America's love affair with ice cream goes back more than 100 years. For proof, look no further than these ice cream shops that have been scooping up fresh flavors longer than any others in the nation. From shops that brightened people's days during the Depression to those that opened as far back as the 19th century, each one offers a taste of that delicious history.
St. Louis
Founded: 1931
Ted Drewes has been serving St. Louisans delicious frozen custards and sundaes on Grand Boulevard since 1931. It's since added a location, started offering "concretes" — malts so thick you can turn them upside-down without consequence — and made an annual tradition of selling Christmas trees. Don't neglect to enhance your sundae with items from its extensive toppings list.
Girard, Illinois
Founded: 1929
Near the Chicago end of Route 66, Doc's Soda Fountain pays homage to its time as a pharmacy with a museum of herbal remedies and elixirs. The peppermint-striped shop, which specializes in ice cream and soda floats fresh from the tap, has been renovated for a grand reopening this spring.
Tiverton, Rhode Island
Founded: 1923
With nearly a century of ice cream-making history behind it, the Tiverton location of Gray's remains open year-round, while the dockside shop in Bristol is seasonal. Both are known for generous scoops of classic ice cream flavors and extra-thick malts.
Pittsburgh
Founded: 1923
James and Mary Klavon's original ice cream parlor and apothecary opened in 1923 and was resurrected by their grandchildren after a 1979 closing with classic features such as marble countertops, wooden phone booths, and bar stools fashioned to look like bottle caps. Now under new ownership, Klavon's sells paninis in addition to soda fountain floats and creative sundae styles such as pineapple upside-down cake.
Cincinnati
Founded: 1922
With a history dating back to 1870 when Louis Graeter began selling ice cream at street markets, the first Graeter's ice cream shop opened in Hyde Park using a unique French Pot process to craft sundaes and other sweets. It kept that process even while expanding throughout the Midwest. Be sure to try its ice creams made with real fruit and double-dip sodas made with sparkling soda water, a choice of fountain syrups, and a scoop of vanilla.
Lansing, Illinois
Founded: 1920
The founder of this ice cream stand moved to the United States from Greece at the age of 9 and began work scooping ice cream immediately — laying the foundation for his own shop. The shop relocated from South Chicago to its current location, where the original equipment for making ice cream and homemade chocolates stayed in use into the third generation of family ownership. Gayety’s closed in 2018 and reopened the next year with a new owner.
Savannah, Georgia
Founded: 1919
Three brothers from Greece developed the perfect formula for ice cream before opening their iconic Savannah shop. Leopold's closed after the founders' deaths in 1966 but was resurrected by one of their sons in 2004 in a new location but with much of the same old-fashioned equipment. Be sure to try the signature Tutti Frutti; other offerings include unique or rare treats such as rum bisque and lemon custard.
San Francisco
Founded: 1918
The current owners of San Francisco's oldest ice cream parlor bought the shop only in 2002, installing a full-service kitchen now known for tasty breakfast options that tend to draw a crowd. But they retained the dining room dating to 1948 and the soda fountain and old-fashioned shakes dating back to the fountain's founding.
South Pasadena, California
Founded: 1915
This working pharmacy on Route 66 in South Pasadena retains the look and feel of an old-fashioned corner drugstore, soda fountain, and town gathering place, specializing in sandwiches as well as decadent sundaes. Fair Oaks also includes a candy shop and gift shop with toys and bath products.
St. Louis
Founded: 1913
This candy shop has been family-owned since its opening by a pair of Greek immigrants, though their descendants have become just as famous for lunch as for desserts — their thick-stacked sourdough sandwiches were even featured on the Food Network. But save room for a homemade chocolate or ice-cream-based beverage, as it's family policy that no one leaves without dessert.
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Founded: 1912
An old brick corner drugstore in downtown Fredericksburg, Goolrick's is the nation's oldest continuously operating soda fountain. It's locally renowned for its pies a la mode, malts, and real, fresh-mixed cherry colas, best complemented with a scoop of vanilla for a float. The historic space is currently closed to undergo renovations preparing for a reopening bigger and better than before — Stay tuned!
Queens, New York
Founded: 1909
Eddie's Sweet Shop has been a staple of Queens' Forest Hills neighborhood since the corner store first began offering its assortment of 20 old-fashioned ice cream flavors. Though ownership has changed, Eddie's retains the atmosphere of a classic soda fountain serving malted shakes and egg cream sodas.
Norfolk, Virginia
Founded: 1907
Abe Doumar invented the world's first ice cream rolling machine in 1905, and it's still functioning at the most enduring location of his ice cream stands, which opened in 1907 and relocated after a hurricane in 1933. The curb-service restaurant now offers hot dogs, hamburgers, and barbecue specials, but the main attraction remains its fresh-rolled ice cream cones and sundaes, starting at $2.40 for a scoop.
Ephraim, Wisconsin
Founded: 1906
In the state known as America’s Dairyland, it shouldn’t be too surprising to find an ice cream shop that dates back more than 100 years. Wilson’s is a seasonal venue that stays open until late October in the state’s scenic and tourist-friendly Door County. It offers a wide array of specialties, including home-brewed root beer and the “Wilson’s Banquet,” a massive treat featuring five kinds of ice cream, three toppings, cherries, nuts, and whipped cream for $20.
New Orleans
Founded: 1905
The ice-cream making techniques at this parlor date back even further than its opening. Founder Angelo Brocato mastered the art of confections in Sicily before popularizing Italian gelato in the heart of the French Quarter. The shop relocated to Mid-City and was shuttered for a year after Hurricane Katrina, but reopened to offer favorites such as its original torroncino, made with vanilla, cinnamon, and ground almonds.
State College, Pennsylvania
Founded: 1904
Otherwise called the Berkey Creamery, Penn State's Department of Food Science has run this creamery, making, selling, and even studying ice cream since 1892, though it didn't begin retail sales until 1904. The creamery now has more than 100 flavors of ice cream — from Death by Chocolate to Alumni Swirl — available online or at its shop in the Food Science Building.
Columbus, Indiana
Founded: 1900
Reopened in 2006, this stately soda fountain was once known simply as "The Greeks" for the founders' nation of origin. Zaharakos' 40-foot soda fountain is only one of the shop's many antiques hearkening back to the turn of the century. Try a cheeseburger and banana split downstairs before perusing additional antiques in the upstairs museum.
Auburn, Alabama
Founded: 1896
This Auburn landmark was founded by a halfback on the university's first football team on the edge of campus, for whom the spot is now named — Toomer's Corner. Toomer's changed ownership and closed for renovations briefly in 1999 but continues to sell traditional lunch specials and desserts such as soda fountain shakes and sundaes.
Oakland, California
Founded: 1894
The oldest ice cream shop operating west of the Mississippi River, Fentons Creamery was opened by Elbridge Seth Fenton, who ran the shop with the help of his 13 children. The shop relocated within Oakland in 1961. The flavor Rocky Road is said to have been invented at the original location, so the version here is worth a try.
Philadelphia
Founded: 1892
Lewis Dubois Bassett began making ice cream with a mule-powered butter churn in 1861 before opening his own shop in the Reading Terminal Market. The shop, now run by his great-great grandsons, is typically crowded with tourists and locals eager to taste flavors such as butter almond and mango, all made with 16% butterfat instead of the usual 10%.
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