The best ice cream shop in every state
ALABAMA: Trowbridge's in Florence looks like it's straight out of the 50s, and serves delicious ice cream, milkshakes, and sandwiches too.
ALASKA: Hot Licks at Chena Pump Plaza in Fairbanks is a favorite among Alaskans. Customers rave about the pumpkin ice cream and sugar-free flavors.
ARIZONA: If you stop by Sweet Republic, be sure to order the toffee banofi sundae: vanilla ice cream in a waffle cone topped with almond toffee brittles, bananas, whipped cream, and salted caramel sauce.
ARKANSAS: For savvy locals in Fayetteville, happy hour doesn't mean drinks, it means ice cream at MaggieMoo's, where treats are discounted on weekdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
CALIFORNIA: Gunther's Quality Ice Cream is known for its monthly specialty flavors — like eggnog in December — and their icy fruit flavors served in large cups.
COLORADO: Housed in a 28-foot tall cream can, Little Man Ice Cream serves delicious scoops like salted Oreo. They offer vegan flavors too.
CONNECTICUT: The University of Connecticut's Dairy Bar in Storrs has long been producing ice cream with recipes that date back to the early 1900s. Many of the flavors, including Husky Tracks and Senior Scoop, have UConn connotations.
DELAWARE: Hockessin's Woodside Farm Creamery uses its own cows' milk to make and sell delicious ice cream right on the premises.
FLORIDA: Old-school cool is served at Jacksonville's Dreamette, in the form of dipped cones, splits, and shakes.
GEORGIA: Diners rave about the salted caramel flavor at Morelli's Gourmet Ice Cream in Atlanta. The shop serves funkier flavors too, like jalapeño coconut and ginger lavender.
HAWAII: Founded by the Lapperts, a couple whose mission was to bring quality ice cream to the state, Lappert's serves deliciously creamy scoops as well as coffee and baked goods.
IDAHO: Reeds is known for its milk, cheese, and ice cream, all of which are made from its on-site cows. It's a simple spot with a variety of tasty, reasonably-priced flavors.
ILLINOIS: Jarling's has been around since 1983; the Champaign shop specializes in traditional flavors, custard, and waffles (with or without ice cream).
INDIANA: Indianapolis' BRICS (Broad Ripple Ice Cream Station) is known for its hand-dipped ice cream and sundaes, with 40 flavors and a dozen toppings or more.
IOWA: Heyn's ice cream is made in-house with 4% more milkfat than is legally required, which means it's extra creamy.
KANSAS: Leawood's Glacé Artisan Ice Cream uses hormone-free milk in its natural ice cream. Try flavors like chocolate-covered potato chip or the unique goat cheese and cherry.
KENTUCKY: At Dairy Kastle in Louisville, everyone talks about the "Fat Elvis," a decadent peanut butter and banana ice cream shake.
LOUISIANA: Creole Creamery in New Orleans is known for its ice cream sandwiches, as well as the Tchoupitoulas sundae, a monstrous eight-scoop, eight-topping sundae.
MAINE: The state is known for Gifford's, whose Maine-related flavors such as moose tracks, lobster tracks (pictured below), and Wild Blueberry reign supreme.
MARYLAND: Annapolis Ice Cream Company has been named the best ice cream in the city for 11 straight years. The shop is known for signature flavors like peanut butter Oreo, apple pie, and chocolate brownie batter.
MASSACHUSETTS: Once called "the world's best ice cream" by The New York Times, Toscanini's has been churning out unusual flavors from its Cambridge shop since the 80s.
MICHIGAN: Customers say to go for the Kooky Monster — a blue vanilla ice cream with Oreo bits and chunks of cookie dough thrown in — when at Ferndale sweets shop Treat Dreams.
MINNESOTA: Many Minneapolis locals consider Sebastian Joe's a go-to for ice cream. Diners especially love the pavarotti flavor, complete with bananas, chocolate, caramel, and toffee.
MISSISSIPPI: Despite its small size, Area 51 Ice Cream in Hernando serves an impressive array of flavors that includes unusual ones like bourbon butter pecan (pictured below), and blackberry goat cheese.
MISSOURI: Ted Drewe's is a St. Louis tradition. The frozen custard shop is known for its concrete (custard with candy, cookies, or brownies mixed in), as well as the big apple: vanilla custard with pieces of apple pie.
MONTANA: Named one of America's best places for ice cream by Food and Wine magazine and USA Today, among others, Missoula's Big Dipper serves unique flavors such as huckleberry, cardamom, and white mint Oreo.
NEBRASKA: Family owned and operated shop Ted and Wally's in Omaha has it all: homemade ice cream that comes in a variety of creative flavors, as well as vegan ice cream, sherbet, and frozen yogurt.
NEVADA: At Ice Pan, diners build their own ice cream by first picking a flavor, then choosing mix-ins. The best part is watching the staff whip up a delicious, personalized creation right before your eyes.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Friendly service and thick, creamy ice cream make Jordan's Ice Creamery a favorite among locals.
NEW JERSEY: Torico is THE destination for ice cream in Jersey City. The shop uses its ice cream flavors to reflect the founder's love of the tropical tastes of Puerto Rico.
NEW MEXICO: The first topping on your ice cream at I Scream in Albuquerque is free, and the shop is full of relics like toys, books, and games that'll bring you back to childhood.
NEW YORK: Ample Hills is Brooklyn's premier ice creamery. It has three locations in the borough and is known for fun flavors such as ooey gooey butter cake, and the ever-popular salted crack caramel.
NORTH CAROLINA: Durham's The Parlour started by selling its ice cream out of a converted school bus. Now the shop is a full-fledged brick-and-mortar business, selling the same high-quality ice cream.
NORTH DAKOTA: The ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery in Bismarck is made fresh in-store daily on a granite stone (hence the name), meaning you can craft your own order and watch as it's made from scratch.
OHIO: Graeter's in Cincinnati has been making their ice cream using a French pot process since the 1870s. It is a slow, small-batch method that results in ultra-creamy ice cream. The shop is also known for their large, gourmet chocolate chunks.
OKLAHOMA: The scoops at Roxy's Ice Cream Social in Oklahoma City are best enjoyed sandwiched between two freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
OREGON: Portland-originating chain Salt & Straw is at the forefront of the "farm-to-cone" revolution. Fresh and local ingredients are used in gourmet combos such as dandelion sorbet with spring flowers.
PENNSYLVANIA: The Franklin Fountain brings back the authentic soda fountains of old-school Philadelphia: Servers in bow ties dole out sundaes, splits, cups, and cones at the beloved shop.
RHODE ISLAND: Brickley's Ice Cream makes all of its ice cream — more than 50 classic flavors — in-state. The shop, which has locations in both Narragansett and Wakefield, has won multiple awards over the years.
SOUTH CAROLINA: The handcrafted ice cream at Sweet Cream Company is made with ingredients like local blackberries, cardamom, and rosemary.
SOUTH DAKOTA: Rapid City's quaint Armadillos Ice Cream Shoppe offers a different specialty flavor every day, in addition to ice cream sundaes and splits.
TENNESSEE: Founded by the son of a third generation candy maker, Clumpies in Chattanooga has plenty of classic flavors, as well as creative ones like Chattanooga whiskey and pretzel crunch.
TEXAS: Beth Marie's Old Fashioned Ice Cream has, as the name suggests, an old-fashioned feel. The owners are constantly coming up with new flavors though, making it tough to choose just one.
UTAH: People rave about the spumoni and Play-Doh flavors at the Farr Better Ice Cream Co. in Ogden.
VERMONT: No ice cream place says "Vermont" more than Ben & Jerry's in Burlington. Take a factory tour and wind down with a scoop of one of Ben & Jerry's revolutionary flavors like Chunky Monkey, Cherry Garcia, or Phish Food.
VIRGINIA: The Dairy Godmother serves custard in all kinds of unique flavors like Tollhouse cookie and lemon meringue pie. The shop is also know for its sorbet and ice pops.
WASHINGTON: Seattle-based Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream makes its unique flavors such as balsamic strawberry and earl grey with local, hormone-free milk, and frequently donates its proceeds to local nonprofits.
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Thomas Sweet offers over 40 flavors of tasty ice cream, as well as fudge. Go for a blend-in: ice cream blended together with your choice of toppings.
WEST VIRGINIA: Charlestown shop Ellen's Homemade Ice Cream serves high-quality scoops. If you're a coffee drinker, try an ice latte with a scoop of Oreo espresso.
WISCONSIN: The family-friendly town of Stevens Point is best known for Belts' Soft Serve, which serves huge portions and makes its own ice cream flurries. Try them in peanut butter cup, bananas foster, or with seasonal fruits.
WYOMING: Moo's Gourmet Ice Cream is homemade and served in generous portions. People rave about the super-sweet huckleberry (pictured below).
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