Whenever I make it to Stillwater, I always try to stop in to Nelson's. It is such a classic part of the town, missing a scoop there makes a Stillwater visit seem incomplete. Founded in 1923, this place has been around in some form for 100 years. Real Stillwater locals call it by its old name, Art's (after the second owner). I've been coming here for probably 20 years, but not long enough to remember the Art's days.
During the busy summer months, the line is frequently out the door. Local youths sling scoops nonstop, and are rewarded with overflowing tip jars. No indoor seating is available, so people eat at one of the few benches there, or just pull up a patch of grass on the lawn across the street. The portions are generous, so the folks who mistakenly thought a "single" is just one scoop have to work diligently to keep their overflowing cup of ice cream from very quickly becoming a puddle in the summer sun. I've seen many a scoop timber into the parking lot asphalt, not dissimilar to the trees that were felled in this area by the early loggers in this town. On that note - for the very bold, The Lumberjack can be ordered . . . five scoops, three toppings, and one polaroid of you on the wall if you can polish it off. Based on how few photos were up there, I imagine it is quite the tall order to complete the challenge.
I was pleased to see three vegan flavors on the board. Not gonna lie, my first instinct was not to go for the sorbet - but they were out of the vegan cookies & cream and the chocolate chunk too. The sorbet was pleasantly smooth, creamy, and not overly sweet. And what is pictured is a child's portion! 😲
There are some other vegan options in the newfangled shops downtown, but for me - my heart will always belong to Nelson's🍨
