How sweet it is

WARWICK — TripAdvisor, one of the most popular travel web sites, recently released its "Inside Scoop" on the top ice cream shops in the USA by ranking order.

And Warwick's Bellvale Farms Creamery took second place.

That was just behind a shop in Punta Gorda, Florida, but way ahead of eight other top rated stores.

Featuring a photograph of an ice cream cone against the backdrop of the Warwick Valley as viewed from the creamery, the TripAdvisor post read, "Bellvale Creamery features 50 homemade ice cream flavors served in a cup, cone, or homemade waffle cone. Here you'll find a mix of basic flavors and specialty creations like Black Dirt Blast, a chocolate-coffee ice cream with fudge and toffee pieces."

For more than 12 years the Bellvale Farms Creamery, owned and managed by Tim and Amy Noteboom, has been a popular destination for day-trippers as well as local residents. Visitors praise homemade ice cream flavors such as the popular "Bellvale Bog," among a variety of new and traditional flavors.

The Creamery is also near the Appalachian Trail, a well-known hiking path ranging from Georgia to Maine, and many hikers look forward to this stop on Route 17A in Warwick.

"We're on the map once again," said Michael Johndrow. " We congratulate Bellvale Farms Creamery for this well deserved national recognition. These awards raise awareness, well beyond our area, of the many tourist attractions in Warwick and that benefits our entire business community."

- Roger Gavan