19 Best Ice Cream Shops in Lancaster PA

There’s a reason the ice cream in Lancaster PA is so amazingly delicious… it’s the COWS!  The farms you see dotting our gorgeous landscape are predominantly dairy farms.  The corn being grown is for feed.  The silos hold fermented corn to feed the cows through the winter.  This is the reason you can find fantastic cheese, chocolate and ICE CREAM in Lancaster PA.

There are so many fantastic creameries and ice cream shops across the county that you could easily spend your whole weekend tasting ice cream and we're here to help you do just that!

This Blog is All About the Best Ice Cream in Lancaster PA

 

Here are our top 4 Best Ice Cream recommendations for Lancaster PA

 

1- Fox Meadow Creamery

2475 W Main St, Ephrata | Website

Fox Meadow Creamery is fairly new to the ice cream scene in Lancaster County, but their dairy farm dates back 70 years.  In 2013, Chad Fox, his brother and their wives embarked on a new enterprise.  They built a new lovely building along Rt. 322, right in front of their family’s dairy.  They quickly earned a reputation as the best ice cream around and recently they were voted “Best Ice Cream in Pennsylvania”.  Known for:  Baked Fox

 

2- The Udder Choice

1812 W Main St, Ephrata | Website

Udder Choice has been an Ephrata mainstay since 1988.  The building is shaped like a barn and inside the walls are decorated with ice cream related memorabilia.  Ice cream scoops of all shapes and sizes…  This old-school ice cream & sandwich shop is a favorite of long-time residents.  All the ice cream is produce right on site utilizing local ingredients like fresh peaches in August!

Known for:  Also serving delicious soups

 

3- Boehringer’s Drive-In

3160 N Reading Rd, Adamstown | Website

This seasonal ice cream shop has a cult-like following in Northern Lancaster County.  Open from April – October, on a hot summer day there’s ALWAYS a long line coming out of either side of the building.  There’s no indoor seating, you simply go inside to order and then bring your treats to the wood picnic tables set along the duck filled creek to enjoy.

 

4- Lapp Valley Farm

244 Mentzer Rd, New Holland | Website

Lapp Valley Farm is always in a tight race with Fox Meadow Creamery for the title “Best Ice Cream in Lancaster PA”.  If you ask them what makes their ice cream so stinking good, they’ll tell you it’s all about the cows!  All the cows at Lapp Dairy are Jersey cows.  The reason this matters is because this particular breed of cows produce VERY creamy milk, which translates into super-creamy ice cream.  Arrive at 5:00 pm and you can see them milking the cows.  At any time of day you can walk around the property & even pet / feed some of their calves.

More awesome Ice Cream Shops in Lancaster County:

5- The Pretzel Hut | 2224 Furnace Hills Pike, Newmanstown | Website

6 - Old Barn Creamery & Bakery | 157 Martic Heights Dr, Holtwood | Website

7- Lickety Split | 209 E Main St, New Holland | Website

8- Udder Bliss | 189 Ridgeview Rd S #2, Elizabethtown | Website

9- Strasburg Creamery | 1 W Main St, Strasburg | Website

10- Down on the Farm Creamery | 509 May Post Office Rd, Strasburg | Website

11- Greco’s Italian Ice and Ice Cream | 9 E Kleine Ln, Lititz | Website

12- Pineview Dairy | 2225 New Danville Pike, Lancaster | Website

13- The Jigger Shop | 202 Gettysburg Ave, Mt Gretna | Website

14- The Good Life | 2088 Fruitville Pike, Manheim Township | 717-735-1999

15- Twisted Sisters Ice Cream and Handmade Chocolates| 51 N. Main Street, Manheim | Website

16- Splitz & Giggles | 500 W Lemon Street, Lancaster | 717-399-3332

17- Son’s Ice Cream | 1991 Miller Road, East Hempfield Township | 717-569-0009

18- Lancaster Sweet Shoppe | 141 N Duke St, Lancaster | Website

19 - Hayloft Ice Cream | 95 S Groffdale Rd, Leola | Website

 

Ice Cream Tours in Lancaster PA

If you want more of a tour experience to go with your ice cream, check out these options:

Turkey Hill Experience | 301 Linden St, Columbia | Website

Kreider Farm |1461 Lancaster Rd, Manheim | Website

Strasburg Scooter Ice Cream Experience | 246 N Decatur St, Strasburg | Website

 

This Blog is All About the Best Ice Cream in Lancaster PA

Spend the Night at the Historic Smithton Inn

As you can see, there's a pretty solid list of Lancaster PA Ice Cream shops for you to try during your visit, so you should definitely plan to spend a night, or a few nights!  The Historic Smithton Inn is centrally located in the county, making it easy for you to drive from shop to shop.  We'll start off your day with a delicious homecooked breakfast, help you plan your trip & pamper you with top-of-the-line amenities.  BOOK NOW to secure your favorite guest room.  The one shown is the Smithton Gables, one of our newest & most luxurious suites!

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