The scoop: 19 Ice cream shops in South Jersey to get your favorite treat
Ice cream makes our lives better.
The creamy goodness can be a reward for hard work. It’s a treat at the end of a long week or a cool down on a hot summer day.
There was nothing like that feeling of hearing the ice cream truck coming as a kid.
According to dairyfoods.com, statistics from Chicago-based market research firm IRI state that over a 52-week period ending Sept. 6, 2020, dollar sales in the ice cream subcategory of the larger ice cream/sherbet category were up 13.4% to $6.8 million. Unit sales increased 8.4% to $1.7 million.
Some of that increase may be due to the pandemic. Creamy cones, milkshakes, ice cream sundaes or banana splits are go-to comfort foods, aren’t they?
As the weather warms up and we head out into the world, here are 19 ice cream places in South Jersey to get your dip on:
Alaura Kitchen Homemade Ice Cream, Pitman
You had me at French Toast.
Yes, French Toast ice cream. Or how about Boardwalk Orange, Fruity Pebbles, Pink Cotton Candy, Just Bananas, lemon-basil, honey-lavender and more.
Alaura Candy Co. was created in 2013 as a way to share a family tradition of making the homemade caramel treats that dated back more than 60 years.
In 2015, Alaura Kitchen opened with the goal of creating “a space where we could continue to produce and sell our delicious caramels while expanding into other treats," the website says. In June of that year, Alaura began to make and sell its own ice cream with a goal to create the best flavors “you’ve ever imagined and improve upon the flavors you already love.”
The homemade ice cream flavors include dairy-free and vegan options.
Alaura Kitchen, which has milkshakes and sundaes, also sells Belgian frites, hot dogs, grilled cheese, fried pickles and cheese curds.
Go: 36 S. Broadway, 856-589-3845;
Cherry's Ice Cream and Water Ice, Cherry Hill
For over 25 years, three generations of the Mohollen family have been serving frozen treats in Cherry Hill and have found a new home at 937 Church Road, near Cherry Hill Mall.
Owner Carol Mohollen opened the shop in 1994 to serve ice cream, homemade water ice, popsicles, cakes and pies to the community
The shop moved from Haddonfield Road to their new address where they have added a brand dynamic – indoor seating. At the previous location, guests would walk up to a window and sit on chairs and at tables under a tent.
“This space and this atmosphere is like a 100 percent turnaround from where they [guests] used to be,” Lisa Mohollen, daughter of Carol and manager at the shop.
Along with the new seating arrangement, new menu items will be on display and a new bakery for guests to enjoy. On a recent visit, that meant pepperoni bread!
Go: 937 Church Road, 856-665-7166; facebook.com/CherrysIceCreamandWaterIce
Cool Scoops Ice Cream Parlor, North Wildwood
This 1950s-themed ice cream parlor offers over 35 flavors of ice cream, including dairy-free, sugar-free, low-carb and gluten-free options.
Located on the corner of 12th and New Jersey avenues, one of the coolest things about the shop – other than the ice cream – is the three 1950s cars they turned into booths for customers.
Cool Scoops offers custom ice cream cakes and hosts parties. The setting features hundreds of pieces of 1950s memorabilia displayed in a museum-type atmosphere.
First opened in 2002 by the Russo family, Cool Scoops is open from President’s Day weekend until about Halloween.
Customer favorites include salted caramel pretzel, banana and their dairy-free and vegan assortments.
Small collectible cars are available with any ice cream or sundae.
Go: 1111 New Jersey Ave, 609-729-2665; coolscoops.com/
Cream Valley Custard, Woodstown
Seems like the perfect name: Cream Valley Custard.
Originally a milking parlor in the 1950s, owners created the custard stand in 1973.
Current owners, Nancy and David Wilson and their family, have owned it since 1994. Nancy used to work at Cream Valley when she was in high school.
There are the gelati, flurries, floats, sundaes, shakes, frozen yogurt and banana splits.
Recently, the “Sundae on Monday” was a Confetti Cookie. It was a vanilla custard, topped with hot fudge, cookie dough and rainbow sprinkles (or jimmies as many call them). Another week it was a Banana Peanut Butter Nut, which featured vanilla custard drizzled with peanut butter sauce and topped with peanuts, bananas, whipped cream and a cherry on top.
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“Our creamsicle (custard) is definitely a big hit,” said Regan Wilson, Nancy and David’s daughter, who has taken the management helm.
“A lot of other people don’t have them. It’s a custard flavor that people come here for. Sundae on Monday is a new thing we started this year. People are really loving that. We’re featuring a different sundae each Monday. It’s a little bit more creative with a couple of toppings other than the originals we have during the week.”
Cream Valley Custard isn’t just about the cream. It also offers cheesesteaks, mozzarella sticks, French fries, wraps, hotdogs and hamburgers sandwiches and more.
“A big hit also that we have this year is our cranberry-chicken salad sandwich,” Regan added. “The ladies are just loving that.”
Go: 195 East Ave. Route 40, 856-769-0600; facebook.com/CreamValleyCustard
Dippy’s Custard & Ice Cream, Mantua Township
Salted caramel pretzel crunch and the Cookie Monster – a vanilla-based ice cream dyed blue, served with Oreos and cookie dough bites – are two of the favorite flavors made by this shop, which has been scooping up the cream for about four decades.
Ice cream cakes, fresh-baked waffle cones, custard, shakes, sundaes all are available.
No wonder it’s open year-round — locals can’t get enough.
Holiday treats are common. When the calendar flips how about an Irish potato ice cream loaf or an ice cream pie?
Seating is available inside the shop.
Go: 245 Bridgeton Pike, 856-468-4441; Dippys-Ice-Cream-169188889792272
Duffer’s Restaurant and Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor, Wildwood
It’s not just about ice cream, it’s about fun. There’s a full arcade with games and prizes and there’s also an 18-hole mini golf course.
Now in its 47th season, Duffer’s, which is family-owned, advertises “huge sundaes, banana splits, waffles and ice cream, creamy milkshakes and ice cream sodas.”
Homemade ice cream is made daily on the premises.
There are about 26 different ice cream flavors offered – brownie and cream, butter brickle, marble caramel, cotton candy – two in sugar-free flavors, as well as low-fat frozen yogurt, sherbet and sorbet. Dairy-free is available.
The restaurant offers cooked-to-order breakfasts, sandwiches, wraps, steak sandwiches, burgers and nightly dinner specials.
Duffer’s is normally open from May through September.
Go: 5210 Pacific Ave., 609-729-1817;dufferswildwood.com/
The Hobby Horse Ice Cream Parlor, Ocean City
A fire in May of 2020 couldn’t hold down this family-run ice cream parlor and café, located in the heart of Ocean City.
More than 42 flavors of ice cream are featured in the bright, colorful parlor, which has a carousel horse outside and features carousel decorations throughout.
Michael Dukeman’s mom and dad, Jerri and Edward Dukeman, started Hobby Horse 28 years ago when she saw the building was for sale.
She’d always wanted an ice cream parlor.
“She thought the building was too cute and just made sense,” said Dukeman, who runs the parlor with his wife Ciara and extended family helping. “Unfortunately, she passed away last year in July. Making the people happy was always her main concern.”
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“Our most popular flavors … are vanilla, chocolate and mint chip, but we have some exotic flavors such as blueberry, Peanut Butter Pie, Cotton Candy, S'Mores, red raspberry sorbet (vegan),” he said.
Go: 800 Ocean Ave., 609-399-1214; hobbyhorseocnj.com/?
Holiday Ice Cream, Edgewater Park
Here’s the best news: Holiday is open year-round.
Once housed in a small red shack just across the road from where it currently sits along Route 130 South, Holiday Ice Cream is one of those places locals flock to.
Located inside a former convenience store built in 1985, the single-story structure stands out on this busy corner of a well-traveled highway.
The soft-serve ice cream with either chocolate or rainbow “jimmies” is a favorite but there are plenty of other ice cream flavors to choose from in the hand-dipped ice cream. Seasonal flavors such as peppermint or pumpkin are a thing. Holiday also does ice cream cakes.
The old Holiday Lake — a lake, with a recreation center, swimming pool, concession stand — was located nearby many years ago. Holiday Ice Cream’s previous location across the roadway was near the former entrance of Holiday Lake.
Go: 4159 Route 130 South, 609-871-1611; holidaysofticecream.com/
Latteria, Swedesboro
Variety adds spice to life. Remember that saying?
That’s Latteria, which features more than 30 flavors daily and has a recipe book over more than 200 flavors.
“We are constantly experimenting with new creations, insuring that there is always something new and that no two trips to Latteria will ever be the same,” it says on the website.
Latteria, which has been around for eight years, is open-year round, just not on Sundays.
How about these flavors? Blue Moon, Peanut Butter Fudge Pretzel, Key Lime Cheesecake, Campfire S’mores, Maple Bourbon Bacon, Chocolate Almond Cherry, Cocoa Pebbles? And that's just on a recent Tuesday.
Then there’s Cookie Dough Cheesecake, Black and White Oreo Batter, Lemon Cookie, Half & Half, Sweet & Salty and much, much more.
There are seasonal specialties, ice cream cakes and holiday ice cream pies.
The Facebook page says it’s real, fresh ice cream made on the premises. “Our cream is all natural from local farms from grassfed cows with no injections or hormones.”
Go: 95 Woodstown Road, latterialove.com/
Maple Shade Custard Stand, Maple Shade
The little building, trimmed in red and white with a bright red roof, certainly sticks out when driving along Main Street.
The first thing that hits you is the huge DRIVE IN sign on the roof. The other thing is the walk-up counter.
During the summer (in non-COVID times), there always were crowds on warm, summer nights.
The premium soft-serve ice cream brings people by on their way home from work, after school or any other times they can find.
Banana splits, sundaes, water ice, milkshakes (banana, coffee creamsicles and mint are some of the different flavors), sherbet – how about orange and blue raspberry? The Maple Shade Custard Stand, which dates back to the 1950s, has it all.
Go: 340 W. Main St., 856-663-1351; mapleshadecustardstand.com/
Margate Dairy Bar & Burger, Margate City
Sixty-nine seasons and counting.
The award-winning spot, which has classic 1950s designs, has made quite a comeback after the dairy bar was destroyed by Super Storm Sandy. It was rebuilt in 2015 to include the Margate Burger Bar.
There are 19 different hand-dipped ice cream flavors and multiple soft ice cream options. Dairy-free is available in four flavors and there are an assortment of sundaes – everything from Oreo, Reese’s, Snickers – or you can create your own.
Opening day was April 2 and it closes at the end of September.
In addition to ice cream, there are shakes, water ice, smoothies and more.
Before or after your ice cream, there are burgers, hot dogs, fries, onion rings, chicken sandwiches, grilled cheese and other offerings to munch on.
Go: 9510 Ventnor Ave., Margate City, 609-822-9559; margatedairybar.com/
Mister Softee, Pennsauken
Nostalgia hits home whenever many people see the Mister Softee logo. There’s something about that big, old ice cream cone head with the red bow tie that takes you back to childhood.
Just a few miles from Route 38 and Route 130 and located along Haddonfield Road near the Pennsauken Country Club, Mister Softee has no shortage of visitors.
The window-serve fixture doles out soft-serve ice cream – including strawberry-banana, banana and orange cream (there’s even an almond milk swirl now), more than 25 hand-dipped ice cream flavors, about 20 different water ice flavors, milkshakes, sundaes and other treats.
Go: 3605 Haddonfield Road; 856-662-3787; mistersoftee.com/
Royale Crown Ice Cream and Grille, Hammonton
Blast from the past.
Hammonton has been called the blueberry capital of the world, so this stand, which opened in 1953, of course serves blueberry ice cream.
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The seasonal ice cream menu also features soft-serve and hand-dipped ice cream with strawberries, fresh Jersey peaches and blueberries as well.
The White Horse Pike address makes it easy to get to, and the Royale Crown serves more than 40 hand-dipped flavors and eight or more soft-serve flavors, including black raspberry.
Italian ice, yogurt and sugar-free products also are available along with ice cream cakes and ice cream cupcakes.
Its Facebook page says it serves “high-quality custard, old-fashioned milkshakes, fresh fruit sundaes, root beer floats, banana boats and many other fudge and caramel-topped treats.”
Cheesesteaks, Italian subs and fresh burgers are on the menu.
Go: 1051 S. White Horse Pike, 609-561-4423; facebook.com/Royale-Crown-Homemade-Ice-Cream-and-Grille-Hammonton
Scoopy’s Ice Cream and Water Ice, Sewell
You don’t have to worry because Scoopy’s is also open year-round, so you have time to get there.
There’s always something to try such as the new Strawberry Shortcake Sundae, which includes fresh strawberries, pound cake, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream with a cherry on top.
Scoopy’s has homemade ice cream, water ice and specialty smoothies, as well as soft serve.
Some of the hand-dipped flavors include peach, Mint Moose Tracks, Chocolate Moose Tracks, sea-salt caramel and more.
Scoopy’s is open seven days a week from noon until 10 p.m., plenty of time for you to get your scoops.
Go: 213 Hollydell Dr., 856-582-1592; http://scoopysnj.com/
Serene Custard & Golf, Vineland
Originally built in 1959 and owned by Serene Gorgo (hence the name), the roadside custard stand has been a welcome part of the Vineland community for decades.
The Rones – Linda and her husband Ed – now own it.
Linda, who makes the ice cream, is a former educator, and Ed, who built the miniature golf course in the back, is a former interior designer. The pair would visit the stand when they were dating. They’ve owned it since 1984.
“The proud owners of this historic establishment Ed and Linda Rone have been managing for the past 30 years,” the Facebook page says.
“Home of the Monster size milkshake (44 ounces) Serene Custard is sure to please! Homemade ice cream and ice cream cakes are made fresh daily. Miniature golf is offered to all ages.”
More than 30 different flavors are normally made daily.
Funnel cakes, hot dogs, French fries and Cotton Candy are among the other goodies available.
Go: 2336 Northwest Blvd., 856-692-1104, facebook.com/SereneCustardandGolf
Springer's Homemade Ice Cream, Stone Harbor
If it’s good enough for Taylor Swift …
The star singer made it known that Springer’s was among her favorite places at the shore when she lived in Stone Harbor with her family in the summers when she was a child.
Known for having more than 50 flavors of freshly made ice cream, sorbets, ices, gelato, Springer’s, which has been around for nearly 80 years, has some drool-worthy flavors.
How about eggnog, Cotton Candy, strawberry cheesecake, banana fudge, Cookies In My Coffee?
“We are still working out exactly in what capacity we will be open because our porch renovations are not quite complete,” Springer’s announced on its Facebook page. “We want to ensure safe access for everyone.”
Go: 9420 3rd Ave., 609-602-2471; facebook.com/SpringersIceCream/
UMMM Ice Cream Parlor, Burlington City
This old-fashioned ice cream parlor first opened on Aug. 6, 1982.
Open from April until close to Thanksgiving, UMMM has more than 250 different flavor recipes.
Owner/operator Matt Garwood, whose father started UMMM, makes about 75 flavors per season, including peach ice cream, blueberry ice cream and much more. Usually the shop has about 20 flavors offered at a time on a rotating basis during the season.
One of the focal points of the shop is a marble counter and backdrop which came from a pharmacy in Philadelphia, circa 1920, its website says.
The UMMM staff also makes its own waffle cones, Belgian waffles and ice cream sodas.
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How about the Rosanna Banana Danna, which is banana ice cream and is a nod to the Roseanne Roseannadana character portrayed and created by the late (and hilarious) Gilda Radner in the early seasons of "Saturday Night Live.''
Outdoor seating is available and there is a to-go counter.
Go: 236 High St., 609-387-9786; ummmicp.com/
Verona Custard, Vineland
Now in its 66th season — yes that’s right — Verona Custard features about 22 flavors per day.
Soft serve, hand-dipped, sherbet, shakes and smoothies, water ice and much more.
There's also sugar-free yogurt, floats and more.
But the homemade ice cream flavors – from lemon meringue, peanut butter with Reese’s pieces, orange pineapple, banana, birthday cake, salted caramel, strawberry – are probably worth the trip to this Delsea Drive destination.
Any place that has been around for nearly 70 years has to be doing something right.
Go: 1231 S Delsea Drive, 856-692-2748; facebook.com/veronacustard
Vincent’s Homemade Ice Cream, Mount Holly
The interior is decorated like an old-fashioned ice cream parlor with the wire chairs, mirrors and other touches that give you the full experience.
Owner Vincent Amico, a native of Trenton (who had a location in Trenton for years), had two ice cream shops in Burlington County previously. The one in Mount Holly and the other in Bordentown, but that one closed.
Vincent’s Homemade Ice Cream remains a favorite destination of the locals from mid-March or so until the fall. It sits in a prime location on High Street in the heart of downtown Mount Holly.
At Vincent’s, all of their ice cream and water ice is homemade. They’ve had peach ice cream, blueberry, cantaloupe and more fruity flavors.
The Bistro at Vincent’s opens behind Vincent’s Ice Cream Shop in downtown Mount Holly
The shop is always experimenting with new flavors. How about Coconut Almond Joy, Caramel Sea Salt Truffle, and Bada Bing Cherry?
Vincent’s also has a walk-up window it created during the pandemic.
Go: 54 High St., 609-845-3377; vincentsicecreamshop.com/
Celeste E. Whittaker is a features reporter for the Courier Post, Daily Journal and Burlington County Times. The South Jersey native has worked at the Courier Post since 1998 and has covered the Philadelphia 76ers, college and high school sports and has won numerous awards for her work. Reach her at 856.486.2437 or cwhittaker@gannettnj.com.
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Check out these 19 spots to get the best ice cream in SJ and the shore
