Looking for the best ice cream? Here are 12 places to try in the Galesburg area

Jay Redfern, Galesburg Register-Mail
·6 min read

National Ice Cream Month has come and gone, but it's never out of season for the delicious treat, right? Many shops serve their sweet treats year round, but even the ones that are seasonal have a few more weeks in them.

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan deemed ice cream to be “the perfect dessert” and declared a month-long celebration. Thirty-seven years later, ice cream is still celebrated as a perfect companion to tackle summer heat. Whether it’s an ice cream sundae after a long day at the pool, an ice cream sandwich at a ball game, or a few scoops in a bowl after a day in the office, the options to celebrate ice cream are many.

PreviouslyJay Talking: ... We all scream for ice cream!

According to Monica Nyman, senior nutrition educator with the St. Louis Dairy Council, the average American consumes 23 pounds of the ice cream each year. She said the classic tried-and-true vanilla flavor still holds the top spot when it comes to consumers’ favorite flavor. Rounding out the top five are chocolate, cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip and cookie dough.

Here are 12 spots, listed in alphabetical order, to find ice cream in the Galesburg area.

Beavers Teeth Brew & Chew

At Beavers Teeth in downtown Knoxville, customers can choose from 20 flavors of hand-dipped ice cream. Also available are shakes and malts. Some of the most popular flavors of ice cream at Beavers Teeth are Pirate's Bounty (think monster cookie with M&Ms), Strawberry Cheesecake, and kids' favorite Cotton Candy.

  • 320 E. Main St., Knoxville

  • 309-289-4228

  • Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

The Carriage House

Better known as a bakery, The Carriage House also serves hand-dipped ice cream. Vanilla bean and Zansibar chocolate are always available, and two other flavors are rotated in and out.

  • 83 S. Seminary St., Galesburg

  • 309-342-6111

  • Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Wednesday,; 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Culver's

This chain restaurant is known for its handcrafted fresh frozen custard also serves floats, lemon ice, concrete mixers, shakes, sundaes and malts.

  • 1330 N. Henderson St., Galesburg

  • 309-297-4140

  • Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. everyday.

Dairy Queen

Famous for DQ soft serve, Blizzards and a variety of frozen treats like the Dilly Bar, Buster Bar, DQ sandwich and more.

  • 678 N. Henderson St., Galesburg

  • 309-342-1981

  • 1048 Grand Ave., Galesburg

  • 309-342-1970

  • Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. everyday

Flavor Freeze

A sundae from Flavor Freeze, 552 S Farnham St., Galesburg.
A sundae from Flavor Freeze, 552 S Farnham St., Galesburg.

The popular ice cream and sandwich shop on South Farnham Street offers a variety of soft serve ice cream flavors like vanilla, chocolate and lemon, along with ice cream sandwiches, shakes, malts, Flurries and other treats. Among the most popular items are the Cookie Dough Flurry and the banana split.

  • 552 S. Farnham St., Galesburg

  • 309-343-0414

  • Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream

Famous for pizza, Happy Joe's also serves eight flavors of hand-dipped ice cream — including vanilla, chocolate, pecan, mint chocolate chip, Superman and bubblegum.

  • 1727 N. Henderson St., Galesburg

  • 309-344-3121

  • Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Kalby’s Koffee & Hot Doggery

At Kalby's, customers can order a variety of ice creams, shakes and malts. Kalby's offers chocolate, vanilla, orange or chocolate/vanilla and vanilla/orange twists. They also offer nearly 20 flavors of shakes and malts. The biggest seller is the Kalby's Koffee Shake, along with peanut butter and S'more shakes. Owner Candy Kalb says they offer a cherry malt "that is just dynamite."

  • 209 E. Highway St., Oneida

  • 309-483-3647

  • Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday

Kastle Kreme

Kastle Kreme, which is open seasonally, is located at 1595 W. Main St., Galesburg.
Kastle Kreme, which is open seasonally, is located at 1595 W. Main St., Galesburg.

While little in size, Kastle Kreme offers an abundance of ice cream and sweet treats. Among the most popular offerings are the Dole Whip soft serve dairy-free desserts, with orange being the current flavor. The Flurries are also a hit with customers, with the Monster Cookie variety a big seller. Kastle Kreme also offers numerous flavors of Flavor Burst treats, shakes, malts and frozen yogurts.

  • 1595 W. Main St., Galesburg

  • 309-343-0485

  • Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. everyday.

La Michoacanita

La Michoacanita serves a variety of traditional and authentic Mexican style ice creams. They currently offer 36 flavors of hand scoop ice cream, from vanilla to chocolate to strawberry, to flavors like mango and coconut.

  • 319 E. Main St., Galesburg

  • 309-335-6670

  • Hours: 3 to 9 p.m. everyday. (Soon to expand to 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.)

Lim's Ice Cream

Lim’s Ice Cream co-owner Danny Lim scoops up a cup of amaretto chocolate for a customer during the grand-reopening for the restaurant on Friday, Jan. 8, 2021.
Lim’s Ice Cream co-owner Danny Lim scoops up a cup of amaretto chocolate for a customer during the grand-reopening for the restaurant on Friday, Jan. 8, 2021.

Here, customers can find classic ice cream cones, sundaes, smoothies, shakes and malts. Lim's rotates 90 flavors of hand-scooped ice cream, with 44 to choose from at any one time. Popular flavors this summer are Michigan Pothole (a really dark chocolate flavor), Lemon Cheesecake Bar and Superman for kids.

  • 975 N. Henderson St., Galesburg

  • 309-351-7006

  • Hours: 2 to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday; 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday.

The Scoop Ice Cream Parlor

This Abingdon shop features premium gourmet hand dipped ice cream with over 150 flavors rotated throughout the year, and 40 at any one time. They also serve treats from shakes to sundaes to cones and cups, and include dairy-free and sugar-free options. Current popular flavors at The Scoop are C is for Cookie (blue cookie dough), Birthday Cake, Stellar Coffee and Superman for the kids.

  • 407 N. Monroe, Abingdon

  • 309-509-3973

  • Hours: 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Sprinkle & Spoon • Allergy-Conscious Treats

This shop touts its continually changing menu of healthy and allergy-friendly desserts. The Oreo-like Cookies & Dreams is the No. 1 seller at Sprinkle & Spoon. And owner Lora Barajas says "People love our Wild Strawberry — I mean we put eight pounds of strawberries in one batch, so there are more strawberries than anything else in it." Traditional chocolate and vanilla are also popular here, with Barajas adding, "People are surprised that our vanilla is actually good, and not plain."

  • 108 S. Seminary St., Galesburg

  • 309-351-7355

  • Hours: 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.

Featuring allergy-friendly dessertSprinkle & Spoon Allergy-Conscious Treats open on South Seminary Street

This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Ice cream in Galesburg, Illinois area: 12 shops to try