Christine MacManus wasn’t the only reader to write with a favorite ice cream place. And she wasn’t the only one to recommend Brickley’s.

“The best ice cream in South County is at Brickley’s!” wrote one of the mini-chain’s several admirers, Ruth Fain of Narragansett. “We particularly like the store on Boston Neck Road in Narragansett, but they have opened a ‘window’ at Belmont’s store in town [at Pier Marketplace] which is very convenient when one is walking the wall. Our favorite flavors are Bing Cherry, Peppermint Stick, and Peach (in season).

“What makes the place special are the owners, the kids they have working for them and the friendly atmosphere … and the picnic tables outside are nice, too.”

Here’s a sampling of what other readers had to say:

•Nancy R. Brown of Narragansett is among those who like Brickley’s, too. “Each year, I say that I am going to go through the entire list of ice creams until I have tried them all. However, if I did that, I probably would no longer be able to walk! So, I end up eating my favorites over and over — Butter Brickley, Malted Milk Ball ...”

•Elysabeth Christian of Narragansett spoke up for Nana’s at Pier Village there. “I’ve heard they even deliver your ice cream to you on the beach!” (That’s true, a call to Nana’s confirmed; the phone number is (401) 782-2705.)

What’s Christian’s favorite flavor? “Hmmmm ... What isn’t, really ... But if I had to really come up with just one, I would have to say Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough.”

•Nancy Waszkis of North Kingstown likes Krueger’s ice cream on Post Road there. Her favorite flavor: Belgian Chocolate Chunk.

Krueger’s “is special because all the many flavors we have tried are excellent,” she wrote. “The gelatos are the best around. We usually buy ice cream from them for guests, and have only had raves about any flavor we have served.”

•Sherry Scales of Charlestown told of “my all-time favorite place, [on Route 138] in Richmond — Lickety Splits. Not only do they sell hard-pack ice cream — in many different flavors — including flavor of the month, but they also have soft-serve, either all one flavor or my favorite, the chocolate/vanilla twist.

“The flavor is amazing, and it is very creamy. I have to say it’s the best soft-serve I have ever had in my life. We always get the medium-sized cone, which is very reasonable in price and twisted high with ice cream.”

•“Right now my favorite is The Inside Scoop, [on Ten Rod Road] in Wickford,” writes Tom Cournoyer of Exeter, who signs his letter, “The Ice Cream Hog.”

“... and not because my daughter Heidi works there,” he adds, “but because they make their own ice cream, and it is so rich and full of flavor that it is my pick for the best ice cream in R.I. And the selection is mind-boggling ... my personal favorite is Birthday Cake.”

•Another proud papa is Joe O’Brien of Narragansett, who wrote, “You must try the Sweet Spot on Great Island Road in Narragansett, under Champlin’s in Galilee, right on the water. They have the best rum raisin, strawberry and maple walnut in the state.” His 24-year-old daughter, Kelly, owns the place with her boyfriend, Paul Ortelt; Kelly does the baking while Paul and Kelly’s youngest brother, Jim, make the ice cream.

•And finally, this blast from the past:

“Main’s Ice Cream from the 1920s-1970s had the best Eagle poster with a screaming eagle: ‘I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream,’ ” writes Jean A. Bradley of Wakefield. “It introduced children to the joys of our English language — ice cream and I scream — similar sounds but different spelling, which is the joy of headline writers of newspaper writers ever since.

“And in Stonington, Conn., I fondly recall drug store proprietor Francis Connors, ‘Pete’ to friends, packing the luscious item into plain white cardboard boxes — pints or quarts. He’d often get so generous, the top was higher than the box was, but he’d wink his blue eyes and say ‘Enjoy it,’ as he put the quarters in the cash register.

“A cone was 5 cents; where else could such a delicious treat be found? If you had an ice cream soda — it cost 15 cents — it filled you up better, true, but nothing was as wonderful as that first lick of cool, sweet, delectable smoothness as that nickel would get you.

“Even after one had grown up and learned about strawberries and chocolate syrup and banana splits and candied ginger, that 5-cent cone wins hands down. But do they still cost 5 cents?”

Alas, they certainly do not. But it’s clear that there’s still plenty of great ice cream to be found in these parts.

—ALAN ROSENBERG