There’s a cozy joy in eating seasonally: fresh fruit in the summer, hot soup in the winter. Some foods just pair perfectly with a certain time of year or type of weather. I’m sure no one would argue that summer is the season of ice cream. We’ve all experienced the sweet delight of an ice cream cone on a sweltering summer day. Many of us might associate ice cream with beach vacations, so we relish in fond memories of lazily licking a cone while strolling down a boardwalk or across a sandy dune.
Even when far from the ocean, you can still capture some of that summertime magic by indulging in your favorite vacation treats right here at home. A soft serve ice cream cone, especially a classic chocolate-vanilla twist with sprinkles, is the perfect way to enjoy the season. While any type of ice cream can be a summer delight, it’s soft serve that really steals our hearts this time of year. Check out these ice cream shops for the best soft serve ice cream around, as well as traditional ice cream, milkshakes, sundaes, and more.
Gruto’s Soft Serve
For the highest quality soft serve ice cream in Northern Virginia, Gruto’s Soft Serve may just take the cake. This family-owned community staple is the pinnacle of the summertime soft serve experience. Their soft serve flavors include chocolate, vanilla, banana, and raspberry, and you can opt to twist chocolate and vanilla, raspberry and vanilla, or banana and chocolate. An array of milkshakes, malts, floats, and sundaes rounds out the menu. A favorite among locals, Gruto’s is a must-try for any soft serve aficionado in the area. 141 W. Main St., Purcellville; 107 S. King St., Leesburg
Abbott’s Frozen Custard
While not technically soft serve, frozen custard is processed in a similar way that offers the same smooth decadence. With the creamy goodness of ice cream and the familiar texture of soft serve, frozen custard — which is ice cream with a higher egg content — is the perfect intersection of the two, and no place does it better than Abbott’s Frozen Custard. Abbott’s offers several flavors daily. They always serve vanilla, chocolate, and their signature fan favorite, chocolate almond; the rest of the flavors change everyday, rotating through a wide selection of tantalizing choices like Holy Cannoli, Cookie Monster, and Cherry Jubilee. But don’t worry — if you don’t like surprises, you can call the shop or check their Facebook page prior to visiting to learn what the flavors of the day are. 21426 Epicerie Plz., Ste. 180, Sterling
Jimmy T’s Soft Serve
Jimmy T’s Soft Serve is the rare gem that not only offers the classic chocolate and vanilla soft serve, but 24 additional flavors as well. It’s doubtful you’ll be able to find another shop within 100 miles that offers flavors such as amaretto and apricot for soft serve ice cream. Perfect for the hottest days of summer, Jimmy T’s also serves shaved ice, with refreshing flavors like lemon and iced tea. Known as Fredericksburg’s best soft serve, you can also find Jimmy T’s at its Dumfries location. 10631 Courthouse Rd., Fredericksburg; 17986 Main St., Dumfries
Woody’s Ice Cream
In the heart of downtown Fairfax, Woody’s serves up ice cream and summer family fun on the daily. With ice cream sourced from Cloverland Family Farms and Great Falls Ice Cream, they’ve got your classic soft serve chocolate, vanilla, and twist, with rainbow sprinkles if so desired, but they also offer a wide range of regular ice cream flavors from mint chocolate chip to butter pecan. If you’re feeling like a splurge is in order, try one of their sundaes, which can be made with soft serve or regular ice cream. Check out daily deals on their website such as Milkshake Mondays (buy one, get one half off milkshakes) or Waffle Wednesday (free waffle cone with qualifying purchase). 10435 North St., Fairfax
The Creamery
The oldest continually operated ice cream shop in downtown Alexandria has been in business since 1984, but by the looks of it, you might guess closer to 1954. The Creamery has an old-fashioned charm about it, with a bright green storefront decorated with lettering that declares “homemade ice cream” is served here. Their homemade ice cream comes in 32 different flavors, and they have chocolate, vanilla, and twist soft serve as well. Of their ice cream flavors, they’re particularly proud of Southern regional favorites such as lemon custard and banana pudding. 110 King St., Alexandria
Feature image courtesy Gruto’s Soft Serve
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