State by State: Where to Find the Best Ice Cream

Top Ice Cream Shops in Each State

Somebody is choosing a flavor of ice cream in a store with a female assistant
Photo by Marc Calleja on Adobe Stock

Summer’s here, and the heat is on! What better way to cool down than with a scoop (or two) of delicious ice cream? But with countless shops across the country, finding the perfect pint can be a daunting task. From classic flavors to unique creations, get ready to embark on a virtual ice cream road trip across the USA!

Alabama: Big Spoon Creamery, Birmingham

a stack of ice cream sandwiches on a white plate
Big Spoon Creamery / Facebook

Known For:

  • Handmade artisanal ice cream focusing on local and seasonal ingredients
  • Flavors ranging from sweet corn blackberry to sweet basil ice cream
  • Big Spoon specializes in sundaes and sammies (pictured)

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Alaska: The Ice Cream Shop, Girdwood

an ice cream sundae sitting on top of a counter
The Ice Cream Shop / Facebook

Known For:

  • Unique ice cream flavors like Huckleberry Heaven, Maui Waiui, and Fireweed and honey
  • Choices ranging from sodas, floats, and affogatos

Overall Rating: 4.4/5

Arizona: Novel Ice Cream, Phoenix

a close up of a sandwich with googly eyes on it
Novel Ice Cream

Known For:

  • Contemporary ice cream shop serving small-batch handcrafted ice cream
  • Known for their famous doughnut melt
  • 12 flavors avaliable in a cup, cone or float

Overall Rating: 4.9/5

Arkansas: Spark Cafe Soda Fountain, Bentonville

an ice cream sundae in a plastic container
Spark Café Soda Fountain

Known For:

  • Located where the Walmart Muesam was
  • Handcrafted ice cream and sundaes are available
  • Unique flavors like F-150 and Spark Cream (represents Walmart)

Overall Rating: 4.6/5

California: Fosselman’s Ice Cream Co., Alhambra

three different flavors of ice cream are being held in someone's hand
Fosselman’s Ice Cream

Known For:

  • Over 100 years old and serving old-fashioned ice cream in the Los Angeles area
  • Unique flavors like Macapuno, Lemon Custard, and Chocolate Raspberry Mousse
  • Tons of menu items like shakes, sundaes, floats, and more

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Colorado: Bonnie Brae Ice Cream, Denver

three ice cream cones being held in front of ice cream sign
Bonnie Brae Ice Cream / Facebook

Known For:

  • Bonnie Brae Ice Cream is an iconic old-fashioned ice cream shop serving over 120 handmade flavors
  • Unique flavors like Blue Moon, salted oreo, and lemon custard

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Connecticut: Rich Farm, Bristol

Rich Farm Ice Cream – Bristol, CT / Facebook

Known For:

  • Rich Farm has over ten different menu items incorporating ice cream and much more
  • Unique flavors like Mint Marshmallow Brownie, Peanut Butter and Jelly, and Chocolate Chiquita
  • Able to sample four different ice cream flavors as a sampler

Overall Rating: 4.6/5

Delaware: Vanderwende Farm Creamery, Greenwood

an assortment of ice cream in a plastic container with a spoon
Vanderwende Farm Creamery / Facebook

Known For:

  • Proud to serve homemade, farm-fresh ice cream
  • Ice cream is available in cones, cups, homemade waffle cones, sundaes, banana splits, and floats
  • Known for their ice cream flights, sampling 6 different flavors

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

Florida: Sea Maids Creamery, Tampa

three ice cream sundaes with toppings sit on top of a counter
Sea Maids Creamery / Facebook

Known For:

  • Unique ice cream flavors like Beach Bum, Sponge Bob, and Sirens Love Potion
  • Not only does Sea Maids specialize in ice cream but also coffee, teas, and a selection of sweet treats
  • The biggest star of the show here is their delectable sundaes (pictured)

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

Georgia: Leopold’s Ice Cream, Savannah

a person holding up an ice cream cone in front of a restaurant
Leopold’s Ice Cream / Facebook

Known For:

  • Unique homemade flavors like Savannah Socialite, chocolate chewies and cream, and rum bisque
  • Banana splits, old-fashioned fountain sodas, milkshakes and malts, ice cream sandwiches, and much more are offered

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Hawaii: Lappert’s Hawaii, Honolulu

chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in waffle cup
Scoop P L / Yelp

Known For:

  • Signature flavors like Big Island Inspiration, ube haupia, and Auntie Mabel’s Lilikoi Dream Pie
  • Sorbet and handmade ice cream flavors are constantly rotating

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Idaho: Ice Cream Alley, McCall

a person sitting on a bench eating an ice cream sundae
Elefantdude / Trip Advisor

Known For:

  • Offering over 20 handmade ice cream flavors
  • Unique flavors like Huckleberry, Espresso Explosion, and Lemon Pie
  • Known for their heft ice cream scoops in each purchase

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Illinois: Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Chicago

an ice cream shop with many different types of ice cream
Beau N Mo Wallace / Facebook

Known For:

  • Tons of flavors are offered for those with dietary restrictions, from vegan flavors, soy-free, peanut-free, without egg, and without tree nuts
  • Unique flavors like black licorice, gumball, and kitty kitty bang bang
  • Awarded Grand Master Ice Cream Maker 3x

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Indiana: Sundae’s Homemade Ice Cream, Indianapolis

three ice cream cones sitting on top of a counter
Sundaes Homemade Ice Cream / Facebook

Known For:

  • The number one staple flavor from Sundaes
  • Unique flavors like bourbon praline pecan, orange pineapple dreamsicle, and nuts & bolts

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

Iowa: Goldie’s Ice Cream Shoppe, Prairies City

an ice cream sundae in a cup on a table
Goldie’s Ice Cream Shoppe / Facebook

Known For:

  • There are many menu items, from overload twisters, slushies, slush creams, and specialty sundaes
  • Features a flavor of the week during every week in the year
  • Unique flavors like butter beer, buttered popcorn, and cantaloupe

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

Kansas: Sylas & Maddy’s Homemade Ice Cream, Olathe

three waffle tacos with whipped cream and sprinkles
Sylas and Maddys / Facebook

Known For:

  • Make ice cream and waffle cones daily with a plethora of innovative flavors
  • Unique flavors like PB and Waffles, pot of Gold, and Drumstick

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

Kentucky: Crank & Boom Craft Ice Cream, Lexington

crank & boom's magical milkshakes
Crank & Boom Craft Ice Cream / Facebook

Known For:

  • Unique flavors like gooey butter cake, strawberry balsamic sorbet, and bourbon and honey
  • Known for their sampler flight of four ice creams, spiked scoop (ice cream with a shot of booze), and homemade waffle cones and bowls

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

Louisiana: Creole Creamery, New Orleans

two scoops of ice cream sitting on top of each other
Old Metairie Creole Creamery / Facebook

Known For:

  • Unique ice cream flavors like cafe au lait, lavender honey and creole cream cheese
  • Unique sorbet and sherbert flavors like cucumber, creole tomato, and satsuma

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Maine: Gorgeous Gelato Portland, Maine

a person holding a cup of ice cream with a spoon in it
Gorgeous Gelato / Facebook

Known For:

  • Gelato is made fresh each day using all-natural ingredients and no preservatives
  • Unique flavors like Ferrero Rocher, tiramisu, and white chocolate
  • Known for their highly velvety texture and intense flavor of gelato

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Maryland: BMORE LICKS, Baltimore

oh snap lemon ginger cookie
BMORE LICKS / Facebook

Known For:

  • Carry at least 30 flavors of their homemade ice cream daily
  • Unique flavors like holy cannoli, honey baklava, dirty grasshopper, and much more
  • Famous not only for their ice cream but also their flurries, sundaes, and ice cream tacos

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Massachusetts: The Ice Cream Barn, Swansea

three people holding a bowl of ice cream
The Ice Cream Barn / Facebook

Known For:

  • All ice cream is “barn made” on-site at the Ice Cream Barn while utilizing milk from their cows
  • Unique flavors like cranberry jubilee, Kahlua brownie, and Grape Nut

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

Michigan: Ray’s Ice Cream, Royal Oak

a hand holding a waffle cone with a scoop of ice cream
Ray’s Ice Cream / Facebook

Known For:

  • 50+ flavors of velvety smooth and slow-churned ice cream,
  • Banana splits, shakes, and malts are all available
  • Unique flavors like lemon zest cheesecake brownie, Mackinac Island fudge, and white Russian

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Minnesota: Sebastian Joe’s Ice Cream Cafe, Minneapolis

two cups of ice cream with sprinkles sitting on a wooden table
Sebastian Joe’s / Facebook

Known For:

  • Being the original markers of supreme ice cream (natural and premium ice cream together)
  • Made with fresh ingredients daily with several flavors that rotate
  • Unique flavors like Pavarotti and Nicollet Avenue Pothole
  • Ice cream sandwiches, ice cream cakes, and Joe’s brrr Bars are avaliable

Overall Rating: 4.6/5

Mississippi: Velvet Cream–The Dip, Hernando

a styrofoam container filled with ice cream
Jennie L / Trip Advisor

Known For:

  • Known for a plethora of sweet treats, from concerts to ice cream shakes, custard, and handmade ice cream
  • A very unique ice flavor is the Tahitian medicine man ( lime and coconut syrups poured in ice)

Overall Rating: 4.4/5

Missouri: Central Dairy Ice Cream Parlor, Jefferson City

inside ice cream parlor
Jaded-Bird / Trip Advisor

Known For:

  • There are tons of different flavors, including Bear Claw, Tiger Tracks, and Texas Pecan
  • Sundaes, shakes & malts and different types of splits are also available

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Montana: Big Dipper Ice Cream, Missoula

a person handing an ice cream cone to another person at a food truck
Big Dipper Ice Cream / Facebook

Known For:

  • Unique flavors like El Salvador coffee, Mexican chocolate, cardamon, and white mint Oreo
  • Known worldwide and has been chosen as one of America’s Best by Food and Wine Magazine, USA Today, Yahoo News, and Budget Travel, among others

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

Nebraska: Coneflower Creamery, Omaha

an ice cream display case with many different types of ice cream
ChuckandDave / Trip Advisor

Known For:

  • Handcrafted farm-to-cone ice cream
  • known for homemade waffle cones and homemade sprinkles
  • Unique flavors like Butter brickle, along with signature flavors offered that are not typically associated with ice cream

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

Nevada: Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt, Las Vegas

a person holding a container of ice cream in front of a store
Terri C / Yelp

Known For:

  • Over 100 flavors of ice cream, along with vegan and sorbet, sherberts, and ice options
  • Unique flavors like buckeye, cherry cordial, and cinnamon sticky bun
  • Specializes in ‘hurricanes’ which is blended ice cream and toppings

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

New Hampshire: Hayward’s Ice Cream, Nashua

ice cream sundaes
Pinterest

Known For:

  • Unique flavors like banana cream, pie, chocolate tsunami, and Tollhouse
  • Other treats offered include NSA ice cream, lactose-free ice cream, sherbert, sorbet and soft-serve

Overall Rating: 4.6/5

New Jersey: Torico, Jersey City

an ice cream sundae in a plastic container
Torico Ice Cream Parlor / Facebook

Known For:

  • Fresh and natural ingredients used in all 65+ ice cream flavors
  • Unique flavors like chocolate blackout, pound cake, and green tea
  • Seasonal flavors of ice cream and sorbet are also offered

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

New Mexico: I Scream Ice Cream, Albuquerque

several bowls of ice cream sitting on top of a wooden table
Joy Cruz Jones / Facebook

Known For:

  • Ice cream manufactured from Blute Bell, as well as some specialty flavors
  • Unique flavors like red velvet, southern blackberry cobbler and moo-llennium crunch
  • Icrea floats, sodas, shakes, malts, sundaes, and more are available

Overall Rating: 4.9/5

New York: The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, New York City

a person holding an ice cream cone in front of a store
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory / Facebook

Known For:

  • Has been creating delicious ice cream for over three decades
  • Unique flavors like red bean, don tot, and Thai iced tea ice cream flavors
  • Tons of ice cream flavors are available, both exotic and native

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

North Carolina: Sunni Sky’s Homemade Ice Cream, Angier

several different flavors of ice cream in bowls
Sunni Sky’s Homemade Ice Cream Inc. / Facebook

Known For:

  • Home to over 130 ice cream flavors
  • One of the most unique flavors offered is ‘cold sweat’; it’s made with three kinds of pepper and two kinds of hot sauce and requires a waiver to be signed beforehand
  • Sundaes, shortcakes, banana splits, and much more are offered at Sunni Sky’s

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

North Dakota: The Silver Lining Creamery, Fargo

homemade banana chocolate ice cream
The Silver Lining Creamery – Fargo / Facebook

Known For:

  • Homemade ice cream offering fresh seasonal and rotating flavors, known only to have 14% butterfat
  • Unique flavors like One Night at the Ritz, double dough dare you, and lemon Poppyseed

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Ohio: Mitchell’s Ice Cream, Cleveland

a bowl of ice cream next to a bowl of strawberries
Mitchell’s Homemade Ice Cream / Facebook

Known For:

  • Handcraft ice cream in small batches using all local dairy and fresh ingredients
  • Unique flavors like Bing cherry chocolate chunk, strawberry jalapeno, and peanut butter pretzel yogurt
  • Sundaes, cream cakes & pies, milkshakes, and malts, and floats are all available

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

Oklahoma: Braum’s Ice Cream & Dairy Store, Oklahoma City

a person holding an ice cream sundae in their hands
Braum’s Ice Cream & Dairy Stores / Facebook

Known For:

  • Home to some of the best sundaes and banana splits, along with that, they have malts, sherbert freezes, mixes, and frozen yogurt available
  • More than over 100 homemade flavors
  • Unique flavors like Bordeaux cherry amaretto, dream cooler, and coconut chocolate cheesecake

Overall Rating: 4.2/5

Oregon: Cloud City Ice Cream, Portland

six scoops of ice cream in bowls on a white surface
Cloud City Ice Cream / Facebook

Known For:

  • Small batch, handcrafted ice cream made with natural and local ingredients
  • Unique flavors like caramelized banana, circus friends, and marionberry crisp
  • Offers 5+ vegan flavors and several seasonal flavors

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

Pennsylvania: Fox Meadows Creamery, Ephrata

an oatmeal cookie with cream cheese on a cutting board next to a glass of milk
Fox Meadows Creamery / Facebook

Known For:

  • Ice cream churned right in-store during operating hours
  • Unique flavors like brown butter almond brickle, honeyed lavender, and strawberry rhubarb crumble
  • Specializes in hot pressed sweet outer shell cookies with ice cream inside called the “baked fox”

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

Rhode Island: Lincoln Creamery, Lincoln

several banana splits are lined up on a counter
Lincoln Creamery / Facebook

Known For:

  • Over 50 flavors to choose from; dairy-free and frozen yogurt options are also available
  • Unique flavors like deep dish apple pie, fluff-n-udder, and midnight caramel river
  • Cones, cups, banana splits, sundaes, and much more offered

Overall Rating: 4.6/5

South Carolina: Meyer’s Ice Cream Parlor, Surfside Beach

an ice cream cone with whipped cream and a cherry on top
meyersicecream

Known For:

  • Over 50 ice flavors and 16 sundae flavors
  • Unique sundae creations like the ACC, banana pudding paradise, and Hawaiian split
  • Offers a diverse array of flavors, from traditional to innovative spin-offs of the conventional flavors

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

South Dakota: Armadillos Ice Cream Shoppe, Rapid City

three ice cream sundaes sit on a pink table
John N. / Trip Advisor

Known For:

  • Serves 20 flavors throughout the year with a different flavor of the day
  • Ice cream, sherbet, Italian ice, slushes, freezes, ice cream floats, sundaes, and much more are available
  • More than 20 specialty sundae creations are available

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Tennessee: Cruze Farm Ice Cream, Knoxville

an ice cream cone with marshmallows on top
MissBehavior81 / Trip Advisor

Known For:

  • Freshly churned ice cream from local dairy farms
  • Known for their churns (ice cream blended with toppings)
  • Unique flavors like key lime cheesecake, cherry orange dole whip, and fruity pebbles sweet cream

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

Texas: MELT Ice Creams, Fort Worth

an ice cream cone with chocolate and nuts on top
MELT Ice Creams / Facebook

Known For:

  • Create small batch ice cream with seasonal flavors and special flavor drops
  • Shakes, ice cream sammies, ice cream pints, and ice cream cakes are available
  • Unique flavors like lemon blueberry pie, Texas lavender honey crunch, and berry basil

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Utah: Farr Better Ice Cream, Ogden

four individuals standing in front of an ice cream shop
Farr Better Ice Cream / Facebook

Known For:

  • Severing over 100 possible ice cream flavors for 100 years
  • Tons of ice cream, sorbet, and sherbet
  • Unique flavors like Brownies on the Moon, Almond Divinity, and Spumoni

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Vermont: Tim & Doug’s Ice Cream Shop, Newport

s'mores ice cream sundae
Tim & Doug’s Ice Cream / Facebook

Known For:

  • Known for award-winning Udderly MOO-licious Sundae
  • Homemade ice cream sandwiches, soft serve, banana splits and more
  • Best bang for your buck, Tim and Doug’s has the biggest portion sizes

Overall Rating: /5

Virginia: Moo Thru, Remington

two cups of ice cream sitting on top of a wooden tray
MooThru / Facebook

Known For:

  • Real ice cream from real dairy farmers, hand-crafted and slow-churned
  • Moothru has sundaes, banana splits, shakes & malts, and hand-dipped ice cream
  • 19 flavors served throughout the day

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Washington: Mallard Ice Cream, Bellingham

four different flavors of ice cream in a plastic container
Mallard Ice Cream / Facebook

Known For:

  • Scoops, shakes and sundaes
  • Handmade 25 ice cream flavors, unique ones like root beer and cookies, vanilla black sesame, and dill and sour cream
  • Mallard’s has a robust library of 700+ flavors that are rotating

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

West Virginia: Austin’s Homemade Ice Cream, Ceredo

scoop of coffee ice cream
Austin’s Homemade Ice Cream – Ceredo / Facebook

Known For:

  • Unique award-winning ice cream flavors like Grape Pineapple and Smore than a Feeling
  • Over 40 flavors made daily by their ice cream chef
  • Specialises in sundaes, milkshakes (cereal killer shakes), Ice cream sodas and more

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

Wisconsin: Kelley Country Creamery, Fond du Lac

Kelley Country Creamery / Facebook

Known For:

  • Ice cream cakes and pies, specialty sundaes, and some of the most unique homemade ice cream flavors
  • Flavors ranging from Aime’s Amaretto to Green Dragon (lemon-lime flavor)
  • Seasonal flavors are available for Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter

Overall Rating: 4.9/5

Wyoming: Moo’s Gourmet Ice Cream, Jackson

a person is holding up a bunch of ice cream
Moo’s Gourmet Ice Cream / Facebook

Known For:

  • Unique ice cream flavors and sorbets
  • Home to the award-winning Wild Huckleberry ice cream flavor
  • It also has a plethora of alcohol-infused ice cream flavors

Overall Rating: 4.2/5

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