Such a cute spot in such a prime location! I split a medium and we were shocked at how much we got for the price. I think if I were sharing again I'd size down. We got Mississippi Mud and it was SO good. Didn't even know what it was before ordering and was pleasantly surprised. It was chocolatey, cakey, and coffee-y. I'd recommend taking your ice cream with you on a stroll in the park across the street--just eat quickly so it doesn't melt all over you! (Now who would possibly have that happen to them...) read more

Captain Dusty's Ice Cream - Mississippi Mud - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Manchester, Massachusetts

My order: Coffee bean ice cream kiddie size The Review: There is no other option for ice cream in Manchester, but I am grateful that Captain Dusty's is that one option. The ice cream was the perfect delicious cold treat on an aggressively hot summer day. They have an extensive flavor offerings and different types of ice cream (like yogurt, sorbet, soft serve...). With options for different dietary needs, they even have gluten-free cones! Thoroughly enjoyed Captain Dusty's and most certainly will be back. read more

Captain Dusty's Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Manchester, Massachusetts

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Really delicious soft serve! It melts super fast but nice and refreshing especially after a beach day. It's across from a little park and harbor, which is a cute place to eat your ice cream. Definitely recommend going to singing beach and heading here after! read more

Captain Dusty's Ice Cream - Chocolate and vanilla twist soft serve - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Manchester, Massachusetts

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This ice cream place is located right where you park as you head to the beach. A great place to stop by to get a treat on a hot day which is what we did. I got the royal fudge brownie. It was creamy and rich satisfying my chocolate addiction. The mango dole whip was very refreshing and light. The service was quick and the staff were friendly. Highly recommend to stop by as you head to or back from the beach read more

Captain Dusty's Ice Cream - Royal brownie fudge and mango dole whip - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Manchester, Massachusetts

Great small-town dessert option for families or visitors! Highly recommend! Love the amount of options, and our server was amicable, and we had lots of conversations with her! You can also catch pretty sunsets at night like we did! read more

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This ice cream was delicious! I thoroughly loved the small town ice cream aesthetic shop that it gave. Highly recommended to all friends and family! read more

Captain Dusty's Ice Cream - Strawberry and cotton candy - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Manchester, Massachusetts

Great ice cream. Came here after going to the beach. Huge quantities too with unique flavors. read more

Captain Dusty's Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Manchester, Massachusetts

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peppermint stick had too much green and red candy in it yuck my friend got mint choc chip it was very good nowhere to sit nice staff read more

This is your regular local ice cream shop. I've seen many branches alongside commuter rail cities and have always wanted to try it. This place has a very local feel. Inside the place has newspaper articles and a hand written menu. The service wasn't the nicest, but I think that's all you get with high school kids. The location is ideal, close to singing beach. Makes it ideal to grab some treats and walk to the beach. I got the medium scoop of the mud slide. It was chocolate with swirls of brownie. The medium scope (pictured) is a very large portion! But hey I'm not complaining. read more

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My friends and I stopped by after a few hours at the beach. It is a tiny little shack and has a very modest, authentic feel. I ordered a small cup of the mocha chip ice cream, which ended up being HUGE. And it was delicious! Definitely fresh and homemade. You can't get ice cream like this in the frozen section. Stop by if you are ever in the area! read more

Captain Dusty's Ice Cream - the front of the building - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Manchester, Massachusetts

I cannot even believe I am THIS pissed about getting a simple ice cream. Which by the way, should be nothing but easy breezy fun. Why on earth you would put ice cream in a container smaller than the ice cream itself is anything but beyond me. My chocolate ice cream was running down the sides of my cup before I left the window. A completely failed effort to strategically rush to eat the ice cream before it was ALL over my dress (I looked like a murder victim) and dripping down every corner of my hand. My ice cream became the enemy. I After a futile gallant attempt to conquer the mess I ended up just throwing it in the garbage before I became the ice cream. I made my way back to the window convinced if they saw the disaster they would graciously give me a small ice cream in a large cup --- at no cost. The gals response was actually, and I quote, "we cannot control how fast the ice cream melts." Yes, really. I once again pointed out that was not the point, or the problem. The source of the problem is some fool doesn't understand sizing. Simple shit we learned in kindergarten. Then -- another gal comes to the window. Says she can give me another ice cream for a dollar. Yes, really. I declined. My fun ice cream was now a full on buzz kill. Then, some icing on the cake, the gals behind me asked for their small ice creams in larger cups based on what they saw me wearing, and the staff actually said NO. They refused to give these ladies larger cups. Yes, really. My boyfriend --- pretty much the same story. although he persevered. See the lovely photo. With nowhere to wash ones hands. Interesting outfits we wore to our cocktail party that evening. We looked like something the cats dragged in. A hardy New England north shore gal, I have been going to CaptDusty's my whole life. But think I just might get my ice cream elsewhere next time. As for the owners, in the spirit of training your summer help, perhaps they should get a little training on how to make a mess something with a solution and a simple "sorry, happy to make this right, and geez, you have a good point." read more

Captain Dusty's Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Manchester, Massachusetts

Great place, perfectly between Singing beach and the Manchester-by-the-sea train station. PSA, this is, to my knowledge, the only ice cream spot in Manchester, so the lines can get long. But it's worth the wait! There are many ice cream, frozen yoghurt, smoothies, and soft serve options, so there is something for everyone read more

Delicious ice cream. Plenty of ice cream flavors to choose from. Open late at the Beverly Farms location

They have a nice assortment of flavors, and then you can add things on top, or make a sundae, etc. Nice location across from the park and harbor. Had dulce de leche and coconut almond (was it almond? maybe another nut) chip. Both were perfectly fine. Not bad, not blow-my-mind-great....just fine. It was a hot day and it was ice cream. The price seemed fair for a medium cup that gave me 2 scoops of 2 flavors. I think about $4.65. I wouldn't seek it out....but if I were near and hungry for ice cream, I'd return. read more

Dusty's brings a smile to everyone's face. How can you be displeased with home churned ice cream, a plethora of froyo flavors and refreshing sorbets. Everything tastes better from a little white shack, right? read more

Captain Dusty's Ice Cream - By RibRunner on Flickr.com - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Manchester, Massachusetts

Very good quality. Really fun to walk off the boat and across the street, and grab an ice cream with the kids.

Some of the best ice cream i've ever had. Great environment and feel. Perfect for a scoop in the way to singing beach.

The homemade ice cream is delicious, they'll put gummi glow worms or Swedish fish on it, the park across the street is beautiful and there are snowy egrets in the salt marsh. Obviously five stars. read more

Captain Dusty's Ice Cream - a cup of ice cream with a spoon - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Manchester, Massachusetts

Delicious flavors, large portions, and friendly service. Great park across the street while you enjoy your treat.

Nothing special. The ice cream itself was a bit grainy. Not the worst Ive had, but not even close to the best. Would recommend to find another place. Ordered two - a kiddie double fudge brownie in a cone, and a small (next size up to kiddie) cookie dough in a cup. Somehow the kiddie was bigger than the small by 1 scoop. After seeing a few others, it seems if you get it in a cone, you get 2.5-3 scoops for a kiddie and 3.5-4 for a small. If you get it in a cup, you get 2 scoops for a kiddie and 3 for a small. So this is why everyone was getting in a cone and then asking them to flip it in a cup... read more

Yum! Good ice cream, perfect after a day at the beach or a game at Masconomo Park. I love the Mississippi mud (chocolate ice cream and Oreo crumbles). This place is just so cute and fun to stop at for a treat. Wonderful ice cream shop in little Manchester by the sea! read more

Captain Dusty's Ice Cream - Mississippi mud - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Manchester, Massachusetts

Really, what else could you ask for? Homemade ice cream, frozen yogurt, frozen pudding, with interesting flavors, near the beach, with good prices and generous portions. My ginger ice cream kiddie cone was huge for only $2.50 and the ice cream was super gingery. I can't wait to come back. read more

I think I have made a trip to Manchester just for Captain Dusty's Ice Cream before. No joke. That's how good this place is! Don't bother with ordering a medium or large cone. Their small serving size is already huge and priced very well. The assortment of homemade ice cream flavors always makes me take a few minutes to decide on what to get, but I never walk away unsatisfied. Unfortunately, this Capt. Dusty's location closed around October 18th for the season. I believe the Dusty's in Salem is open up till Halloween. read more

decent ice cream. super cute vibes. the building could be cleaned or updated/renovated.

Bar none, best ice cream in the world. Captain Dusty's is owned by John and Lisa. They own two stores (Manchester and Beverly), and have branded one other franchise store (Salem, MA). They also make all their own ice cream. The portions here are ginormous! I recommend the Kiddie Cone (it's probably a large at most other ice cream joints). I one time ordered a half cookies-and-cream and half butter crunch kiddie cone, and John actually told me that was one of his personal favs. The people are nice, the ice cream is incredible, and it makes the perfect stop on your way home from the beach. Cash only. read more

They must have changed things here. My parents always raved about the ice cream, years ago - generous sizes, yummy, and decently priced. Today we went in and it was just... meh. $8 for two ice creams (a small and a kiddie). The kiddie was surprisingly small (which is okay for a kiddie size), and the small? It was in the same size cup, and barely any bigger. On top of that, our ice cream had a strange aftertaste - kind of soapy or something. And it was pretty drippy, even though it's not all that hot today. I won't be coming back. read more

There are few things as charming as sea-side town ice cream joints. They tend to be the only places with flavors like Bubble Gum, M&M and other childhood favorites. I had to convince myself not to get the Bubble Gum because while I thought it was a delicious flavor when I was 5 I had an inkling that it wouldn't be quite as good at 27. But nonetheless, you want it, they have it. I decided instead to get the frozen pudding. And hot damn it was good! Chunks of maraschino cherries, fresh strawberries, rum-soaked raisins and other fruit, smooth and delicious. They had roughly 25 flavors to choose from as well as soft serve, no sugar added ice cream and frozen yogurt. I also noticed gallons packed to go along side the enormous chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches in the freezer. The prices were very reasonable and I will definitely stop back in when I return to Manchester-By-The-Sea. read more

great ice cream friendly fast service & prices in a terrific location. a real local gem

I lived in Boston for a year from 2002-2003. I haven't been to Manchester since the summer of 2002, when I went to the beach religiously for several weeks in a row because the sun was so intense it was giving my house plants sunburn. So it is 2010, and I STILL THINK ABOUT THIS PLACE. That's how good the ice cream was. Looking through these reviews, I'm not the only person who feels this way. Thank God Cpt Dusty's is still open, even if I never make it back, I take comfort knowing the ice cream is still there. read more

Hot sun + cold ice cream = SUMMER. This is the way ice cream should be - a tiny little shack with handwritten flavors and highschool kids making money for the weekend. They told me the mocha chip was too soft that day for a cone, so I ordered coffee heath bar instead. Delicious! Creamy, smooth, coffee-mellow, with little bursts of chocolate toffee goodness. Scoops are ridiculously large, and the pricing is just right. -1 since my cone was a little soggy/stale, but by the time i got to the bottom of my ice cream, I really didn't care! The little girl who dropped her massive soft serve cone was given another, as the dad frantically tried to convey that their standard size was wayyy to big for her to handle. So cute! read more

It was just okay for me. I wanted to try their homemade ice cream so I got a kiddie cookie dough cone. The scoops were uneven and when the counter girl handed the cone to me, it was already melting all over our hands! The ice cream didn't taste as spectacular as the reviews led me to believe it would. There were only a few chunks of cookie dough and it didn't taste much different than ice cream from the freezer section of the supermarket. Sorry, Dusty's . . . maybe I came on an off night. I wouldn't mind coming back to try the fro-yo and see if my experience will improve. I will agree with previous reviewers that the portions are generous. read more

The homemade ice cream here is divine! I had the Mississippi mudslide last night and it was a top 3 in my life. Perfect blend of coffee, Oreos, and every lick was pure joy! My girlfriend had an almond ice cream with coconut if I remember correctly. Both were outstanding. The customer service was great too! If you're in the area you have to stop for a treat! read more

Ice cream is bomb, super creamy and they had a lot of options. Root beer float for the win god bless

We've been here numerous numerous times. The staff is always cheery and friendly. The ice cream is always great. We've tried probably a dozen of their flavors and we quite enjoy them. I would describe their ice cream generally as fairly creamy and moderately sweet. My wife doesn't like a lot of sweetness and she enjoys their ice cream. The flavors that are traditionally sweet are, but overall it's not a super sugary ice cream. Really good stuff, never disappointed. read more

There is nothing better on a hot summer day, than a trip on the commuter rail up to Singing Beach. It's only 45 minutes away, and after being stuck in the city...going to the beach is a beautiful escape! Although, one of my favorite things about each trip North is the ice cream at Captain Dusty's! After soaking up the rays for several hours, I walk my sandy bum down to head back to Boston and never pass by Captain Dusty's without getting a scoop. Good flavors, fun toppings, decent prices. I wouldn't say this is extraordinary ice cream, but it is pretty darn delicious! I would go for the Purple Cow (Black Raspberry, Chocolate and White Chocolate) or the tangy ginger....but they also sell ice cream sandwiches, which is so freaking awesome! Almost reminds me of a local DQ, but way better. Only riff, is the lack of debit cards. But, just so you know, they accept "local checks." Ha! Welcome to the 'burbs baby. read more

Um, what can I say? I love ice cream, and I LOVE Captain Dusty's! The location can't be beat - just a short walk from Singing Beach and right across from the harbor and Mascanomo Park. Understandably, this means the tiny indoor ordering area is packed on hot summer days, with a line snaking out the door. Their ice cream is homemade, and totally delicious - my favorite is probably the chocolate peanut butter (also amazing as a milkshake, by the way). Prices are totally reasonable, and portions are HUGE. No seriously - they are monstrous. If you just want a single (heaping) scoop, go for the kiddie size. My only gripe is that service can sometimes be a bit lacking - they hire a lot of teenagers on their summer breaks, who are often more interested in chatting with friends than listening to your order. The kid behind the counter last time I went was obviously high as a kite - I think I had to repeat my order 5 times before it finally got through to him. But hey, its a summer ice cream shop. What can ya do? My other gripe is that they don't take credit or debit cards, but I can understand why that can be prohibitive for small businesses with lots of sales under 5 bucks. I just hate driving by and realizing I have no cash on me. :P read more

Yum!! Captain Dusty's serves up some tasty homemade ice cream (Coconut Almond!!), but I'm a little weary of any ice cream place that charges extra for jimmies. That is a required condiment, not a frivolous addition to my ice cream cone, thank you! Grab an ice cream and stroll by the waterfront and head up the road to sneak into Singing Beach. Yay, summer! read more

I love Captain Dusty's!! I've been going for more than 15 years and it's always been amazing. I always get the mint chocolate chip ice cream with butterscotch topping (yes, they have butterscotch!) and it is so good! The mint is not too strong, not too weak; same goes for the sugar. It's the perfect combination of flavor and sugar! If you're in the area, I highly recommend you try it, some days the kids behind the counter aren't too friendly but then again, I usually go after the beach and if I had to work on a beautiful weekend day, I'd be cranky too :) Captain Dusty's is my favorite ice cream and if you go on the weekend in the summer, you just might see me there! read more

Really pretty disappointing. They do a good job at serving people fast. The ice cream I got (cake batter) was served such that it was already have melted. When they said it was too soft to serve in a cone, I should have known better. Not exactly enjoyable. The other flavors my friends got looked fine, but mine was pretty bad (worst cake batter I've ever had). Prices are not anything to write home about ($3.25 for half melted kiddie cone and $4+ for all other sizes), but portions are a little generous to make up for it. read more

Such a disappointment. Don't order their chocolate frappe which is pretty much a cold milk with a chocolate syrup:/