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50 in 50: The Best Ice Cream Shops In Each State
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. This sweet, frozen treat never goes out of style. Served in a cup, on a sugar cone, lactose-free, and with so many flavors to choose from, everyone can find their fave.
To help you satisfy your sweet tooth while you’re traveling across the country, Travel Noire rounded up the best ice cream shops in every state.
Alabama
According to one customer, Cammie’s Old Dutch Ice Cream Shoppe serves the “best ice cream sundaes in the south.” Be sure to try one along with their 47 ice-cream flavors.
Where: 2511 Old Shell Rd, Mobile, AL 36607
Alaska
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The arctic temps of Alaska don’t seem ideal for ice-cream consumption, but that hasn’t stopped customers from flocking to Wild Scoops for unique hand-crafted ice-creams like Tundra Queen and Rosemary Birch Walnut.
Where: 429 E St, Anchorage, AK 99501
Arizona
Novel Ice Cream gives the best of both worlds by pairing warm donut buns with hand-crafted artisan ice cream.
Where: 1028 Grand Ave Ste 6 Phoenix, AZ 85007
Arkansas
Loblolly Creamery is named after the state tree and features a signature buttermilk ice-cream.
Where: 1423 S. Main St., Little Rock, AR 72202
California
If you have dietary restrictions, Cocobella Creamery is the place to be. Their dairy-free, allergen-friendly ice-creams are made with coconut milk.
Where: 1253 Vine St # 12, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Colorado
Go to Little Man Ice Cream for the crispy, homemade waffle cone and stay to take pics of the 28-foot milk can it’s housed in.
Where: 2620 16th St, Denver, CO 80211
Connecticut
Ferris Acres Creamery sits on a seasonal farm serving flavors like the Bad Habit, made of rich dark chocolate and Campfire, a vanilla ice cream with fudge swirls, graham cracker pieces, and mini marshmallows.
Where: 144 Sugar St, Newtown, CT 06470
Delaware
We love this ice cream shop with a purpose. UDairy Creamery is run by students at the University of Delaware who are getting a practical education in producing premium ice-cream. They will even deliver in their custom truck, the Moo Mobile.
Where: 535 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19716
Florida
Find authentic Italian gelato, courtesy of owner Matthew Cairo at Matty’s Gelato Factory.
Where: 867 Donald Ross Blvd Juno Beach, FL 33408
Related: Inside Miami’s Newest Black-Owned Ice Cream Shop
Georgia
Butter and Cream sounds so quintessentially Georgian so it’s the perfect name for this small batch ice-cream shop that uses only the freshest ingredients.
Where: 416 Church Street, Decatur, Georgia 30030
Hawaii
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Lappert’s Ice Cream brings Hawaiian staples like macadamia nuts and coconuts to their creamy confections.
Where: 2005 Kalia Rd, Honolulu, HI 96815
Idaho
Adult beverages meet ice-cream at the STIL, which stands for the Sweetest Things in Life. Try the booze-infused Ed & Carl Take Reno featuring Honey Bourbon.
Where: 786 W Broad St, Boise, ID 83702
Illinois
Rainbow Cone Ice Cream Shop is an Illinois institution since 1926. Try The Original Rainbow Cone ® made of chocolate, strawberry, palmer house, pistachio, and orange sherbet.
Where: 9233 S Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60643
Indiana
Broad Ripple Ice Cream Station, known more commonly as BRICS, is all about saving the environment. Only metal spoons are used to scoop up their delectable flavors.
Where: 901 E 64th St, Indianapolis, IN 46220
Iowa
Yotopia Frozen Yogurt specializes in healthy offerings packed with probiotics.
Where: 132 S Clinton St Iowa City, IA 52240
Kansas
Visitors to Sylas & Maddy’s Homemade Ice Cream can try over 40 flavors in a freshly baked waffle cone. Rumor has it you can smell the gently wafting scent of the cones well before entering the shop.
Where: 1101 Massachusetts St, Lawrence, KS 66044
Kentucky
Thai Orchid Café’s coconut ice cream, made out of a Cuisinart, became so popular that it spawned Crank and Boom. Flavors now include bourbon and honey as well as coffee stout.
Where: 1210 Manchester St Lexington, KY 40504
Louisiana
New Orleans’ Creole Creamery offers a sampler of four mini scoops to ensure that you get the best the Big Easy has to offer.
Where: 4924 Prytania St, New Orleans, LA 70115
Maine
If you want something done right, do it yourself. This was the philosophy of the two college grads who founded The Gelato Fiasco in 2007 when they couldn’t find good gelato in Maine.
Where: 425 Fore St, Portland, ME 04101
Maryland
The Charmery in Baltimore serves everything from sundaes to Sandos. Try their Montfleur Duvin Peach Caramel Pint made in partnership with Black-owned winery Montfleur Duvin.
Where: 801 W 36th Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21211
Massachusetts
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Honeycomb Creamery’s small-batch, locally sourced craft ice-cream includes flavors like Golden Milk ice-cream and coconut lime sorbet.
Where: 1702 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138
Michigan
Moomers Homemade Ice Cream is located on a dairy farm in Traverse City where they make over 160 different flavors of homemade, premium ice cream.
Where: 7263 N Long Lake Rd, Traverse City, MI 49685
Minnesota
Izzy Scoop boasts over 200 flavors of creamy goodness. If you can’t make it out to Minnesota, they ship nationwide.
Where: 1100 S 2nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55415
Mississippi
There are only 12 flavors at Area 51, but they are made fresh daily and are absolutely divine.
Where: 100 E Commerce St Hernando, MS 38632
Missouri
Betty Rae’s Ice Cream draws raves for their all natural ice-cream.
Where: 412 Delaware St, Kansas City, MO 64105
Montana
Good Morning America named Big Dipper Ice Cream the Best Ice Cream in America. Every ingredient is sourced from Montana.
Where: 631 S. Higgins, Missoula, MT 59801
Nebraska
Coneflower Creamery‘s secret weapon is an in-house pastry chef who makes their sauces, toppings and waffle cones.
Where: 3921 Farnam St, Omaha, NE 68131
Nevada
Rolled Ice Cream brings this popular Thai custom to Las Vegas.
Where: 9500 S Eastern Ave, #110 Las Vegas, NV 89123
New Hampshire
Annabelle’s Natural Ice Cream carries over 40 flavors like Cashew Caramel Cluster (caramel ice cream with roasted cashews and chocolate chunks), Swiss Chocolate Avalanche (Swiss chocolate ice cream with pecans, walnuts, chocolate covered almonds, chocolate chunks, and white chocolate swirls), and Mint Summer’s Night Dream (mint chocolate ice cream with dark and white chocolate chunks).
Where: 49 Ceres St, Portsmouth, NH 03801
New Jersey
Believe it or not, veggies make pretty good ice-cream. The Bent Spoon‘s Basil and Ricotta will make you a believer.
Where: 35 Palmer Square W, Princeton, NJ 08542
New Mexico
What’s better than craft beer? Craft beer ice-cream from La Lecheria. Also available are bold flavors like Avocado, Habanero Vanilla, Almond Chocolate, Coconut Miso (vegan), Mango Ginger Sorbet, Sweet Corn, Citrus Basil, and Cracker Jack.
Where: 101 West Marcy Street Santa Fe, NM, 87501
New York
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Is there anything more ‘New York’ than Serendipity 3’s Frrrozen Hot Chocolate?
Where: 225 E 60th St, New York, NY 10022
Related: This Black-Owned Ice Cream Shop Brings More Than Just Sweet Treats To NYC
North Carolina
In addition to their over 120 flavors, Sunni Sky’s Homemade Ice Cream‘s menu includes the spicy Cold Sweat and Exit Wound that require signed waivers to try.
Where: 8617 NC Hwy 55 S, Angier, NC 27501
North Dakota
Pride Dairy calls itself “the last small town creamery in North Dakota.” Maple Nut, Mojo Roast Coffee, and Pumpkin Pie are among their 23 flavors.
Where: 517 Thompson St, Bottineau, ND
Ohio
Mitchell’s Homemade Ice Cream practices sustainable living by using locally sourced products, a solar panel-lined rooftop, skylights, and a Rainwater Harvesting System to ensure that their customers get the very best.
Where: 1867 West 25th Street, Cleveland, OH 44113
Oklahoma
Braum’s handles every aspect of the ice-cream making process from herding the cows to producing their famous sundaes.
Where: Multiple locations
Oregon
Cult favorite Salt and Straw is known for their distinct mainstays like Pear & Blue Cheese, Honey Lavender, and Arbequina Olive Oil.
Where: Multiple locations
Pennsylvania
Glen and Kristen D’Ascenzo brought Rome to Philly with D’Ascenzo’s Gelato, serving 24 handmade flavors daily.
Where: 132 E Gay St West Chester, PA 19380
Rhode Island
Among the standouts at Tricycle Ice Cream are Callebaut chocolate ice cream sandwiched between salty pretzel cookies and a peanut butter ice cream taco topped with Oreos.
Where: 70 Battey St Providence, RI 02906
South Carolina
Sweet Cream Company has a no toppings allowed policy that allows the natural flavors of their ice-cream to shine.
Where: 1627 Main St, Columbia, SC 29201
South Dakota
Locals love Armadillo’s Ice Cream Shoppe and their one-of-a-kind treats like Auntie D’s Salted Caramel and Barbs Bombshell.
Where: 130 Main St, Rapid City, SD 57701
Tennessee
A trip to Pied Piper Creamery will lead you to punny creations like Aww, Shnapps, Baby Got Baklava, and Cherry Springer.
Where: 975 Main Street Ste. 4, Nashville, TN
Related: Nashville’s First & Only Black-Owned Rolled Ice Cream Shop Opens Physical Store
Texas
Lick Honest Ice Creams lives up to its name. Every bite is made from authentic ingredients and made on site.
Where: Multiple locations
Utah
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Rockwell Ice Cream was named the “Best Ice Cream in America” in an annual competition held by Klavon’s Ice Cream in Pittsburgh.It was all thanks to a concoction aptly titled the G.O.A.T. — goat cheese, blackberries, lemon jam swirls, and honey rosemary roasted almonds.
Where: 43 N University Ave, Provo, UT 84601
Vermont
Before Ben and Jerry’s became a global, socially conscious sweetheart, it belonged to Vermont. Visit the OG scoop shop.
Where: 36 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401
Virginia
Get your Mexican popsicle fix at La Flor Michoacana. These are filled with chunks of fresh fruit and homemade ice-cream.
Where: 601 Cherry Avenue, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903
Washington
Molly Moon‘s ten “always” flavors — with names like Yeti, Honey Lavender, and Rose Milk Tea — keep customers clamoring for more.
Where: Multiple locations
West Virginia
Austin’s Ice Cream has one flavor you’re guaranteed not to find anywhere else: grape pineapple.
Where: 1103 C St Ceredo, WV 25507
Wisconsin
Milwaukee is known as the “Custard Capital of the World” and Kopp’s Frozen Custard is the king.
Where: 7631 W Layton Ave Greenfield, WI 53220
Wyoming
If you’ve ever wanted to try the best organic wild huckleberry ice cream, Moo’s Gourmet Ice Cream is the place to be.
Where: 155 Center St, Jackson, WY 83001
