20 Can’t-Miss Stops on the Ohio Ice Cream Trail
It’s no surprise that Ohio is a national destination for ice cream lovers. The Buckeye State is home to more than 2,200 dairy farms and accompanying shops. So, there’s an abundance of premium ice cream to try.
There’s even an official Ohio Ice Cream Trail with a list of 20 shops where you can find some of the best ice cream in Ohio!
You can start your road trip right now. Drive along with us as we take you on a tour of the most-loved ice cream parlors, starting in the Northwest.
Best Ice Cream in Northwest Ohio
Lake City Creamery & Coffee
5465 OH-29, Celina, OH 45822
Lake City Creamery has a delicious selection of homemade ice cream, milkshakes, malts, floats, coffee, and smoothies! Some flavors are available regularly, such as Cookie Monster, Birthday Cake, Blue Moon, and Buckeye.
Other flavors rotate so that any time you visit, there’s a new flavor to try. Some specialty flavors include French Vanilla Cookie, Butterscotcheriffic, Destin Key Lime, and Tropical Hawaiian. If you’re craving more than a pint, you can preorder an ice cream cake or ice cream pie too!
The Creamery
252 N Canal St, Delphos, OH 45833
The Creamery has been serving delectable frozen treats since 1982 and has been voted the best ice cream shop in the region. Specialties include classic soft serve, hand-dipped ice cream, avalanches, shakes, and malts.
You can sit inside to enjoy a scoop (or three). But, for those wanting to indulge while bingeing Netflix, there’s a drive-through available. If you simply need more ice cream, you can buy in bulk with sizes ranging from a pint to a half gallon.
Bluffton Dari Freeze
595 S Main St, Bluffton, OH 45817
As a seasonal stand on the Ohio Ice Cream Trail, Bluffton Dari Freeze has soft serve ice cream and other classic summer fare — twist cones and create-your-own milkshakes. You can get dairy-free ice cream options, as well as a bite to eat.
Dietsch Brothers Chocolates & Ice Cream
400 W Main Cross St, Findlay, OH 45840
Dietsch Brothers is a family business that has been scooping ice cream and creating sweet delicacies for more than 80 years. Its specialties include ice cream pies and cakes, ice cream slices, ice cream balls, and nut rolls, which are ice cream slices that are hand-rolled in cashews or pecans.
Additionally, you can get ice cream cones, bars, and sandwiches. The cones and bars are made with Dietsch Brothers’ specialty chocolate shell and roasted nuts. There’s even ice cream punch!
Toft Dairy & Ice Cream Parlor
3717 Venice Rd, Sandusky, OH 44870
Toft’s is a must-visit foodie stop because its ice cream parlor is part of Ohio’s oldest dairy. It first opened as a family dairy farm in the early 1900s but has since grown to a 76,000-square-foot facility. The ice cream is also available at popular Ohio destinations, like Cedar Point and Fifth Third Field.
Toft’s scrumptious ice cream is made daily from fresh milk that’s delivered from local farms. Famous flavors include the mouthwatering Lake Erie Cookie Island Monster and the sweet-and-salty Peanut Butter Pretzel.
The Ice Cream Trail in Northeast Ohio
Honey Hut Ice Cream
4674 State Rd, Cleveland, OH 44109
Honey Hut Ice Cream has been family-owned since 1974 and has multiple locations in Northeast Ohio. This scoop shop in Old Brooklyn is the original, though! To make some of the best ice cream in Ohio, it uses local and homemade ingredients.
The traditional favorites are available regularly, such as Chocolate Pecan (a twist on butter pecan), Banana, and Orange Blossom. It also has monthly and seasonal ice cream flavors. If you’re visiting in June, the Lemon Meringue Pie and Tripleberry are ideal for summer!
Mason’s Creamery
4401 Bridge Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113
If you’re searching for something unique and decadent on the Ohio Ice Cream Trail, look no further than Mason’s. Its ice cream (and housemade ramen!) is so good that it was recently featured on celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s show “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.”
All of the frozen delights are crafted in small batches, so the menu rotates frequently. Some of the flavors include Ube, Baklava, Vietnamese Coffee, and Honey Cornbread.
Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream
2055 Eastwood Ave, Akron, OH 44305
Handel’s has had since 1945 to perfect its ice cream recipes and develop over 100 heavenly flavors! Try the waffle cones, bowls, pops, and hurricanes — a very thick and delicious milkshake with chunks of cookies, brownies, nuts, or whatever else you can dream up.
Handel’s is so good that it has spread across the country, with multiple scoop shops in Ohio and others as far as Oregon.
Milk and Honey
3400 Cleveland Ave NW, Canton, OH 44709
Yearning for nostalgia? Milk and Honey is an old-school soda and candy shop, diner, and ice cream parlor. Take a step back in time, and share a banana split, malt, milkshake, or sundae in the iconic diner. If you’re in the mood for some homemade chocolate, it uses a 50-year-old recipe that’s just perfect.
Mitchell’s Homemade
1867 W 25th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
The brothers who founded Mitchell’s are nothing short of geniuses. How else could you come up with flavors like Blue Cosmo — cotton candy ice cream with housemade marshmallow swirls — and Lemon White Chocolate Cookie — sweet lemon ice cream with lemon cookie chunks and white chocolate?
The ice creams, shakes, malts, cakes, and pies are not only delicious but also made with sustainable (and often local) ingredients.
Hartzler’s Ice Cream Shoppe
5454 Cleveland Rd, Wooster, OH 44691
With a family environment, Hartzler’s Ice Cream Shoppe is the retail shop for Hartzler’s Family Dairy. You can enjoy hand-dipped ice cream and other desserts while dining indoors or outdoors. There are two playgrounds for kids to burn off some of the energy afterward.
Also, Hartzler’s has teamed up with Boar’s Head and Heartwood Roastery to provide deli fare and coffee. You can order salads, soups, sandwiches, and specialty coffee drinks.
Rosati’s Frozen Custard
95 E Aurora Rd, Northfield, OH 44067
If you haven’t been to Rosati’s, you’d better hurry — you’re already behind on hundreds of flavors! The shop rotates at least one unique custard flavor daily, along with classic vanilla and chocolate.
If you’re afraid you’ll miss a flavor, visit the website for a calendar of monthly flavors. A couple of June’s tasty varieties include Wedding Cake and Rainbow Marshmallow.
Best Ice Cream in Central Ohio
Velvet Ice Cream
11324 Mt Vernon Rd, Utica, OH 43080
Open May through October, Velvet Ice Cream is the perfect summer spot for families on the Ohio Ice Cream Trail. It’s the one and only ice cream museum in the state!
Velvet began in 1914 and is located at “Ye Olde Mill” on 20 acres of scenic land. It continues to use the same core recipes that have been loved by many for more than 100 years, along with some seasonal flavors, such as Pure Cinnamon.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
900 Mohawk St, Columbus, OH 43206
Founder Jeni Bauer is an ice cream connoisseur with over two decades of experience in her craft, and it shows. With amazing flavor combinations — like Powdered Jelly Donut, Everything Bagel, Brambleberry Crisp, and Goat Cheese with Red Cherries — you won’t be disappointed.
Plus, Jeni’s uses Fair Trade ingredients and no synthetic flavors or dyes. There are multiple parlors in Columbus and Cleveland. This location is in the lovely German Village neighborhood.
Johnson’s Real Ice Cream
2728 E Main St, Columbus, OH 43209
Family-owned and operated since 1950, Johnson’s is the real deal if you’re craving any frozen sweet treat. Order a scoop, sundae, pint, ice cream sandwich, cake, pie, smoothie, or shake. It has over 50 shake flavors to choose from.
Head to Johnson’s in June to try the limited-time, perfect-for-summer flavor A Little Peach of My Heart — peach ice cream mixed with chunks of peaches.
Best Ice Cream in Southeast Ohio
Tom’s Ice Cream Bowl
532 McIntire Ave, Zanesville, OH 43701
Two cousins started Tom’s over 70 years ago, and it has been in the same location on McIntire Avenue since 1950. Visit the nostalgic diner to try some of its delicious seasonal ice cream, such as Blueberry Crumble, Cheesecake, and Chocolate Caramel Marshmallow Fudge.
If you’re hungry for something besides dessert, it also has breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus that feature classic American food.
Whit’s Frozen Custard
49 S Court St, Athens, OH 45701
Whit’s Frozen Custard is called a “smile in a cup” for good reason. The luscious frozen custards are churned fresh daily on site. It has weekly flavors, along with classic vanilla and chocolate, and plenty of toppings to choose from.
Whit’s is also known for its Whitsers — ultra-thick shakes with mixed-in toppings — and Whittie’s — frozen custard sandwiches made with housemade, fresh-baked cookies.
Best Ice Cream in Southwest Ohio
Graeter’s Ice Cream
2704 Erie Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45208
Graeter’s Ice Cream has delighted generations of Ohioans with its delectable desserts. It uses a French pot process to create ice cream, which results in creamy, decadent ice cream.
One of its famous flavors — Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip — was boasted by Oprah in 2002 as “the best ice cream [she] ever tasted!” Enjoy one of its many flavors while touring the Ohio Ice Cream Trail!
Aglamesis Brothers
3046 Madison Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45209
Since its founding in 1908, Aglamesis Brothers has received many accolades from prominent media including The New York Times, Bon Appétit, and The Food Network. In 2021, it was recommended by Restaurant Guru as well.
This praise is completely warranted. Try the Dutch Holland Chocolate ice cream to understand why. Plus, the fantastic selection of desserts isn’t limited to ice cream. It also offers Italian ice and gourmet chocolates.
Young’s Jersey Dairy
6880 Springfield Xenia Rd, Yellow Springs, OH 45387
Spark the joy of your inner child at Young’s Jersey Dairy. Eat a waffle cone filled with indulgent homemade ice cream while exploring the fun family farm.
Farm activities include The Dairy Store — where you can buy ice cream, cheese curds, and more — a petting zoo, two mini-golf courses, batting cages, driving cages, a barrel ride, and a slide.
Follow the Ohio Ice Cream Trail This Summer
If you’ve made it to the end of this list, you’ll have already tried some of the best ice cream in Ohio. Lucky you! But, there are plenty more amazing spots that aren’t listed on the official Ohio Ice Cream Trail.
Get outside and explore Ohio! Take a walk in Hocking Hills State Park, ride a roller coaster at Cedar Point, and visit The Cleveland Museum of Art. Wherever you go, you’ll find an amazing ice cream parlor to cool off nearby. Buckeye ice cream never disappoints!