Carl’s is Fredericksburg’s perfect end to summer

CHLOE MCCANN

Life Editor

As the warm days gradually turn cool, a stop at Carl’s Frozen Custard on 2200 Princess Anne St. lets students savor the last bites of summer. 

With its colorful neon sign and employees outfitted in retro parlor uniforms, Carl’s draws families with their dogs and strollers as well as college students, all coming not only for the soft-serve delicacies but also for the shack’s nostalgic charm, transporting them back in time.

The shop serves as one of the oldest still-running family-owned restaurants in Fredericksburg, established in 1947, and stands atop a high historic pedestal for arguably being the best locally made custard. 

However, its historic reputation as a local summer landmark made my friends and me question: can it still live up to its long-standing reputation? 

At 7:50 p.m. on Friday, Sept 12, in the parking lot beside Carl’s, my friends and I pulled up, excited to finally try it for the first time.

I had only heard about Carl’s from my professors, who insisted it was a must-do activity, but I had never gotten around to trying it. On top of that, Carl’s previously only accepted cash payment, which made going there inconvenient.

After recently changing their payment policy to now accepting credit cards, without the hassle of bills, I was finally inclined to go.

Only taking about 18 minutes, Carl’s is easily walkable from campus. However, my friends and I decided to drive, which took about eight minutes total. 

At Carl’s, chirpy employees in tiny parlor caps lean through the glass window, eager to take your order. Above them, the menu’s seemingly vintage bold block letters spell out the shop’s frozen treats.

Within about two to three minutes upon approaching the stand, our orders were taken. 

For a total of $26.00, my friends and I got one root beer slush float, one strawberry shake, one dish of vanilla custard with a sugar cone on top and one hot fudge sundae with nuts. 

The service at Carl’s was surprisingly very fast, taking only about 4-5 minutes to fulfill our orders. 

Seating at Carl’s is limited to a few uncomfortably hard cement benches. With no tables to put our ice cream on, my friends and I awkwardly hunched over our purchases while sitting on the backless cement blocks. 

We each started our taste test by trying a spoonful of the strawberry shake. The shake was light and fluffy and feels like a summer night on your tongue. The shake’s consistency made it very satisfying to taste. 

“Something that I liked about the shake is how there’s not huge strawberry chunks in it, so it makes it drinkable through a straw, and there’s no cloggage,” said Kenzie Forbes, a sophomore and friend at UMW who joined me at Carl’s. 

Next, we tried the chocolate fudge sundae with nuts. With just the right amount of nuts, ice cream and fudge, the sundae is an incredible blend of flavors. 

Even sophomore Nikki Miller, a political science major and self-proclaimed picky eater, enjoyed the flavorful tastes of both the shake and the sundae. 

“I liked the milkshake and thought it was pretty good, even though I’m a picky eater and usually don’t like trying new things; the Sunday was also very good,” said Miller. 

For Miller, the root beer slush float was her least favorite, which was the general consensus among the group. 

“It tastes like root beer but with a weird texture,” said Miller. 

The root beer float can only be ordered as a slushie. And as a slushie, the root beer comes out pre-frozen, which creates an odd, partly liquid and partly frozen consistency that pairs weirdly with the frozen vanilla custard. 

However, the plain vanilla custard, which is what Carl’s is most known for, was the last for us to try. 

Carl’s preserves the old-fashioned method of making custard. Using eggs, sugar and butterfat, they mix their custard in machines that have been maintained since the 1940s. 

Compared to other custards, Carl’s is made completely from scratch and you can taste the difference in quality in every bite. 

“It doesn’t taste like store-bought vanilla or vanilla extract. It tastes homemade like it’s straight from the vanilla bean,” said Forbes. 

The butter, eggs and sugar give the custard a flavor almost like buttercream. 

Going to Carl’s is a perfect way to end the summer and its reputation is understandable around Fredericksburg. The custard is worth every step of the 18 minutes it takes to walk from campus. 

According to Finn, the dishwasher at Carl’s, “the busiest time to come is usually around 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.,” so to skip the rush, the best time for students to come is anytime before then.