The Scoop on Southern Ice Cream
This summer favorite has taste sensations throughout the South.
We love when public relations companies do a roundup of their clients. This month, in honor of it being National Ice Cream Month, Mindy Bianca Public Relations has collected some fine Southern ice cream establishments to visit. So, although we can’t take credit for this list, we know you’ll appreciate suggestions on where to get America’s favorite summer dessert.
Papa Guava at Chaney’s Dairy Barn
Happy cows lead to fantastic ice cream, and Chaney’s is proof of that. During one of the dairy farm’s self-guided tours, visitors can see those ultra-content cows being milked and the fresh milk being packaged on site. Cap off your tour by heading over to sample the resulting ice cream at the Dairy Barn. Chaney’s ice cream is unique. Standard ice cream has 14 percent butterfat content, while Chaney’s uses 16 percent butterfat making it ultra-creamy. They host Ice Cream and Moovie Nights throughout the summer, allowing hundreds of guests to watch family-friendly movies while enjoying a creamy dessert. The latest and greatest flavor at Chaney’s is “Papa Guava,” a vanilla ice cream swirled with graham cracker crumbles, cream cheese and guava. It was created on Guy Fieri’s recently-aired “Guy’s All-American Road Trip” show, which started its second season in Bowling Green. Teams stopped by Chaney’s for an ice cream competition, and Papa Guava was proclaimed the winner. In turn, it became the newest flavor featured at the Dairy Barn.
Outlaw Run and Time Traveler at Hannah’s Ice Cream Parlor
World-record-breaking roller coasters or delicious ice cream? Why not both!? Outlaw Run and Time Traveler are ice cream flavors inspired by two of Silver Dollar City’s most popular coasters. Outlaw Run features vanilla, sea salt, caramel and chocolate chunks, while Time Traveler is a chocolate ice cream with marshmallow bonbon cream, chocolate flakes and chocolate fudge. You can find these flavors at Hannah’s Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street, which churns out 9,000 gallons of ice cream annually.
Seasonal Flavors at Cammie’s Old Dutch Ice Cream
Cammie’s dates to 1969, when Edwin Widemire started Old Dutch Ice Cream with his father’s old-fashioned ice cream recipe. Cammie Wayne worked there as a teenager and ended up buying the shop when Widemire retired. She’s currently celebrating her 25th year as owner! The quality of Cammie’s ice cream has only increased with age, and it can be found at grocery stores and in restaurants around Mobile and surrounding areas. Though Cammie’s offers 47 flavors, the seasonal specialties are what take the cake. Since Mobile is the home of America’s first modern Mardi Gras celebration, it only makes sense that some of Cammie’s most popular flavors are King Cake and MoonPie (there’s a whole backstory, but in these parts MoonPie is one of the most popular “throws” during Carnival parades). Can’t wait until next Mardi Gras season to enjoy Cammie’s? Right now, they’re serving up blueberry ice cream that is berry popular AND berry delicious!
Frozen Custard Pie at Queen City Creamery
“The Mountain Side of Maryland” is known for its variety of outdoor recreational trails that appeal to both hikers and bikers. But our favorite trail around here is the Allegany County Ice Cream Trail, which features a variety of locally owned stops that range from classic diners to full-fledged ice cream parlors. Queen City Creamery is among those parlors, and beyond serving their delicious custard in cups and cones, this place is famous for its Frozen Custard Pies. Peanut Butter Oreo, Chocolate-Covered Cherry and Salted Caramel Cashew are some of the most popular flavors, and area residents serve them when celebrating birthdays, graduations, weddings and more. We think a full pie is the perfect way to celebrate burning off some calories on one of those hiking or biking excursions … so, enjoy!
Smoky Mountain Fudge at Showstreet Ice Cream
Guests are drawn to Dollywood for their love of both the theme park and Dolly Parton, but they might just stay for their love of Dollywood’s ice cream! Hand-scooped Mayfield ice cream – made in Dolly’s home state of Tennessee – is great for a quick refresh between coasters or a nice, cool end to a hot summer day filled with fun. The Smoky Mountain Fudge flavor is the perfect embodiment of the surrounding Smoky Mountains, with chocolate ice cream, fudge swirls and chocolate sandwich cookie pieces.
Rotating Flavors at The Terrace
Here in Lake Charles, Chef Amanda Cusey is known as the “Queen of Louisiana Seafood,” but the house-made ice cream she serves at The Terrace will soon have people calling her the Queen of Ice Cream! Dishes at her restaurant are full of local and unique flavors, and her ice cream is no exception. The flavors are always rotating, with her current offerings including blackberry fig, rosemary, strawberry goat cheese, candied bacon and popcorn. Of course, classic vanilla and chocolate are always part of the lineup, but the stars of the show are the unique mesh of ingredients you won’t find anywhere else.
Creole Cream Cheese at Hoodoo Ice Cream
The handmade ice cream served at this local shop in the heart of Covington on the Northshore of New Orleans is sourced from the milk of grass-fed Jersey cows from Mississippi. It’s both super creamy and super delicious! Our recommended flavor is Creole Cream Cheese, an ice cream that brings the taste of historic New Orleans straight to your mouth with the use of a farmer cheese that’s unique to southeast Louisiana. The tart profile of the Creole Cream Cheese (a taste combination unique to the city) is balanced with local fruit such as blueberries or satsumas (the most incredible kind of citrus). A splash of vanilla completes this simple, yet flavorfully complex treat.
Rotating Flavors at Pete’s Ice Cream & Donuts
Pete’s may be a newer ice cream joint, but they’re already making a name for themselves in the twin beach towns of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Ala. Their ice creams are house-made using fresh fruits and fun ingredients. The best flavor? It’s hard to pick just one from the literally “rotating” lineup. Stop in and watch flavors like Blackberry Sorbet, Key Lime and Lucky Charm Cookie Dough rotate on the magic wheel as you try to make your decision. Let us shortcut it for you: Get at least two scoops and enjoy as many flavors as you can.
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Weird, Wacky & Wild South is written by ice cream lover Cheré Dastugue Coen. There are very few flavors she doesn't like.