History of Hayward's

How it all began

On June 15th, 1940, Hayward's Ice Cream Stand opened their windows for the very first time. Since its inception, Hayward's has been family owned and operated. From 1940 till 1964, founders Charles P. and Fredericka Hayward owned and managed Hayward's Ice Cream. In 1964 Hayward's was turned over to their daughter, Trudy and then husband Mike Ordway. In 1977 Mike Ordway and his wife Linda, purchased Hayward's Ice Cream from Charles P. and Fredericka Hayward.

Current ownership

In 1996, Chris Ordway, a third generation Hayward and son to Mike and Trudy, purchased Hayward's Ice Cream from Mike. In 2019 a second location, under the ownership of Chris, opened in Merrimack NH.

The evolution of Hayward's

Over the years Hayward's has gone though many changes. In 1942 the building was moved back almost 100 feet to make room for more parking and the expansion of the D.W. Highway. During WWII sugar was very sparse and ice cream stands got very little to make ice cream. Sometimes we only got enough to open up for 3 or 4 days at a time. At that point the sugar was gone and so was the ice cream. In the 60's burgers were added to the menu. What a treat that was. Burgers and ice cream... mmmmm. Eventually all these things ended and then came the greatest addition to the menu: The Steamed Hot Dog. Steamed hot dogs where added in the mid 70's and have been a huge success ever since. 2019 saw the addition of French Fries and Chicken tenders. In 2020 Hayward's moved it's ice cream production to a larger facility where we can now produce up to 2,000 gallons of super premium ice cream per week. 2022 will see the addition of the Chicken Sandwich and Onion Rings. Hayward's has you covered for lunch, dinner, and dessert.

The best ice cream!

Stop by today and taste why Hayward's has been voted "Best Ice Cream" more than any other ice cream in New England.