Summer Treats for Kids at Mariano’s

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While I try to keep it healthy with my children most of the time, the fact that it’s summertime is a great excuse to enjoy a little extra sweetness when it comes to food.

And I can’t think of a better way to indulge our sweet tooth than with a cup of Vero gelato from my local Mariano’s Lakeshore East store in Chicago. We made a trip there recently for a fun family day out.

I’d planned to visit Mariano’s to enjoy some gelato on the patio (which has a breathtaking view), and then head to the Lincon Park Zoo to finish our day with a little exercise. 😉

It as a FULL but happy day.

Our Chicago adventure started with having to choose from a huge selection of gelato flavors at Mariano’s. One of my personal favorites was the cappuccino gelato, but that’s because I can’t live without coffee. The kids loved the cookies & cream gelato and the strawberry gelato. They all looked amazing, though.

When I say there’s a huge selection, I really mean there’s a wide range of gelato flavors. Just look at all the creamy, wavy goodness.

It’s a good thing that we have a big family. I was able to choose six different flavors of gelato, and since we share and all, I was able to taste almost all of them.

And a bonus is that the next time we treat the kids to gelato at Mariano’s, I’m going to save a little money, because I found out that when I use my Mariano’s rewards card, when you buy 10 cups of gelato, the 11th cup is free. 🙂

Vero Gelato on the Patio at Mariano’s
While I was in charge of the gelato, my husband was in charge of finding us seats out on the patio at Mariano’s. He found a great spot for the us, too.

I mentioned earlier that the view is awesome out on the patio, and it truly is. We saw blue skies, green grass, and Chicago skyscrapers…true beauty.

Here are a few more pictures that I captured from the patio at Mariano’s. For me, these pictures made Mariano’s even more amazing. Seriously. I was able to see these views at a grocery store. Just. Wow.

I *heart* Mariano’s in a whole new way after this trip. This was my first time to this specific Chicago location, and I’ll be back!

Overall, the Vero gelato was delicious, and to make this trip truly unforgettable for the kids, we had them pick out a few items from the bakery AND the candy aisle.

We went all out. 😉

They enjoyed their bakery treats at the zoo, where we stopped after our visit to Mariano’s.

The sweet treats from Mariano’s made this summer day extra special.

What’s a favorite summer treat for your kids? What’s your favorite gelato flavor?

Did you know? You can find great recipes and ideas from the Mariano’s Community. And you can follow Mariano’s on Facebook and Twitter for their latest updates. You can also find out more about my shopping trip to Mariano’s here in my Google+ story.