Growing up, our family vacation destination was always Wildwood, NJ. Some years we came down just my parents, brother and I; some years I was able to bring friends like Heather and Eileen; some years we even came down with 40+ people from my dad’s old softball team. No matter how many people, it was always something I looked forward to.
In all of those years coming down here to Wildwood, there’s been one tradition that we’ve established; one can’t-miss spot that we always go to…the one I’ve been dying to get to ever since we left…
And that tradition is a trip to the Sea Shell Ice Cream Parlor.
My family still isn’t quite sure how we found out about this little ice cream shop, which is located off the boardwalk on Atlantic & Rio Grande Avenues. But however it was, I’m just happy we did.
The Sea Shell is a tiny little shop, actually attached to a motel, serving up homemade ice cream in a variety of mouth-watering flavors.
Despite the amazing ice cream itself, one of the things that has kept my family and I coming back to the Sea Shell is their sundaes. Not only are their prices great, but the sundaes they serve up here are so large that we make it a point to make them a meal of their own.
In my opinion, the Sea Shell is a “go big or go home” kinda place. No cones, no frozen yogurt, no shame. So the four of us perused the menu with our empty stomachs, ready to dive head first into what I knew would be some of the best ice cream I’ll ever eat.
Dad ordered a Hot Fudge Sundae with black raspberry and coffee ice creams.
Mom ordered a Peanut Butter Sundae with chocolate peanut butter and peanut butter ice creams. (<—the peanut butter ice cream + pb sauce = incredible)
Jay and I both ordered a Caramel Sundae with one scoop of Toffee Bar Crunch, one scoop of Butter Brickle (caramel swirls + caramel cups) and rainbow sprinkles (or “jimmies” as they call ‘em)
There really just are no words.
See? I wasn’t kidding when I said that the portions were extremely large. And when I said that tonight’s dinner would put the “balanced” in “healthy, balanced lifestyle,” this is what I was talkin’ about. It’s alllll about balance, my friends.
Well, my tummy was a grumblin’, so I immediately dug right in. The first bite? Oh goodness…it was heavenly. Just heavenly. I wanted to savor each and every bite of this enormous concoction in front of me so I tried to take it slow.
This, however, annoys the crap out of Jay and my dad because they both prefer to inhale their ice cream like vacuums. Even with taking breaks, dad finished his sundae off in about 10 minutes flat, with Jay finishing not far behind. It’s pretty amazing to watch, actually.
A little while later, I eventually joined the “clean bowl” club, too…
…which is not an easy feat.
“Yay! We all just consumed a whole day’s worth of calories in one sitting! Wooo Hooo for being on vacation and not giving a crap!”
Believe it or not, I left the Sea Shell actually not feeling overly full. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about ice cream that never really “fills me up.” That’s not to say that I wanted to eat any more, but still…
Later in the evening, we all headed back to the hotel room to enjoy some quality balcony time, where I had some fun photographing the beautiful moon as the night got darker.
Then we had some fun with the black and white settings on the camera.
And then we headed back inside so I could drool over Ryan Reynolds for the 2 minutes he was on the ESPY’s.
And then we played another rousing game of Phase 10. I was *this close* to winning AND setting a new family record last night…but my “wonderful, darling, hubby” beat me.
Today is, sadly, our last beach day (we leave Friday morning) so I’m going to savor every last minute of it!
I just finished a bowl of Special K with skim milk and blueberries out on the balcony, and now it’s time to suit up and head out.
Hope you’re all having a great week!
Questions for the Morning:
What’s the best ice cream you’ve ever had?
When is the last time you *really* indulged and didn’t think about how many calories/fats/carbs were involved…AND truly enjoyed it?
Did you watch the ESPY’s?
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