It’s going to be a toasty summer, which means we’re obliged to eat all the ice cream to cool down, right?

Here are the best ice cream spots in Charlotte (and beyond!) for all the deliciousness you can handle.

Ice Cream Spots In Charlotte

Elizabeth Creamery
1601 Elizabeth Ave.

Tucked in between some of Charlotte’s favorite fine dining restaurants and along the trolley line is the family-run Elizabeth Creamery. The husband and wife duo makes each flavor and waffle cone with natural, fresh ingredients. Grab a classic flavor or try something different like Green Tea or Ginger. In addition to old-fashioned scoops, you can try a shake or sundae.

Golden Cow Creamery
170 West Summit Ave.
720 Governor Morrison St.
601 South Tryon 

Locally owned by native North Carolinians, Golden Cow Creamery is Charlotte’s first scratch-made ice cream company. Only using natural ingredients (goodbye artificial syrups, fillers, preservatives, and colorings), Golden Cow handcrafts small batches of classic flavors along with 3-4 new rotating options. They also always have non-dairy, vegan options.

UPDATE: Golden Cow is opening their third location in Uptown Monday, June 7, and will be Uptown’s first stand-alone ice cream shop. Expect the same classic flavors plus rotating one’s along with protein and Belgium Liege waffles.

X-tra Ball Ice Cream & Pinball
2914 Mt Holly-Huntersville Rd.

Grab the family and head to X-tra Ball for dessert and games. This part ice cream shop, part pinball parlor offers hand-dipped ice cream, hand-spun milkshakes, and authentic pinball.

Popbar
3123 North Davidson St., Suite B

Mix it up at Popbar to create a pop made just to your liking. Choose from the freshest natural ingredients (think coconut, chocolate, pistachio and more) to dip your popGelato, popSorbetto, or yogurtPop in. Or try a photogenic gelatoShake in strawberry, chocolate, vanilla caramel, coffee, or green tea.

The Local Scoop
5355 Ballantyne Commons, Suite 100
111 Matthews Station St B, Matthews

Grab the family and friends and head to The Local Scoop where you can enjoy ice cream and soft-serve gelato made with ingredients from locally sourced farms and dairies. Choose from 16 premium flavors and 8 dairy-free flavors.

Zack’s Hamburgers
4009 South Blvd.

Old-fashioned never really goes out of style, and Zack’s Hamburgers is living proof. Serving up no-fuss hamburgers and sides, Zack’s made sure no one forgot about dessert. Grab a soft serve vanilla cone or one of their classic flavor shakes.

Two Scoops Creamery 
913 Central Ave. (Charlotte)
1616 Camden Rd. (Charlotte)
119 Landings Dr., Suite 104 (Mooresville)

What’s better then one scoop of freshly churned flavorful ice cream? Two. Better yet, three. At Two Scoops Creamery expect 32 homemade and house churned playful ice cream flavors year-round, as well as seasonal specials to keep you on your toes.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream  
1920 Camden Rd. South End CLT
416 E 36th St., Suite 400 NoDa
Park Road Shopping Center  

Jeni’s offers best-selling flavors and scoops made without synthetic flavorings, dyes or off-the-shelf mixes. Crowd favorites include Brown Butter Almond Brittle, Salted Peanut Butter with Chocolate Flecks, Salty Caramel, and Brambleberry Crisp.

Morelia Ice Cream Paletas
1425 Winnifred St #104

This recently opened gourmet Mexican popsicle shop is on our radar as temperatures heat up. Located in South End, Morelia’s offers 16 different flavors of hand-made, artisanal paletas, which are bigger than the normal ice pop. Pick your flavor of paleta, then head to the dipping station where you can choose from dipping flavors such as cookie butter, dark chocolate, crunchy hazelnut, and more. Afterwards, choose a topping such as Oreos, sprinkles, graham crackers and more, and then you have a deliciously cooled layered treat.

Day & Night Cereal Bar
127 Brevard Court

As Charlotte’s first exotic cereal bar, Day & Night is changing the way we think of breakfast. Stop by and treat yourself to a cereal shake – your favorite cereal and toppings all blended together with ice cream and topped with whipped cream. Flavors on our radar include the Cookies & Cream (Cookie Crisp, Hershey’s Cookie and Cream cereal, chocolate Donut Sprinkle) and Unicorn Breath (fruity Lucky Charms, Fruity Pebbles, whipped cream, and strawberry drizzle).

Fahrenheit Charlotte
222 S Caldwell St.

Enjoy a cold treat with a view of the city at Fahrenheit. Try their House Made Ice Cream Flight that’s sure to please, or opt in for their Oreo Andy’s Mint Milkshake with a chocolate base, oreo crumbs, and Andy’s mints. Wow.

Shake Shack
9824 Rea Rd Suite A
Park Road Shopping Center
1930 Camden Rd Ste 235

Shake Shack may be known for its burgers and crinkle-cut fries, but it’s also worth braving the long lines for their frozen custard concretes. Try a seasonal shake like the Chocolate Pudding or the Strawberry Rhubarb.

Steak N’ Shake
*Multiple locations in Charlotte, Rock Hill, Concord, and Gastonia

Since 1934, Steak N’ Shake has been serving up their hand-made creamy milkshakes to pair with their mouthwatering steakburgers. Try flavors such as chocolate chip cookie dough, Snickers, Oreo mint, and much more. The best part? You can try any shake half off during their happy hour, weekdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Rosemont
1714 South Blvd.

Get your hands on a chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, or seasonal shake after downing a burger at Rosemont Bar. If you’re looking for an extra-good time, try one of their boozy shakes like the Shut Up, It’s My Birthday (vanilla ice cream, vanilla vodka, Licor 43, Rumchata, funfetti icing, sprinkles, and a cupcake on top!)

Marble Slab Creamery
7800 Rea Rd.

Marble Slab is the place to be if you’re looking for unlimited options for your creamy dessert. Choose from a variety of traditional flavors, seasonal flavors, and unlimited mix-ins to craft the perfect cup (or cone) of ice cream. View the list of flavors here.

Ninety’s Sandwiches & Ice Cream
9009 J M Keynes Dr.

This quaint spot in University needs to be on your radar this summer. From cereal milkshakes to brownie sundaes, ice cream macaroon sandwiches, and so much more, there’s always something new and unique to try. Follow @ninetysicecream on Instagram to drool daily over these lively creations.

Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard
16631 Lancaster Hwy suite 106

Choose from Italian Ice made fresh with real fruit, frozen creamy custard, or gelati – layers of Italian Ice and custard. Don’t forget to try a Blendini, which is custard blended with your favorite flavor of Italian Ice and toppings. Or opt for a concrete, milkshake,or custard cookie sandwich . Either way, RIta’s has everything you need to cool down this summer.

Ice Cream Spots North of Charlotte

Carolina Cones
20801 N Main St., Cornelius

Over the past thirty years, the family behind Carolina Cones has been churning out new flavors to keep Cornelius families coming back for more. The variety of flavors may make your choice difficult, but the friendly faces behind the counter are more than wiling to help.

Abbott’s Frozen Custard
10070 Edison Square Dr. NW, E100, Concord

NOW OPEN, Abbott’s is the spot to be this summer. Try their homemade custard (they always have Vanilla and Chocolate, but other flavors rotate daily) or fun treats like Chipwheels (cookie custard sandwiches), cakes, milkshakes, sundaes, floats, and more.

Andy’s Frozen Custard
8835 Christenbury Pkwy., Concord
9921 Rea Rd, Waxhaw

Since 1986, Andy’s has been serving frozen custard to loving fans. Originally from Missouri, the custard shop has a spot in both Concord and Waxhaw. Enjoy concretes, malts, shakes, sundaes, freezes, and more.

The Percantile & Creamery
8635 Concord Mills Blvd., Concord

You’ll fall for this adorable coffee, ice cream, and chocolates spot near Concord Mills. Choose from ice cream flavors including cake batter, southern peach, cherry blossom, moose tracks and more. Don’t forget to check out their brownie cookie ice cream sandwich for a real treat.

Cynthia’s Coffee Cup
5011 Weddington Rd., Concord

Espresso and ice cream served under the same roof – yep, you read that right. At Cynthia’s Coffee Shop (C3 for short), enjoy a cup of joe while treating yourself to a creamy dessert. Looking for something extra sweet? Try a C3 Mini Waffle with your favorite scoop of ice cream on top. It’s sure not to disappoint.

Cabarrus Creamery
21 Union St. S, Concord

Don’t miss this sweet spot in Concord. Cabarrus Creamery has something for everyone, from nondairy and low fat, protein smoothies to no sugar added options.

Whit’s Frozen Custard
428 S Main St., Davidson
1642 Highway 160 West, Fort Mill

With two locations in Davidson and Fort Mill, Whit’s has all the extra creamy ice cream you could ask for, with tons of flavor. They like to keep it simple, offering Vanilla, Chocolate, and Whit’s Special Weekly Flavor with fruit toppings, nuts, and candies that can be blended into custard for their famous Whitser™. You can also get hand-dipped waffle cones and take home some goodness with weekly flavors stocked in their Grab & Go Freezer.

Ice Cream Spots South of Charlotte

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream
*Multiple locations including in Fort Mill, Indian Land, Cornelius, Monroe, Mooresville and Matthews

With over 150-flavors in rotation, you’re sure to always find something new at Bruster’s. Made fresh in-house daily, you can choose from creamy ice cream on a waffle cone, sundaes and splits, blasts and shakes, and ice-cream sandwiches. They also offer no-sugar-added flavors as well as fresh yogurt, sherbet, sorbet, or Italian Ice.

Waxhaw Creamery
201 W South Main St., Waxhaw

This Waxhaw family-run ice cream shop has been a favorite for years. Visitors can enjoy homemade ice cream and Italian Ices made in-store every day. Want to mix it up? Waxhaw Creamery also serves up sundaes, shakes, cups, and cones. As for flavors, there is always something new and fresh with their seasonal flavor options.

Scoop n’ Swirl Homemade Ice Cream
753 Crossroads Plaza, Fort Mill

Scoop n’ Swirl offers 24 flavors daily with multiple toppings – making the options endless. Create-your-own shake, try a custom or traditional sundae, or opt in for a refreshing smoothie. Oh, and don’t forget to try the ice cream pizza (doesn’t it look delicious?!).