“Ice cream is a category on fire,” says a report from industry website Dairy Foods — and no, the report’s not talking about flambéed Baked Alaska. Over the 52-week period ending on Sept. 6, 2020, ice cream sales in America rose 13.4% to a total of $6.84 billion, according to the site.
Ice cream is one of the ultimate comfort foods, so it’s little wonder that we’ve been buying it so enthusiastically since the pandemic hit. And with 2021 shaping to be one of the hottest years on record, sales will almost surely continue to grow through the year. Of course, having a famously ice cream-loving president will likely not hurt sales either. (Here is a list of President Biden’s favorite foods.)
Given that the stakes are so high, it’s hardly surprising that big food companies have become major players on the ice cream scene (Nestlé owns Häagen-Dazs and Dreyer’s, and Unilever owns Ben & Jerry’s), or that supermarkets devote so much freezer space to it.
Independent ice cream parlors remain an enduring American tradition, however. There are probably thousands 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 — honey bourbon cornbread, rye whiskey eggnog sugar cookie — as well as standbys like chocolate and vanilla. Still, here are some delicious ice cream flavors we wish would come back.
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, Delish, Spoon University, Insider, and Reader’s Digest, as well as numerous local and regional sites.
Click here to see the best ice cream shop in every state
We left chains like Baskin-Robbins, Carvel, and Cold Stone Creamery off our list and did not include frozen yogurt shops (though frozen yogurt might be on the menu at some of the places here). And while some of the ice cream parlors 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.
Note that suggested flavors may be seasonal or occasional and may not always be available.
Alabama: Cammie’s Old Dutch Ice Cream Shoppe
> Location: Mobile
> Flavors to try: Mexican vanilla; red velvet
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Alaska: Wild Scoops
> Location: Anchorage
> Flavors to try: AK birch almond; rhubarb crumble
Arizona: Mary Coyle Ol’ Fashion Ice Cream
> Location: Phoenix
> Flavors to try: Black licorice; salted caramel cashew
Arkansas: Loblolly Creamery
> Location: Little Rock
> Flavors to try: Arkansas Mud; bourbon pecan
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California: Mother Moo Creamery
> Location: Sierra Madre
> Flavors to try: Organic strawberry; orange blossom and cardamom
Colorado: Little Man Ice Cream
> Location: Denver
> Flavors to try: Espresso fudge; salted Oreo
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Connecticut: Salem Valley Farms Ice Cream
> Location: Salem
> Flavors to try: Coffee toffee bar; ginger
Delaware: The Ice Cream Store
> Location: Rehoboth
> Flavors to try: Delaware peach; Crabula (red African vanilla, chocolate flakes, black cherries)
Florida: Ice Dreammm Shop
> Location: Lutz
> Flavors to try: Strawberry shortcake; chocolate bacon toffee
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Georgia: Butter and Cream
> Location: Decatur
> Flavors to try: Basil with pine nut brittle; Vietnamese coffee
Hawaii: Black Sheep Cream Co.
> Location: Waipio and four other Honolulu-area locations
> Flavors to try: Lavender latte; ube cream with cheesecake swirl
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Idaho: The STIL
> Location: Boise
> Flavors to try: Curious George (bananas and dark chocolate); State Fair (cherry pie)
Illinois: Rainbow Cone
> Location: Chicago
> Flavors to try: Black walnut; bubble gum
Indiana: Rocket Science Ice Cream
> Location: Nappanee
> Flavors to try: German chocolate; piña colada
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Iowa: Over the Top
> Location: Pleasant Hill
> Flavors to try: Iowa sweet corn; Marshmallow Mania
Kansas: Foggi Ice Cream
> Location: Mission
> Flavors to try: Caramel con leche cheesecake; lemon lavender
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Kentucky: Louisville Cream
> Location: Louisville
> Flavors to try: Banana pudding; honey bourbon cornbread
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Louisiana: Ice Cream 504
> Location: New Orleans
> Flavors to try: Lemon chiffon; The Proprietor (pistachio, dark chocolate, caramel);
Maine: Mt. Desert Island Ice Cream
> Location: Bar Harbor and two other Maine locations, plus one each in Washington D.C. and Matsumoto, Japan
> Flavors to try: Maine Sweet Cream; Reverse Root Beer Float
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Maryland: The Charmery
> Location: Baltimore (five area locations)
> Flavors to try: Roasted strawberry; rye whiskey eggnog sugar cookie
Massachusetts: Toscanini’s Ice Cream
> Location: Cambridge
> Flavors to try: Burnt caramel; goat cheese honey walnut
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Michigan: Elizabeth Perk Coffee & Ice Cream
> Location: Trenton
> Flavors to try: Grandma’s peach pie; Almond Joy
Minnesota: Milkjam Creamery
> Location: Minneapolis
> Flavors to try: Pineapple lychee; Thai tea
Mississippi: The Oxford Creamery
> Location: Oxford
> Flavors to try: Milk and Cookies; Peanut Butter Crack
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Missouri: Betty Rae’s Ice Cream
> Location: Kansas City
> Flavors to try: Mint and chocolate flakes; salted pretzel
Montana: Big Dipper Ice Cream
> Location: Missoula and two other Montana locations
> Flavors to try: White mint Oreo; El Salvador coffee
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Nebraska: Coneflower Creamery
> Location: Omana
> Flavors to try: Tart cherry crumble; Blackstone Butterbrickle
Nevada: Steve’s Homemade Ice Cream
> Location: Fernley
> Flavors to try: Black raspberry; brownie batter
New Hampshire: Memories Ice Cream
> Location: Kingston
> Flavors to try: Frozen fruit pudding; caramel macchiato
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New Jersey: Torico Ice Cream
> Location: Jersey City
> Flavors to try: Pumpkin pie; cherry pistachio
New Mexico: La Lecheria
> Location: Santa Fe
> Flavors to try: Chocolate sea salt; Ikonic coffee
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New York: Big Gay Ice Cream
> Location: New York City (four locations, plus trucks)
> Flavors to try: Rocky Roadhouse; blueberry cobbler
North Carolina: Vida Dulce
> Location: Cary
> Flavors to try: Key lime pie; pine nut
North Dakota: Silver Lining Creamery
> Location: Fargo
> Flavors to try: Chipotle chili blackberry; cantaloupe
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Ohio: Coppa Gelato
> Location: Westerville
> Flavors to try: Fig; stracciatella
Oklahoma: Rose Rock Microcreamery
> Location: Tulsa
> Flavors to try: Caramel kettle corn; honey cashew
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Oregon: Fifty Licks
> Location: Portland (three locations)
> Flavors to try: Bananas Foster; mango sticky rice
Pennsylvania: Uncle Mike’s Homemade Ice Cream
> Location: Warminster
> Flavors to try: Mike’s Chocolate Elvis; Coconut Crazy
Rhode Island: Tricycle Ice Cream
> Location: Providence
> Flavors to try: Horchata ice cream sandwich; caramelized Fruity Pebbles ice cream taco
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South Carolina: Sweet Cream Company
> Location: Columbia
> Flavors to try: Lemon poppy seed; roasted pineapple chili pepper sorbet
South Dakota: Leones’ Creamery
> Location: Spearfish
> Flavors to try: Sweet cream; tarragon olive oil
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Tennessee: Mike’s Ice Cream and Coffee Bar
> Location: Nashville
> Flavors to try: Honey-roasted pistachio; Tennessee fudge
Texas: Lick Honest Ice Creams
> Location: Austin (three locations) and San Antonio (three locations)
> Flavors to try: Roasted beets and fresh mint; Texas sheet cake
Utah: Dolcetti Gelato
> Location: Salt Lake City
> Flavors to try: Cold brew; mint charcoal swirl
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Vermont: Mountain Creamery
> Location: Woodstock
> Flavors to try: Myers rum raisin; Vermont maple walnut
Virginia: Charm School Social Club
> Location: Richmond
> Flavors to try: Iced latte; peanut butter and jam
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Washington: Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream
> Location: Seattle (nine area locations)
> Flavors to try: “Scout” mint (Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies); watermelon
West Virginia: Ellen’s Homemade Ice Cream
> Location: Charleston
> Flavors to try: Coconut; mocha almond
Wisconsin: Purple Door Ice Cream
> Location: Milwaukee (three area locations)
> Flavors to try: Carrot cake; brandy old fashioned
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Wyoming: Big Dipper Ice Cream
> Location: Laramie
> Flavors to try: M&M; orange cream
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