The #1 Guide to Ice Cream Shops in Iowa

I have a saying….”Ice Cream never lets me down!”. And when I say that ice cream shops in Iowa never let me down, it’s a fact! As someone who has a gluten allergy, I have to forgo cookies, muffins, donuts, and other baked goods on regular basis. But…when we are out exploring, I can always eat ice cream! 😉 Thankfully, Iowa is full of numerous amazing ice cream shops to enjoy! We’ve spent the last several years visiting a lot of them, so of course we had to put together the #1 Guide to Ice Cream Shops in Iowa!

For the purpose of this guide to ice cream shops in Iowa, we’ve organized it alphabetically!

Belmond Drive-In – Belmond

The Belmond Drive-In may be known for it’s award winning breaded tenderloins, but their ice cream is delicious too with soft serve treats including soft serve ice cream, Blitz’s (think similar to a Blizzard from DQ), shakes, malts, floats, and sundaes!

Birdsall’s – Mason City

Birdsall’s has been a part of the Mason City landscape for over 100 years! They are creating and serving up their own recipes including my favorite, Banana Fudge. They are recently began creating their own Sorbet’s which are dairy free and refreshing on a hot day.

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Block 10 at 1921 City Hall – Sheffield

While Block 10 at 1921 City Hall is also a coffee shop and lunch spot, during the summer, they dish up delicious ice cream treats like a Coffee Crunch sundae! Thursday nights they are open late (until 7PM) and dishing up delicious ice cream creations!

Bristow Ice Cream Shack – Bristow

The Bristow Ice Cream Shack is located adjacent to the towns splash pad which makes it a great destination for families in the summer! Soft serve treats like sundaes and other goodies (along with fresh popcorn) are a great snack on an outing to this small town.

Casa Chameleon – Belmond

You might drive right by Casa Chameleon on main street in Belmond, but this house turned pizza and ice cream stop is serving up customizable soft serve deliciousness. I recommend going for the coffee ice cream with Heath pieces! 😉

Charlie’s Soda Fountain – Clear Lake

The Wood family purchased an old pharmacy and soda fountain in downtown Clear Lake and rehabbed it to a couple store fronts including a new Soda Fountain with a vintage vibe called Charlie’s Soda Fountain. I highly recommend the “Mud” which is soft serve vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and malt powder. It is soooooo good!

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Country View Dairy – Hawkeye

While Country View Dairy isn’t a traditional ice cream shop, it’s a fun stop and can be educational. Stock up on delicious dairy treats like yogurt, cheese, and more along with grabbing one of their 2-3 soft serve flavors on hand! Plus, you can book a tour of the dairy that kids of all ages are bound to enjoy!

Dairy Treat – Nashua

Grab a hot sandwich, fries, or an ice cream treat from this locally owned joint, which has been a part of Nashua for decades. The Dairy Treat offers traditional ice cream treats like shakes and malts with a large variety of flavors to pick from, but frequently also offer a special flavor like the Nutella, chocolate, and marshmallow treat that R recently enjoyed on our stop!

Dan & Debbie’s Creamery – Ely

With its location just outside Cedar Rapids in Ely, Dan & Debbie’s offers their own homemade ice cream scooped up in cones or cups or you can even partake in a flight of ice cream! Make sure to stock up on their milk and more while you’re there!

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Frostee’s – Winterset

This old school ice cream stop in Winterset is serving up several different soft serve treats, hand scooped ice cream, and more! Frostee’s is known for their Lemon soft serve, but we think you can’t go wrong with a traditional shake or malt either!

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Grandpa’s Parlour – Bellevevue

With it’s location directly across the street from the Mississippi River, Grandpa’s Parlour is one of our favorite places to grab ice cream. You can pick from hand scooped deliciousness (I always go for the Black Raspberry Truffle) or a shake or malt! Eat it there or take it across the street and watch the river from one of the many benches along the river walk.

Ice Cream, U Scream – Dubuque

Located across the street from the Hotel Julien Dubuque (the best place to stay in Dubuque in our opinion) is this locally owned shop with its hand dipped ice cream. My personal favorite at Ice Cream, U Scream is Iced Latte-Da (espresso ice cream with fudge swirls & chocolate chunks), but they are known for other hits like Munchie Madness and Exhausted Parent, which includes Bourbon spiked ice cream! Grab a scoop and wonder downtown Dubuque enjoying all the murals.

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Jersey Freeze – Monroe

Right off the interstate in Monroe, you’ll find the Jersey Freeze that not only offers traditional ice cream, but extravagant sundaes like this banana split I enjoyed one year! (Don’t worry, I was not able to finish it! LOL) and T thoroughly enjoyed his brownie sundae!

Olde Creamery – Various Locations

The original location of the Olde Creamery was in Garner, but they have since expanded to Clear Lake & Mason City plus there are several other locations scooping up their sweet treat like the Main Scoop in Clarion and the Latimer Grocery Store in Latimer. This ice cream is homemade, creamy, and extra delicious. As one of my go-to flavors, I had to try their Chocolate Peanut Butter and it was so delicious. Cream chocolate ice cream with peanut butter ripples was perfectly blended together! If ice cream isn’t your thing, they have other delicious options as well like locally made cheese curds and other dairy products.

Located in the Prairie Trail neighborhood of Ankeny, you’ll find the Outside Scoop. Here they are hand scooping fresh made ice cream that is some of the creamiest I’ve ever had. They offer a large variety of flavors along with specialty items like floats, shakes, malts, and more. They also have their flavors marked for those that are gluten-free which is a huge bonus in my book. During my visit I opted for their peanut butter chocolate and was not disappointed. (And, yes, I did pick the kids size scoop due to being full from my lunch!) The thing I liked most about their version of this popular flavor is that it didn’t have large chunks of peanut butter in it, but the overall flavor was the perfect balance of chocolate & peanut butter. Not only do they have this location in Ankeny, but also one in Indianola and three ice cream trucks that are mobile at all different spots.

Rae’s Lighthouse – Rockwell

Rockwell is a town of about 1000 people and Rae’s Lighthouse. This quaint ice cream shop is located in a historical, small gas station across the street from the swimming pool, which makes it another great destination in the summer! They offer 8 flavors of hand scooped ice cream, root beer floats, and shaved ice. Plus, you can frequently find homemade treats like scotcharoos or fresh produce available for purchase.

Shell Rock Scoop – Shell Rock

If you enjoy bicycling, then Shell Rock is a great destination for you! Take a spin along the Rolling Prairie Bike Trail towards Clarksville and after you’re done, grab an ice cream treat from the Shell Rock Scoop. They are serving up W.W. Homestead ice cream, which is an Iowa dairy and it’s delicious!

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South Shore Sweet Spot – Clear Lake

There are a lot of reasons to visit Clear Lake in the summer, but for us, it’s all about getting ice cream from South Shore Sweet Spot. Located inside this giant ice cream cone, they are whipping up delicious specialties and serving up cool classics.

Stan’s Drive In – Osage

This fun spot in North Iowa is a classic old-school drive-in with its car hops & classic drive-in foods! Of course, we visited Stan’s Drive In for the ice cream, which is delicious! They have classic flavors along with several unique ones like a Black Raspberry Shake! YUM!

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The Dariette – Fort Dodge

On a warm summer night in Fort Dodge, a stop at The Dariette is a must! Pick from a malt, shake, whip, or special treat made with their very own soft serve. You can also just grab an ice cream cone of their flavored soft-serve. The flavors rotate, but they often include chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, lemon, cookies & cream, and my favorite, Black Raspberry! Take your treat to go or enjoy it on their patio.

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The Sweet Boutique – Bellevue

The Sweet Boutique has an adorable patio area that is shaded to enjoy your sweet treats. As far as their menu, they are offering soft serve ice cream with 8 flavor bursts, sundaes, and Mississippi Ripples which are soft serve blended with candy add-ins of your choice. Of course with a name like Sweet Boutique, you know they have to be offering other sweet treats, which they do like a large variety of candy! Throw in some homemade jewelry and a few boutique clothing items and you’ve got a fun combo!

The Sweet Spot – Denver

The Sweet Spot is an adorable stop in the small town of Denver, but it’s worth the drive. They offer several unique flavors of soft-serve, but are known for their specialty creations like Snicker Apple Salad, which was green apple flavor burst ice cream blended with Snickers and stopped with whipped topping! And it was delicious!

The Viking Drive-Inn – Ventura

Located on the west side of Clear Lake is the small town of Ventura. Here you’ll find The Viking Drive-Inn! The Viking is known for their towering ice cream cones, but offer a variety of ice cream treats!

Whitey’s – Quad Cities (and other locations)

Whitey’s is the only chain on our list, but it is still considered locally owned and it’s delicious, so….we thought they deserved a spot. They offer 12+ varieties of hand scooped ice cream along with shakes, malts, and sundaes. My personal favorite is the Turtle Sundae with their homemade hot fudge.

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Using the Guide to Ice Cream Shops in Iowa

We think you need to make a plan to visit all of these delicious stops, but we also understand that it takes time and a hungry belly! We recommend using this guide to ice cream shops in Iowa by picking a region of the state and slowly visiting each stop! Where will you start your sweet road trip?!

Updated 8/6/2024