Massachusetts’ $3 Million Ice Cream Shop Is Taylor Swift-Approved

There's no doubt about it. We love our ice cream here in Massachusetts.

We particularly like it when we're on vacation. Ice cream just tastes better when you've got flip-flops on your feet, salt in your hair and coconut-scented sunscreen protecting your body. No wonder the Cape is such a popular place to eat ice cream.

It's also a popular place to serve ice cream. When I think about ice cream on Cape Cod, I think about Styrofoam tip cups on the counter asking for generous vacationers to help pay for college tuition. The really creative cups have the schools' logos drawn on the front, hoping to hit a nostalgic chord with potential grads.

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One of the most popular spots for ice cream on the Cape has been scooping the good stuff for 90 summers.

Four Seas Homemade Ice Cream owners Doug Warren and his wife, Peggie, took over the iconic ice cream shop from Doug's parents in 2000.  HIs parents, who met while working there, bought the shop in January 1960.

$3 Million Ice Cream Shop for Sale

Now, after two generations of ownership, Four Seas is for sale.  At $3 million, the price tag may surprise some, but the Warrens say the package includes the building, the land, the Four Seas name, the built-in business, and perhaps the most valuable item of all, the ice cream recipes.  The Warrens also could bring their lifetime of experience to help the new owners succeed.

Four Seas in New Bedford

Four Seas ice cream can be purchased in New Bedford. It's carried at Coastal Provisions, not far from St. Luke's Hospital on the corner of Arnold and Ash streets.

Celebs' Favorite Ice Cream

On the Cape, celebrities have become fans of Four Seas.

Taylor Swift went every night for about a week while she was on vacation years ago.  Then, all the Swifties started showing up.  "There was an entourage of people here every night," Doug said. "She was so generous with her time, signing autographs and posing for pictures. She handled it very gracefully."

Some other names who have eaten the iconic ice cream?  Adam Sandler, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Steven Tyler, Katie Couric, Eddie Murphy, Chris Pratt, The Kennedys, and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.

An Emotional Chapter

"I've teared up a few times as I talk about putting the shop up for sale," Doug said. "It's tough to let go. I was hoping that our kids would have wanted to take over, but it just wasn't in the cards."

The Warrens hope that a Four Seas alum can take over the business, "someone who knows how the place works," Doug said.

After all these years, Doug and Peggie say they still love ice cream. We asked them who had the best homemade ice cream not named Four Seas. They gave a nod to Mad Maggie's on the Vineyard.

They look forward to spending a summer of enjoying the Cape with their friends.  They've never been able to do that.

The Warrens say they'll still go to Four Seas for ice cream because it's their favorite.  We suggest they somehow work out "free ice cream for life" as part of the negotiations.