I hate the news, it’s all sad stories and the weather. However, every so often you catch that revitalizing story that makes you smile. That’s how I found out about Fantasy Isle Ice Cream & Mini Golf [3354 Holden Beach Rd SW Holden Beach, North Carolina 28462].
It inspired me to plan a whole day trip to the area not far from Wilmington, with the famed Putters as the crown jewel.
The business is your classic ice cream and mini golf duo, it happens to be an impeccable model and has done well for years as a summer haven in a beach town. The little yellow house under the live oak is charming. You can smell the fresh waffle cones cooking, ice cream is from local farmer owned North Carolina Maola.
The employees are super friendly and efficient, more than willing to dole out samples. Try the pirates booty with oreo and M&Ms, it’s amazing. The mini golf course looks like its in great condition, though I didn’t play a round.
You have to plan your trip at the right time, around 1:30 or 4:30 – because there is a real special element to this putt-putt course. A local squirrel who lives in that fine oak comes down to enjoy ice cream twice a day. I’m not joking. Putters started off taking a nibble here and there from customers. One day she was bold enough to steal an entire ice cream cone. From then on the owners realized Putters would get what she wanted one way or another and devised a plan. When I heard there was an ice cream eating squirrel I imagined it would snatch and bolt, or eats the treat from a distance. This is not the case. Twice a day she is called down from the tree and hops right to her friend with the goods.
A special recipe just for Putters includes honey and almond milk – with a bit of vanilla – not quite as sugary as what us humans enjoy. I would have never imagined Putters holding a miniature cone in her hands and licking the ice cream just as a human does!
Right in the middle of a crowd, she doesn’t seem to mind the company.
This has to be the cutest thing on earth – sure to put a smile on anyone! Please be a good sport: don’t try to feed the animal yourself she gets plenty of food, and give her room to breathe!