Ahhhh, summer. Time for cookouts, swimming, picnics, warm weather and…ICE CREAM! We know that UDF, Aglamesis Brother’s, Graeter’s and other chain ice cream places are delicious, but we want to give a shout out to these smaller local businesses. We rounded up our favorite soft serve ice cream establishments. Only a couple of these locations, serve their treats year round. The rest of these are seasonal places that we look forward to trying this summer. See the bottom of the guide if you’d prefer something different than soft serve!
Make sure to bring cash as many of these places are cash-only establishments.
Double check times on websites or Facebook pages as well. And be sure to let us know what your favorite place is!
Do not let the fact that Rhino’s is inside of a Shell gas station deter you. Stop in anytime (24/7!) to try some frozen yogurt, soft serve, gelato, or sorbet with over 100 toppings to choose from! They have 23 flavors at a time and are right down the road from Summit Park in Blue Ash! Your kids will love the color-changing spoons.
10415 Kenwood Road
Cincinnati Ohio 45242
513-282-4042
Cincinnati Parlor
2069 Beechmont Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45230
119 Main St. Milford, OH 45150
1218 Broadway St. Cincinnati OH
Now you can get your ice cream fix at any of their three locations. At the Old Milford Parlor, get ice cream, coffee or coffee, and ice cream together at this adorable parlor in downtown Milford. They serve ice cream year-round! Try the Java Whip shake or malt with espresso. Or for something different, try the edible cookie dough…it’s amazing. At the Pendleton Parlor, order anything delicious off the menu, but be sure to say hello to the life-size Bumblebee (from the Transformers) before or after you devour your sweet treat. At the Mt. Washington Creamy Whip, get some soft serve with a topping or a sundae and sit outside at a table. Then take some cookies or other baked goods home with you! Our pick is the peanut butter sundae!
Dairy Corner
3501 Main St. Newtown, OH 45244
Established in 1955, The Dairy Corner is a walk-up ice cream experience. Enjoy soft serve cones, banana splits, malts and shakes among other goodies. Make sure to bring your pooch for some vanilla soft serve and a dog biscuit!
Don’s Creamy Whip
1522 Market Street. Reading, Ohio 45215
The owner of Vonderhaar Catering opened this ice cream business in 1976. Get a cone with cherry dip on the outside!
Dreamy Whip
Follow this food truck on Facebook and Instagram to find out where they will be and what their flavors are!
Flub’s
981 Eaton Ave. Hamilton, OH 45013
With 44 flavors of cyclones to try (or make your own!), cones, sundaes, shakes, pies and cakes, everyone will find something to love here. Try the Stella’s Samoan cyclone which is vanilla ice cream, chocolate dip top, caramel, vanilla wafers, and toasted coconut.
General Custers Golf and Gulp
3325 Westbourne Dr. Cincinnati, OH 45248
Not only does this place have a variety of soft serve, yogurt, and shakes, but they also have miniature golf, aqua balls, a bungee jumper and a game room. Work up an appetite doing all the activities with your family then go eat back your burned calories on some ice cream!
Gold Top
2810 Blue Rock Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45239
Get some soft serve ice cream, a shake, malt or flurry here and then get an ice cream cake to take home! Get any kind of ice cream, but make sure to get the crunch coating!
Johnny’s Creamy Whip
Mobile Ice Cream Units in the Cincinnati, Ohio Area
They offer a variety of Ice Cream treats including ice cream flavors, toppings, sundaes, turbochargers, and shaved ice. Follow along with their Truck Schedule to see all the festivals they’ll be at around town!
Legen-Dairy Whip
3376 SR 125, Bethel, OH 45106
We love this place for so many reasons! First of all, they have some innovative treats. Some days it’s pop tarts with soft serve and other flavors, some days it’s an apple fritter with soft serve and caramel—you just never know what they will come up with next. For the coffee lovers, try the affogato—soft serve with fresh brewed espresso. In addition to many flavors of soft serve ice cream, they also offer many non-dairy options and lots of yummy dole whip! They also offer soft serve pies and pints of soft serve to take home. Be sure to check their Facebook page as it is updated often with the flavors of the day as well as many food truck events. Support a local food truck for lunch or dinner and then enjoy some ice cream from Legen-Dairy!
Lil’ Goodie Shoppe
7120 Eagle Creek Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45247
Offering a huge variety of food, shakes, floats, sodas, sundaes, and flurries, among other desserts, Lil’ Goodie Shoppe also offers flurry cakes to take home. You’ll have to give them 24 hours notice for a cake. If you’re watching your waistline, this is the perfect place to try their “Only 8 Yogurt,” which is only 8 calories per ounce, has no sugar added, is low calorie and non-fat.
Loveland Dairy Whip
611 W. Loveland Ave. Loveland, OH 45140
Treat yourself to something delicious here after hiking or biking on the Loveland Bike Trail. Located 4/10 of a mile west of the trail, here you’ll find yummy cones, parfaits, and cyclones. Get the Resees parfait!
Mr. Gene’s Dog House
3703 Beekman St. Cincinnati, OH 45223
Come here hungry! Get some cheese coneys, chili cheese fries, onion rings, or even wings! Then stay for a delicious soft serve cone, sundae or banana boat!
Mt. Healthy Dairy Bar
7840 Hamilton Ave. Mount Healthy, OH 45231
Lots of soft-serve goodness here, but try one of their sherbet flavors…you won’t be disappointed!
Nanny Belle’s
1100 Summit Rd. C, Cincinnati, OH 45242
Head over to Summit Park in Blue Ash. Let the kids play at the playground and then walk over to Nanny Belle’s for a sweet treat. Their super creamy soft serve or frozen yogurt will cool everyone off on a hot summer day! Not in the mood for soft serve? They also sell brownies and cookies.
Norwood Delite Creamy Whip
4490 Forest Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45212
This centrally located creamy whip destination serves up chocolate and vanilla soft serve. They also have FlavorBursts which are swirls of flavored syrups added to your ice cream. Try a sundae inside a waffle cone!
Putz’s Creamy Whip
2673 Putz Pl. Cincinnati, OH 45211
There’s almost always a line here, and for good reason: everyone knows the ice cream is SO good! Bringing a bunch of hungry people? Get the giant banana split to share!
Rhino’s Frozen Yogurt & Soft Serve
10415 Kenwood Rd. Cincinnati Ohio 45242
Do not let the fact that Rhino’s is inside of a Shell gas station deter you. Stop in anytime (24/7!) to try some frozen yogurt, soft serve, gelato, or sorbet with many toppings to choose from! It is 49 cents per ounce so be careful how much you add to your bowl! Your kids will love the color-changing spoons.
Silver Grove Dari Bar
5178 Mary Ingles Hwy. Silver Grove, KY 41085
Choose a picnic table and order some food. Then get some strawberry soft serve for dessert!
Sprinkles Soft Serve & Tasty Treats
1861 Main St., Goshen, OH 45122
Brand new for 2020, this soft serve place offers many food options (hot dogs, nachos, soft pretzels, brownies, cupcakes and cookies) as well as a variety of delicious soft serve options, including shakes, sundaes, cones and banana splits. We also love that they offer a 10% discount at the register with a military ID!
Sweden Creme
2047 Pleasant Ave. Hamilton, OH 45015
Order some Dixie burgers for everyone and then get the kitchen sink! It’s a huge portion of ice cream served in a stainless steel sink bowl. It comes with every topping, a whole can of whipped cream and a bunch of cherries. Trust us–it’ll feed your whole crew!
Sweets N Eats
4719 Delhi Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45238
This west side favorite offers soft serve ice cream, sherbet and yogurt options. Be sure to try them all!
The Cone
6855 Tylersville Rd. West Chester, OH 45069
You cannot miss this icon in West Chester because it literally looks like an ice cream cone. On top of the large food and ice cream menu, there is a game room and kiddie rides and a drive-thru! Get the orange and vanilla twist in a cone or the buckeye parfait, made with Mackinac Island buckeyes!
The Creamy Whip
1 Eswin St, Cincinnati, OH 45218
Get a pineapple soft serve ice cream cone and a cone for your dog as well.
The Dip
1680 Gelhot Dr. Fairfield, OH 45014
Come here and sit under the gazebo. Try a pretzel cone with your choice of ice cream flavor and a topping! And bring your dog for a doggie cone!
The Goody Shop
2009 Springdale Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45231
Enjoy a delicious strawberry shortcake—soft serve with homemade cake!
Tucker’s Whippy Dip
127 East Main Street Mason, OH 45040
Bring all the kids here for an ice cream or slushie. They are known for making animal faces on the ice cream!
Twist Ice Cream Company
7813 Bethany Rd. Liberty Township, OH 45044
Try a float, sundae or twist at this newer establishment in the northern part of Cincinnati. We love the large green space and seating areas!
Walker Bros Ice Cream
9245 Montgomery Rd. Montgomery, OH 45242
This family-owned soft serve ice cream shop (named for the four sons of the owners) is right across the street from Montgomery Inn restaurant. Enjoy a yummy meal there then head across the street for dessert on the large patio.
Whippy Dip
140 S. Main St. Crittenden, KY 41030
This place has over 50 flavors of ice cream and shakes. It won’t take long to find a favorite!
Whipty-Do
2529 US Rt. 22 Maineville, OH 45039
Stop in here and enjoy blue ice cream (just like a local amusement park) or a Dole Whip (just like a famous amusement park). Fun fact: they ask for $2 bills from the bank and will often give you these back in change!
Zip Dip
4050 Drew Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45248
Shakes, malts, flurries, floats, sundaes and a variety of yogurt round out the menu at this ice cream location. Get the turtle sundae—it’s well worth the calories!
Not in the mood for soft serve? Try one of these different local establishments to get your ice cream fix!
Buzzed Bull Creamery
1408 Main St. Cincinnati, OH 45202
Here is where you will find Cincinnati’s only liquid Nitrogen ice cream. Over 30 flavors of ice cream are available with over 20 mix-ins and liquor for the 21 and up crowd. Our pick is a flight, which includes four 3 oz. “buzzed flavors.” Flight flavors change monthly.
Cowboy Cones
508 Wyoming Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45215
Offering soft serve from United Dairy, as well as hand dipped ice cream from Chocolate Shoppe, you’re sure to find something here to love. Try a homemade waffle cone, or get an ice cream kit to take home! These include two pints of ice cream, five toppings, hot fudge/caramel and 4 cake/sugar cones so you can make your own sundaes at home.
Hello Honey
633 Vine St. Cincinnati, OH 45202
Simply delicious ice cream with not so normal flavors (brown butter caramel and bourbon praline nut) in an adorable shop downtown make this a must-try. Get the banana honeycomb ice cream and don’t forget to add a flame-torched marshmallow on top!
Schneider’s Sweet Shop
420 Fairfield Ave. Bellevue, KY 41073
Stop in here to try their homemade ice cream or get a malt, shake, float, sundae or banana split. Take home some delicious chocolates or give as a special gift to someone.
Sweet Tooth Candies
125 W. 11th St. Newport, KY
Known for their ice balls in the summer, Sweet Tooth also sells handmade chocolates and ice cream!
Whit’s Frozen Custard–Lebanon
Whit’s Frozen Custard–Independence
6 S. Broadway St. Lebanon, OH 45036 & 2026 Harris Road Independence, KY 41051
Stop in to Whit’s in Ohio or Kentucky to get your frozen custard treats!