Daffodils in bloom. Leaf buds appearing on trees and shrubs. The return of wintering birds to backyard feeders. All signs indicate that the warmer weather might actually be ready to last for more than a day or two at a time.
Another sure sign of spring has a little more flavor than blooms as seasonal restaurants and ice cream parlors across the South Shore open their doors in anticipation of sunny days and warmer temperatures.
Here are some of those places.
Jake’s Seafood Restaurant is located at 50 George Washington Boulevard. at Nantasket Beach. Visit jakeseafoods.com for its opening hours and menu.
What there is to know: While Jake’s offers summer staples like fish and chips and clam strip platters, the restaurant’s menu kicks things up a notch with appetizers, entrees, salads, sandwiches and cocktails to accompany meals like David’s Vietnamese halibut, a baked seafood casserole and lemon-garlic shrimp. Chicken and steak dishes are also available.
Jake’s also includes a seafood market for customers to create their own creations.
Hornstra Farms is located at 246 Prospect Street in Norwell And 60 Bedford Street/Route 18 in Whitman. Visit Hornstrafarms.com for more information.
What there is to know: The Hornstra family has maintained and expanded its delivery service of dairy products, ice cream and other offerings – made fresh from the cows on their Norwell farm for about 100 years, so they have things pretty well in hand – and this includes its seasonal ice cream stand. .
The stand – or ice cream parlor, as Hornstra calls it – opened its doors a few weeks ago for another season of enjoying homemade ice cream while offering customers the chance to say thanks and good work to the cows who made all this possible.
The company’s acquisition of the former Peaceful Meadows location in Whitman at an auction last summer included its year-round ice cream stand, which has remained that way under Hornstra.
The Norwell location is open daily from noon to 6 p.m. The one in Whitman is open every day from noon to 8 p.m.
Doctor’s Island is located at 19 Hull Shore Drive in Hull. For hours and more, visit Drsislandbrewing.com.
What there is to know: Doctor’s Island Brewing opened near the end of last summer, but closed for the season which hasn’t been open for long. The microbrewery on Hull Shore Drive in Hull reopened its doors for its first full season on Friday April 26.
The owners of the taproom, husband and wife Greg and Michelle Hoffmeisterpurchased the 1,200-square-foot former Hull Kitchen home in 2020 after dabbling in home brewing for years.
The opening selection of six beers covers many tastes. There are two IPAs and a stout, a blonde, a pale ale and a golden ale. Other offers will be introduced throughout the season.
The new business and its patio overlook Blake Rock Island, colloquially known as…
