The place is so weird, you wait in a long long line in a tiny crowded area then pay first thing and…read moreget a deli style number slip. You then wait even longer while they call numbers up but they only waiting space is in front of all the ice cream flavors so you cannot see what you want to get. Meanwhile the rude employees tell you to cram over by the freezers while you wait so you really cannot see the flavors. Finally once your helped it takes the employees a solid 2 minutes to scoop one cup of ice cream. Good ice cream! But don't go there if they're busy unless you wanna leave upset with good ice cream of course...

We took an impromtu day trip to the thumb area and made a stop in Port Austin. I am so glad we did…read morebecause this ice cream shop made our trip! The staff were all super friendly and they have their system down to a science so you won't have a long wait if it's busy. They had three dairy free vegan ice cream flavors on my visit, I tried the Black Cherry and it was amazing. They use an oat milk base but it doesn't have the typical oaty aftertaste many dairy free ice creams do. I was so happy with the options and that they even had more than one. There are tons of traditional dairy flavors to choose from and a fun quirky decor. Portions were generous and we enjoyed sitting outside next to the building in the little courtyard area. The location is also close proximity to the water so you could easily walk across the street and enjoy your ice cream by the lake. We will definitely be back on our next trip in the area!

Biggest scoop of ice cream ever! Great ice cream, little area to sit and get to it! Fun music…read moreplaying and a general low key vibe. Honestly we shared this... it's a meal for one for sure! Definitely will be back when we return.

After a three hour kayak trip to Turnip Rock, we were desperate for some ice cream to refuel. We…read moreheard about the large scoops of homemade ice cream at Grindstone General Store and headed over immediately. When we arrived, we saw a huge line out the door, with cars parked all along the road down probably around a quarter mile. That seemed promising! As you enter building, you snake through some of the eclectic goods the store sells - things like custom made chess sets, cute cartoon character and fish shaped soaps, etc. It looks like all of the good being sold are local or at least from Michigan. You'll have plenty of time to browse, since it takes almost 30 minutes from setting foot in the shop to actually reaching the front of the line. It's actually overall pretty well organized. There are two doors on the exterior of the store, but they removed the outside handle on one of the doors so it can only be used as an exit. The shop mainly serves Stroh's ice cream, but they have a tub or two of Guernsey Dairy, and a freezer of ten home made flavors. Of course, we had to get the homemade ice cream only. Please note that the owner can be kind of gruff - before you get to the counter, make sure to know exactly what cone, size, and flavors you want. I don't think they offer any samples. Two Scoops in a Cup ($4.25 first scoop, $2.25 second) - They certainly aren't lying about having giant scoops of ice cream! They actually have a display up showing that a scoop is softball sized with a 14oz volume. That's basically like a pint by itself. We decided to get two flavors in a cup: Horchata and Black Raspberry Bugaboo. The horchata is rich, creamy and filled with vanilla and cinnamon. The ice cream is premium (but I wouldn't say it's super premium) with generally low overrun and higher butterfat, giving a delicious creamy mouthfeel. The sweetness is perfect for ice cream - it's sweet but not achingly so. There are a small amount of ice crystals that formed around some of the cinnamon, but it was only a very small amount and not detrimental enough for me to drop my score. (5/5) The Black Raspberry Bugaboo tastes very artificial. It takes the flavor of raspberry and amps it up to 300% so that it's very sweet with a heavy artificial tart flavor. It's studded with chocolate cups that are filled with maraschino cherry type of flavor as well, and mixed with ribbons of Hershey's chocolate fudge. Not my favorite flavor of ice cream (I was expecting this to be natural raspberry), but I can see it appealing to some. (3/5) There's a choice of sugar cone, waffle cone ($1.25 up charge), or plastic cup. We opted for the cup for two reasons: the sugar cone doesn't look like it can contain the amount of ice cream they serve, and it looks like they get their waffle cones premade from Jagger Cone. The waffle cones come with a paper holder with a flare around to catch any ice cream drips. If you want to enjoy their homemade ice cream at home, they do sell prepacked quarts in a freezer. I wish there was an option for smaller scoops; while I managed to finish two scoops with my partner, I saw many others whose eyes were bigger than their stomachs and ended up having to throw out most of their ice cream. In fact, we saw large piles of ice cream sitting in the nearby trash can. What a waste of food. Bathrooms - Single porta potty outside Overall rating of the food this visit: 4/5

I am always on the search for some good sweets, this tickled my sweet tooth fancy…read more With the wide open field behind you the ambiance was perfect. They're generous sizes and amazing flavors, made the experience even better. The location is a little out of Port Austin but very much worth the drive. All in all 10/10 TAKE ME AGAIN!

Incredibly large amount of Icecream for $7.00. The large scoop (really three generous scoops of up…read moreto three different flavors) plus a waffle cone, definitely enough to share and leave feeling quite satisfied. Perfect summer treat served up on an old-times general store that's literally out in the country. Cool place to visit

Great ice cream! They make homemade waffle cones and the ice cream flavors are all very original…read moreand yummy! They also have a small bakery area that looks good as well.

Not a lot to review from a liquor store, but I visited them a few times over our week in the thumb…read more Obviously the location right down the road from our cottage was a key reason to visit. Overall they had a good selection of beer and lots of little amenities available for whatever you might need, even for nearly Labor Day they were pretty well stocked. For me the thing that stuck out was the clerk. She was incredibly friendly talkative and just in general a nice person. I personally don't frequent a lot of liquor stores, but I'd expect the clerks to not be of the friendliest type, however the one at Oak Beach Pantry was incredibly friendly and made it a pleasure to stop and get a couple of items.

The pizza was ok but not great and it took nearly an hour (not ok with hungry kids). Plus the lady…read moreworking behind the counter was pretty unfriendly.

Love this place. I had the peanut butter cup ice team and it was amazing. Can't wait to returnread more

Offerings are fine but the ambiance seems to get more and more challenging each year…read more After passing all the overwhelming amount of signs with red letters in all caps directing us where to go / not go (DO NOT ENTER! EXIT ONLY!!) and what we can / cannot do (NO SAMPLES!! MUST SEE ALL ITEMS BEFORE YOU PAY!!) we land at the counter feeling anxious and alert of our potential (probable?) guilt and extreme missteps before we have even placed an order. The product is great! And we don't mind the price either - its a short season to bring in the funds! But somehow all the joy and fun seems to be getting sucked out of this place and the novelty of getting ice cream. Sure every business needs to find ways to manage traffic flow, but couldn't a simple (single) 'Enter' or 'Exit' sign suffice in lieu of text screaming at your customers? Couldn't a couple samples (reasonably limited in fairness) bring smiles and entice your captive audience? We appreciate the challenges that businesses face, but emplore the owners of Shakers to try to embrace the joy again and turn the vibe back toward summer beach fun and less ice cream prison.

This place is awesome. We stopped by for a treat and the ice cream was massive. I got a kiddie size…read moreand couldn't even finish it. If you want a normal amount, the "grandma-grandpa baby" size is probably the way to go. Prices were super cheap too, which made it even better. The people working were really nice. Just friendly and chill, which fits the whole vibe. It's your classic up north ice cream shop. You order at the window, grab a bench, and hang out. Nothing fancy, just simple and fun. They even have a bathroom outside which is super helpful if you've got kids with you.

The best place for ice cream! The ice cream is amazing and the service is excellent! I love that…read morethey have dairy free options...my favorite is the black cherry (made with oatmilk). My husband gets the brownie bowl with an extra brownie.

An amazing dining experience in Michigan's thumb! Great food, great service, and perfect…read moreatmosphere!

Best filet we have ever had! We traveled to the thumb for…read moremy birthday and decided to try this amazing restaurant and we were not disappointed! Everything from the cocktails to the food to the ambiance was perfect! Located on a beautiful piece of land with some of the best food we have ever eaten! The filet was melting in our mouths and the scallop appetizer was so unique and flavorful! 10/10 would recommend if you are in the area and even if you are not! It's worth the drive!

Parkside Dairy is one of a kind! Whenever we drive to Alpena; it's a must stop! They have such a…read morelarge variety of products! Custard, slushies, soft serve, tons of toppings, hard scoop ice cream, some whip , pup cups, shakes, malts, coolers, hard shell dip, and so so many other choices They were very busy, but the line moved quickly & the staff was so kind and willing to answer some of my questions (tough to chose ) Not to mention how adorable the garden setting is! Beautiful flowers and comfy benches/chairs to sit at. Also, how can you not want to check out a hot pink ice cream shop!! Highly recommended and the prices are fair w a large helping!

So many delicious flavors and options! Friendly staff and a cute patio to relax and enjoy your…read moredessert.

New cafe just opened, currently serving coffee, iced tea, pastries, pretzels, sandwiches, soups,…read moreand ice cream. Large space for events, live music, with an in-house piano. Great comfy couches, chairs, and high top tables. They're just starting out- so the selection of food and availability will be changing based on what regulars buy and ask about.

Such a lovely little gem to this tiny town! The croissant sandwiches are fabulous. Prices are…read morevery fair and service was great! The ambiance is so adorable. If your passing thru for a quick meal you won't be disappointed. Best wishes to the new owners may you be successful!!!!