I was making it up. I grew up in northern illinois and an old burger and ice cream chain called “Prince Castles” carried it. Prince Castles was next door to my great grandmother’s and everytime we would go visit her, we went to Prince Castles and I would get my “Blue Moon” ice cream. I feel for those who haven’t a notion of this unprecedented ice cream flavor. It’s the best! I now live in southern Florida and have a Kilwins only a few miles away from me. Can’t wait to go home!
August 13th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Does anyone else have a problem always getting blue moon all over their face when eating it?
August 19th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
As a kid every Friday my dad would take us out for ice cream to Richardson Farm Dairy on Baldwin & I-75 which has now been paved over for a McDonalds and Great Lakes Crossings. Anyway, they had the best Blue Moon ice cream ever with small chunks of pineapple and I never strayed from ordering it. After graduating LOHS and moving on to Wayne State in Detroit, I moved to Florida. Sad to say, I’ve been here 20 years and have never come across anything like “my” blue moon, just the smurf and superman stuff – yuck. Now that I know that Kilwins carries a blue moon, I will try…I hope to not be disappointed…
September 5th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
I LOVE Blue Moon. My family has vacationed in Ludington, MI (right down the road from Baldwin) for years and no visit is complete without a trip to the House of Flavors for some Blue Moon. They will put it on dry ice or ship it to you http://www.houseofflavors.com/set1.htm. I’ve been wanting to order some ever since I got home from my most recent visit a fews weeks ago.
September 12th, 2009 at 3:04 am
Wow, it is so weird to see another Karen that had a great grandmother who lived next door to Prince Castle. I am a Karen too. I live in Northen Illinois, and my grandma and grandpa lived three doors down from a Prince Castle. Every Halloween we would get a free ice cream cone. I do not remember if I got Blue Moon there or not, but my father had a pool hall and also sold ice-cream and he had Blue Moon. My sister and I loved it! How I long to have that taste again!
September 22nd, 2009 at 10:49 am
OMG! I’m originally from Muskegon, Michigan, living in South Carolina. I crave blue moon ice cream which I had for the first time at Jones’ in Baldwin! I am going to Hilton Head this weekend and so great to know I can salve my craving for blue moon from the Kilwin’s there. Can’t believe it, just before going to Hilton Head, I think of blue moon, google it, and find this article! Heaven sent!
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Barb – Another Jones’ fan?!?!? Fantastic! Have a great time in Hilton Head and enjoy some Blue Moon for me!
Shag
October 2nd, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Looing for the fomula for the Blue Moon flavor that Richarson’s Dairy in Waterford Michigan sold.
Can you help me ?
December 17th, 2009 at 12:27 am
I need a Blue Moon Fix!! I’m originally from Traverse City,/Lansing Michigan, now living in Oregon. I have always told my friends about Blue Moon ice cream, and they immediately think “bubblegum flavored.” I really don’t know how to describe the flavor. Kind of vanillaie’ lemonie’? Anyway, those of you from the midwest know what I’m talking about. Thank you for the info & stirring up great memories of summers at Grams house on Grand Traverse Bay.
Tara
March 8th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
I too grew up in Northern Il. We would drive a very short distance into WI Beloit to be exact and visit a small mom and pop ice cream store downtown near the river. They had those big ice cream scoops and my dad and I would go in and order Blue Moon ice cream cones and carry them out for the whole family. Boy what great memories. I have found it in the store pretty much year round under the Cedar Crest label, does not compare to that little mom and pop store.