A visit to Chapel Hill is never complete for me, a self-proclaimed ice cream connoisseur,  without a drive out to the Maple View Farm Country Store in nearby Hillsborough. I first discovered the idyllic dairy farm back in college when I began cycling with a few members from the UNC Triathlon Club. We’d ride twenty or so miles in this beautiful, rural area, located just a few miles from campus. Before heading back towards town, we’d treat ourselves to a scoop or two (or three!) of some of Maple View’s delicious homemade ice cream. I’m not even embarrassed to admit that riding the ‘Ice Cream Loop’ was pretty much the only reason I kept up with cycling throughout college.

During our most recent trip to the Chapel Hill area, we decided to meet my sister & brother-in-law, MacKenzie & Philip, for an afternoon ice cream cone. Michael’s vanilla milkshake was just as tasty as he’d remembered, and my go-to cup of cookies & cream was perfection. Given that this was in essence our ‘lunch’ for the day, I also decided to treat myself to a bottle of their heavenly chocolate milk. So good.

Maple View is one of those places that you visit not only for the ice cream, but also for the experience. Snacking on homemade ice cream while looking out at such a lovely, bucolic setting is something you’ll remember for a long time.