Love this stand! Great options of flavors and the staff moves quickly, even if there is a line, no worries, it moves quickly. The "trick" if you are in a hurry or don't want to wait - pre-order via doordash and there is a special window to pick up your order. There's usually plenty of parking. Our favorite flavors are: Moose tracks, I Scream for Cake, Chocolate Lovers, Cake Batter, French Vanilla (So Creamy and Delicious), Maine Wild Blueberry and Cherry Blossom. If you are in the area and would like Ice Cream- this is a top 2 recommendation. read more

This is one of the best ice creams I have ever have ever had. If not the best it is definitely one of the best ice cream shops in Maine. My favorite Sunday here is the upside down banana split. Feel free to try the Sunday with multiples is it multiple seasonal flavors. Their ice cream even gets shipped to New York as I've seen some local ice cream shops use Gifford ice cream near where I live. If you bring your kids there is there is a batting cage and a didn't catch and a Mini golf right next to it. This makes it a perfect place to bring kids make them play and eat some ice cream. read more

Gifford's Famous Ice Cream - the outside of the building - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Waterville, Maine

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Absolute best wholesome and quality family experience ever, making the typical Cape Cod ice cream stand - read all of them- look and feel like off broadway shit shows you paid to attend because your indiscriminating friend wanted to go, after which you felt suicidal and never spoke to them again. read more

Their ice cream is good, but their business practices are not--they systematically overcharge by ringing up non-sundae orders as sundaes. I live nearby, and sometimes I like to stop in on a Friday for a start-of-weekend treat. I've always ordered the same thing: a small ice cream with hot fudge. A couple weeks ago, I went and made my usual order, and the woman who took my order told me she had to ring it up as a sundae. I said fine, until I discovered that this added a dollar to the usual price. When I asked her to cancel the order and ring it up as a small ice cream plus a topping, she said that she didn't know how and it wasn't possible. An apparently more experienced employee stepped in and re-entered the order for her. I assumed that this was just a new employee who didn't know the ropes, until today, when I went to Giffords again. A different employee took my order. She rang me up for a sundae without even asking me and then, when I told her that I only wanted ice cream and hot fudge, she insisted that the order still had to be rung up as a sundae. She said twice that this was what she had been trained to do and mentioned that employees "got in trouble" if they did it differently. Dear Waterville Gifford's manager: hot fudge is clearly posted on the list of toppings that can be purchased separately. If you want to change this policy, then change your sign. Otherwise, stop charging people for a sundae when they order ice cream and one topping. Sure, it's only a dollar or so difference in the price--but if you care enough about my dollar to take it by charging me for something I didn't order, then I get to care about my dollar too. read more

As they claim their ice cream is a "vacation from the everyday" .... I hadn't heard of Giffords until my recent trip to Maine. When we asked around for a good icecream joint every body had just one thing to say "go to Giffords"... and I'm glad we did. We went for the classic banana split it was so good we liked the bowl ....months later I'm still craving for it and hence writing this review with just one thought in my head. How many more days until summer?? read more

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Amazing ice cream + great prices! We got 2x 4 scoopers and it came out to be like ~$11 and the scoops were HUGE. The texture itself is perfect for those who love "actually hard" ice cream. Here's a list of everything we got: - Strawberry cheesecake, black raspberry, Maine lobster tracks, cannoli (left) - Maine blueberry, strawberry cake crunch, scoop-a-snack, full quart pretz (right) Flavors we really really really liked: Maine blueberry, strawberry cheesecake, cannoli, full quart pretz read more

Gifford's Famous Ice Cream - Strawberry cheesecake, black raspberry, Maine lobster tracks, cannoli (left) - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Waterville, Maine

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I have only stopped by here once, but I would go out of my way to go back when I am in town again, for a few basic reasons: I was sixth or seventh in line when I got there, but they quickly opened a second and then a third window; they have picnic tables available, some in the shade; the server was brand new to the job but friendly and obviously well-trained; and, oh yeah, the ice cream was great. It is a large building -- I wonder if they make it there? read more

Amazing ice cream. Fast service. A Maine classic. The black raspberry with hot fudge has been my favorite for decades. read more

Gifford's Famous Ice Cream - Black raspberry with hot fudge. The best! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Waterville, Maine

Great flavors. Loved the butter pecan and toasted coconut. Not impressed by the Strawberry Cheesecake, but hey, if you love strawberry and little cheesecake then this is the pick for you. read more

If it's any indication of how much I love this place, Gifford's officially opened for the season on March 15th and I was there on the 16th. I live in Portland. Gifford's is one of those local ice cream stands that makes getting ice cream anywhere else really tough. It's just that good. The quality of the ice cream, the variety of flavors, and the great staff make it irresistible. Add in the fact that there's a mini golf course sitting next to it and you can't really blame me for going on a weekly basis. It's hard to recommend a flavor. Impossible even. But if you're a coconut fan, the toasted coconut is actual heaven. It's not just coconut ice cream, and it's not just ice cream with coconut in it. It's literally flakes of coconut that have also been covered in chocolate that are then mixed into the ice cream. It's genius! You can try any flavor before you get it and they're always adding new ones to the mix. I'm already itching to come back! read more

Gifford's Famous Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Waterville, Maine

A classic Maine ice cream stand. No frills, but great and delicious Gifford's ice cream. The ice cream alone is no slouch but they offer a few batting cages and fun yet simple miniature golf course. All affordable and a good time. The ice cream is priced nicely, and the kid's treats are interesting, satisfying, and neat to look at. Why no 5 stars, it would be nice to have French Fries or a vending machine for bottles of water or soda on those especially hot days. read more

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We came here on a Thursday night around 7:30 in July and the line was very long. It generally moves fast though. Im loving the campfire s'mores flavor. (It seems to sell out quickly in the small containers at Hannaford). It's very tasty with graham flavored ice cream, chocolate bits and yummy swirls of marshmallow. I do have to say I did cringe a bit when reading the ingredients (artificial color, corn syrup) but it's worth an occasional splurge. We also ordered a brownie sundae on another trip and sadly it wasn't very impressive. The price was steep ( over $6.50) and we only got chocolate syrup as a topping. Asked if we could add marshmallow sauce and the cashier said it would be extra. The brownie also seemed a bit overheated temp wise. Would not choose this item again. read more

We have always loved coming here but tonight did not work out well. We asked if the mini golf course was wheelchair accessible and were told by the clerk at the golf check in that it was. Well, it wasn't. There was a bridge we were going to have to lift the chair over but before we could even get to that point the cement path was so badly damaged that the front wheel of the wheelchair got caught and shattered making the chair completely unusable now. We filed an incident report and were given free game passes and free ice cream, which we definitely appreciated, but we should have never been told the course was wheelchair accessible in the first place. Luckily the person wasn't hurt but I'm scared someone else could be if this issues doesn't get addressed ASAP. read more

Solid ice cream, what else can I say? Good variety and friendly service. Cool putt putt course and batting cage as well.

Good ice cream, amazing choices, the staff is always friendly. Outdoor style seating. With batting cages and min golf.

Gifford's Ice Cream is so good!!! We've been here 3 times on our two week vacation. Lots of different flavors to try. You can ask for samples which always helps you make your decision. Definitely come here if you want some good hard ice cream. read more

Gifford's ice cream is delicious. I don't think this is news to anyone. I love this particular location, though, because it has the coolest mini golf course right next to it! It is so cute. There are windmills and little houses and a gorilla. There are also some batting cages there, if that's your thing. I highly recommend this as a date spot or a summer activity. read more

I have been going to Gifford's for decades. I understand there is training happening but I got a 2 scoop and the amount I got was maybe the equivalent of 1 scoop. Everyone in our party was the same. Their ice cream is EXPENSIVE and I expect better. Can't wait for North Street to open. read more

Gifford's Famous Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Waterville, Maine

Gifford's has the best ice cream; their peanut butter caramel cookie dough is the best! I was pleased to see the efforts they've made to keep their employees and customers safe during this pandemic with masks, lines for social distancing, great signage, etc. Great job! We'll definitely be back. read more

Just not very good ice cream. If you're willing to accept additives such as corn syrup, soy lecithin, guar gum, xanthan gum and carrageenan you might as well get Hood from the supermarket. If you are looking for a premium product, North Street Dairy is in a different stratosphere. Local economy must be good as their employees seem to be getting more inept with each passing season. read more

We visited here after trying their vanilla ice cream at a 99 restaurant in Vermont. It was by accident we found the location. My husband and I loved the many flavors they had to choose from. I had a waffle cone, and he ordered the banana split. The portion sizes were monstrous. They definitely didn't disappoint. read more

This place has so many summer memories. Many summer evenings involved a short drive, a very competive game of mini golf (winner basking in glory fo the rest of the evening) followed by watching in awe at everyone in batting cages and then enjyoing a delicious, cold, creamy dairy treat, trying to eat it before it melts down my hand or it gets somehow on my clothes. It is always a long descion making process to select a flavor, or three from their vast list of classic and original flavors such as muddy boots, moose tracks and caramel caribou. I always order mine on a sugar cone, never a bowl. read more

Gifford's has the best ice cream ever. Always greeted with a smile and sense that you're more of a friend than a customer. There is a miniature golf course as well as batting cages. read more

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I think this is probably the best ice cream place in the Waterville area. Price point kind of sucks, being that we paid 11 dollars for a sundae and a small ice cream. They however don't skimp on the toppings and giffords is really good ice cream. Still better than going to smileys and paying almost as much for ice cream that tastes slike Hannaford brand. read more

Stoped in for dessert . The ice cream was very the staff was funny summer student help clueless but tried .

This Gifford's is always packed. Which is a testament to how good it is. This is a great location with plenty of picnic tables and trees for shade. Good servings and always yummy! Just wish it wasn't so expensive. With my family of 4 we rarely get out of there spending less than $30...for ice cream! read more

New York visitor here...strawberry lemonade sorbet (with rainbow sprinkles) is probably the best "ice cream" i've ever had.. really delicious with real strawberries in it. Also, least expensive ice cream ever... it was the flavor of the week so I got two scoops (a medium/large) for 2.39... insane read more

Great ice cream and mini-golf. We love the flavor of the week deals and the punch cards! However, the picnic tables are disgusting. Sticky and covered in flies and bugs. We had to sit on the grass in order to eat our ice cream without being bombarded by bees and flies. By the time we found a place to sit out of the sun and away from the bugs, our ice cream cones have dripped all over our hands and created a sticky mess. There are also long wait times. Even when they're busy, there's only one or two people working at a time. Overall, the ice cream is what makes me come back every time. I just would think they could invest in some new picnic tables, or at least take two minutes to wipe them down. This place could easily be five stars if they paid attention to the little things. :) read more

Giffords peppermint stick ice cream was to die for. It was creamy and it went well with there waffle cones. The atmosphere was great and the mini golf adds a nice touch to the establishment as well as the bench area and the batting cage. read more

This place is a gem, ice cream is so good! So many options and flavors, seriously a must stop. Plus they have miniature golf and batting cages. read more

One of our kid's favorite places. Enjoy some of the best ice cream in the NATION but make sure to play the mini gold too!!

Award winning ice cream by a local company (that's grown large), plenty of flavors although many of the flavors are vanilla with various chocolate or candy mix-ins. There's a few frozen yogurts and 1-2 sorbets and sherbets. They don't sell food. Picnic tables are semi-sheltered from the surrounding traffic and under big old trees. Great batting cage, just refurbished. A fun minigolf. Both are very inexpensive. Portapotty and no indoor seating. The servings are generous, I usually get a kiddie's and they don't complain that I'm not a kid. My kids love the Clown sundae with ice cream surrounded by a frill of whip cream and jelly, M&M eyes, ice cream cone hat.. I love the vanilla ice cream soda - but it's enough for 2 people. Service is fast and friendly - there may be a line. They could get 5 stars by offering small ice cream sodas and floats; by adding citrus flavored ice creams; and by wiping down the picnic tables more frequently (or having wipes on hand for them...paper napkins don't go far on sticky ice cream residue). read more