Ice cream is quite possibly the ultimate comfort food, especially in hot weather, so it’s little wonder that we’ve been enjoying it so enthusiastically in recent weeks. (Whether having a famously ice cream-loving president helps or hurts sales of this frozen delight probably depends on where you fall politically.)
While major food companies have become big players on the ice cream scene (Nestlé owns Häagen-Dazs and Dreyer’s; Unilever owns Ben & Jerry’s), and chains like Baskin-Robbins, Carvel, and Cold Stone Creamery seem to be almost everywhere. (Believe it or not, ice cream is one of those “junk foods” that might not be so bad for you.)
Independent ice cream parlors are an enduring American tradition, however. There are hundreds and hundreds of such places around the country, most of them making their own ice cream on an artisanal scale, and many of them creating unusual flavors – sweet maple bacon, jackfruit, roasted beets & fresh mint – as well as standbys like chocolate and vanilla.
To assemble a list of the best ice cream store in every state, 24/7 Tempo considered ratings and reviews on a variety of food and general interest sites, including Food & Wine, Eat This Not That, The Daily Meal, Taste of Home, and Reader’s Digest, as well as numerous local and regional sites. Note that suggested flavors may be seasonal or occasional and may not always be available. (Taking the country as a whole into consideration, these are the best ice cream parlors in America.)
We left frozen yogurt shops off the list (though frozen yogurt might be on the menu at some of the places here), and while some of the ice cream shops listed have several locations, we have also omitted regional enterprises that have grown to have a nationwide presence, like Graeter’s from Cincinnati and McConnell’s from Santa Barbara, California.
Alabama: Cammie’s Old Dutch Ice Cream Shoppe
> Location: Mobile
> Flavors to try (if available): Mexican vanilla, prickly pear
Alaska: Wild Scoops
> Location: Anchorage (2 locations)
> Flavors to try (if available): AK birch almond, Fruity Pebbles
Arizona: Mary Coyle Ol’ Fashion Ice Cream
> Location: Phoenix
> Flavors to try (if available): Black licorice, salted caramel cashew
Arkansas: Loblolly Creamery
> Location: Little Rock and Benton
> Flavors to try (if available): Arkansas Mud, honey lavender
California: Mother Moo Creamery
> Location: Sierra Madre
> Flavors to try (if available): Apricot crumble, organic triple milk
Colorado: The Little Man Ice Cream Co.
> Location: Denver and Englewood
> Flavors to try (if available): Salted Oreo, banana pudding
Connecticut: Salem Valley Farms Ice Cream
> Location: Salem
> Flavors to try (if available): Grapenut, cappuccino fudge
Delaware: The Ice Cream Store
> Location: Rehoboth Beach
> Flavors to try (if available): Delaware peach, Madagascar vanilla
Florida: Ice Dreammm Shop
> Location: Lutz
> Flavors to try (if available): Strawberry shortcake, chocolate bacon toffee
Georgia: Butter and Cream
> Location: Decatur and Atlanta
> Flavors to try (if available): Honeycomb forest, marmalade pine nut cookie
Hawaii: Black Sheep Cream Co.
> Location: Waipi’o and four other Oahu locations
> Flavors to try (if available): Banana crème brûlée, honeydew melon cream
Idaho: The STIL
> Location: Boise
> Flavors to try (if available): When in Rome (lemon olive oil), Picnic in the Park (raspberry, goat cheese, walnut)
Illinois: Richard’s Super Premium Ice Cream
> Location: Chicago
> Flavors to try (if available): Sweet potato pie, peach cobbler
Indiana: Sundae’s Homemade Ice Cream
> Location: Indianapolis
> Flavors to try (if available): Bing cherry chip, butter brickle
Iowa: Over the Top
> Location: Pleasant Hill
> Flavors to try (if available): Apple cobbler ala mode, caramel macchiato
Kansas: Foggi Ice Cream
> Location: Mission
> Flavors to try (if available): Thai tea, sweet maple bacon
Kentucky: Louisville Cream
> Location: Louisville
> Flavors to try (if available): Mascarpone and strawberry, coffee with bourbon cream
Louisiana: Ice Cream 504
> Location: New Orleans
> Flavors to try (if available): King cake with cream cheese, white chocolate mint
Maine: Mt. Desert Island Ice Cream
> Location: Bar Harbor and Portland, plus Washington D.C. and Matsumoto and Azumino, Japan
> Flavors to try (if available): Bay of Figs, coriander lemon curd
Maryland: The Charmery
> Location: 3 Baltimore locations), plus Columbia and Chevy Chase
> Flavors to try (if available): Indonesian cinnamon, Fitzgerald’s Rickey (gin and lime)
Massachusetts: Christina’s Homemade Ice Cream
> Location: Cambridge
> Flavors to try (if available): Carrot cake, sweet cream
Michigan: MOO-ville Creamery
> Location: Nashville, Ionia, Zeeland, and Eaton Rapids
> Flavors to try (if available): Almond Joy, Mackinac Island fudge
Minnesota: Milkjam Creamery
> Location: Minneapolis
> Flavors to try (if available): Uma (Greek yogurt with passion fruit lychee swirl), PB vs Everybody (peanut butter banana with Oreo chunks)
Mississippi: The Oxford Creamery
> Location: Oxford
> Flavors to try (if available): Milk and Cookies, fresh mint chip
Missouri: Betty Rae’s Ice Cream
> Location: Kansas City
> Flavors to try (if available): S’mores, blood orange creamsicle
Montana: Big Dipper Ice Cream
> Location: Missoula, Helena, and Billings
> Flavors to try (if available): Cardamon, espresso Heath
Nebraska: Coneflower Creamery
> Location: Omaha (2 locations)
> Flavors to try (if available): Grandma Minnie’s lemon bar, brown butter
Nevada: Secret Creamery
> Location: Las Vegas
> Flavors to try (if available): Pandan coconut, black sesame
New Hampshire: Memories Ice Cream
> Location: Kingston
> Flavors to try (if available): Frozen fruit pudding, bananas Foster
New Jersey: Torico Ice Cream
> Location: Jersey City
> Flavors to try (if available): Jackfruit, avocado
New Mexico: La Lecheria
> Location: Santa Fe
> Flavors to try (if available): Butterscotch miso, red chile honey
New York: Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream
> Location: New York City (2 locations)
> Flavors to try (if available): Durian banana, strawberry pink peppercorn
North Carolina: Vida Dulce
> Location: Cary
> Flavors to try (if available): Key lime pie, cranberry
North Dakota: The Silver Lining Creamery
> Location: Fargo and Rapid City
> Flavors to try (if available): Root beer float, chili roasted pistachio
Ohio: Coppa Gelato
> Location: Westerville
> Flavors to try (if available): Lemon lime basil, white chocolate pretzel
Oklahoma: Rose Rock Microcreamery
> Location: Tulsa and Broken Arrow
> Flavors to try (if available): Ube and blood orange, Vietnamese coffee
Oregon: Fifty Licks
> Location: Portland (3 locations)
> Flavors to try (if available): Cornbread honey butter, mango sticky rice
Pennsylvania: Uncle Mike’s Homemade Ice Cream
> Location: Warminster
> Flavors to try (if available): Mike’s Chocolate Elvis, Coconut Crazy
Rhode Island: Tricycle Ice Cream
> Location: Providence
> Flavors to try (if available): Callebaut chocolate, passionfruit
South Carolina: Sweet Cream Company
> Location: Columbia
> Flavors to try (if available): Sweet corn, Madagascar vanilla
South Dakota: Leones’ Creamery
> Location: Spearfish
> Flavors to try (if available): Horchata, mountain huckleberry
Tennessee: Mike’s Ice Cream and Coffee Bar
> Location: Nashville
> Flavors to try (if available): Pralines and cream, black cherry
Texas: Lick Honest Ice Creams
> Location: 9 locations in Austin, San Antonio, College Station, and Houston
> Flavors to try (if available): Caramel salt lick, roasted beets & fresh mint
Utah: Dolcetti Gelato
> Location: Salt Lake City
> Flavors to try (if available): Strawberry balsamic, grapefruit
Vermont: Mountain Creamery
> Location: Woodstock
> Flavors to try (if available): Myers rum raisin, Vermont maple walnut
Virginia: Peterson’s Ice Cream Depot
> Location: Clifton
> Flavors to try (if available): Carnival cotton candy, Cindyrella (butterscotch with chocolate drops)
Washington: Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream
> Location: Seattle (9 area locations)
> Flavors to try (if available): Cookies & cream, milk chocolate fudge stripe
West Virginia: Ellen’s Homemade Ice Cream
> Location: Charleston
> Flavors to try (if available): Hazelnut, mocha almond
Wisconsin: Purple Door Ice Cream
> Location: Milwaukee and Mequon
> Flavors to try (if available): Whiskey, Nutella Brownie Blast
Wyoming: Big Dipper Ice Cream
> Location: Laramie
> Flavors to try (if available): Butterfinger, peppermint crunch