Sometimes You Just Need Ice Cream
From working dairy farms to neighborhood favorites, Lancaster County has turned ice cream into something of a local tradition.
There are times when you want an elegant dessert after dinner, and then there are times when you just want ice cream. Maybe it’s been a long day. Maybe the Dips won and you're not ready to celebrate with drinks quite yet. Maybe your player isn't feeling the win. Maybe you've spent the afternoon sitting on bleachers or pretending you aren't tired after traveling and getting up extra early on game day. Lancaster County ice cream could help.
Ice cream stops also bring back memories of when our boys were much younger and stopping for ice cream after a big game felt like the perfect ending to the day. There was something about piling into the car, still in uniforms and cleats, and celebrating with a cone that made even a Saturday morning win feel like the World Series. That applies, of course, to those of us who let our boys try baseball before they eventually found their way to lacrosse.
The players are older now, but do we ever outgrew the joy of ice cream? One of the nice things about Lancaster County is that ice cream doesn't have to be a warm weather only event. A cone on a hot July evening is great, of course, but so is a cup of something ridiculously rich after a chilly fall game or on one of those days when comfort food simply seems appropriate.
Around here, getting ice cream can also be an outing in itself. It might take you through the heart of Amish Country, down a road you would never otherwise discover, onto a working dairy farm or into a neighborhood shop just minutes from campus. For those of you coming from out of town, this is one of those simple Lancaster experiences we think is worth adding to your game plan.
Where Agriculture Meets Dessert
Lancaster County takes dairy seriously, so perhaps it isn't surprising that we also take ice cream seriously. Several of our favorite stops aren't simply ice cream shops that happen to be located here. They're connected to real dairy farms and families who have been producing milk in Lancaster County for generations.
At Pine View Dairy, fresh milk and ice cream have been the heart of the family farm store for decades. Lapp Valley grew out of Ben Lapp selling homemade ice cream from the family farm beginning in 1975. Down on the Farm Creamery began when Amish dairy farmer Daniel Lapp looked for a way to turn the family's milk into something new. For visitors, that's part of what makes this fun. You're getting dessert, certainly, but you're also getting a little glimpse of the farming culture that surrounds Lancaster.
Our Dips Local Ice Cream Game Plan
The easy farm stop from F&M
If you're staying near F&M or downtown Lancaster and don't want to turn ice cream into a major expedition, Pine View Dairy is a great place to start.
It's a family owned working dairy and farm store on New Danville Pike, south of the city, and has been part of the Lancaster County community since 1971. Fresh milk and homemade ice cream are the staples, but the small store also carries other local products and seasonal items.
It's close enough to campus to work as a spontaneous post game stop, but still gives visitors the feeling that they've gotten out into Lancaster County. And, as often happens around here, you may go for ice cream and come home with fresh milk and something else from the farm store that you didn't know you needed.
Fox Meadows Creamery, Leola
A country drive without going too far
Fox Meadows has become one of Lancaster County's best known creamery destinations, and we're big fans.
For the Dips lax f&mily we hope you'll try the Leola location at 193 East Main Street. Fox Meadows makes its handcrafted ice cream with milk from the family's dairy farm, and its Leola location also includes a Country Market filled with Lancaster County products. Scott's favorite is Chocolate Covered Strawberry, while Rose's is Brown Butter Toasted Almond Brickle. Owen favors Wilbur Chocolate, with more Lancaster County roots from our Wilbur Chocolate in Lititz. We'd like to tell you that after years of marriage we're mature enough to simply order our own flavors. We are not. There will inevitably be a spoon headed toward the other person's dish.
Fox Meadows is a little more polished than some of the traditional farm stops and is an easy way to pair excellent ice cream with a drive into the countryside.
Two nearby locations. Same ice cream. Very different experiences.
This is one where it helps to know exactly which location you're choosing. The original Down on the Farm location at 509 May Post Office Road is the full experience: a family owned Amish creamery on a working Amish farm. This is where we like to send someone who wants the Lancaster County version. You'll be served by members of the Amish family, and the farm setting, animals and countryside are all part of the visit.
Weather not cooperating, or just don't feel like getting everyone out of the car? There's a drive thru, frequented by cars and sometimes a horse and buggy, so you can still get the same ice cream without committing to the full farm stop.
Then there's their second location near the Choo Choo Barn in Strasburg. It's the same Down on the Farm ice cream, but much more of a traditional ice cream shop experience. It's a convenient stop if you're already visiting the Strasburg Rail Road, Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania or Choo Choo Barn.
So the choice is pretty simple: if you want the farm experience, go to May Post Office Road. If you're already doing the railroad attractions, the Strasburg shop is an easy add on.
Dips Pro Tip: If Dad wants to grab a beer instead of ice cream he can grab a seat at the bar and enjoy a local beer at Bespoke Brewing next door.
Make the drive part of the experience
If your goal is not simply “find me good ice cream” but rather “show me the touristy side of Lancaster County,” point the car toward Lapp Valley.
Lapp Valley's Creamery & Café sits along Route 340 in Gordonville, right in the heart of the area most visitors picture when they think of Amish Country. The family has been making ice cream since 1975, and getting there is part of the experience.
Depending on your route, you'll pass farms, roadside stands, horse and buggies and communities like Bird in Hand and Intercourse. Yes, it's a town called Intercourse. No, we did not name it for the entertainment of visitors.
If it's your first Lancaster County visit, give yourself time to wander a little. Stop at a roadside stand. Take a back road. Let the drive be part of the experience.
When you want something close
Not every ice cream outing needs to involve farmland. Sometimes you've already spent the entire day going places and nobody wants another excursion.
That's when Splits & Giggles is perfect. Tucked into Lancaster's Chestnut Hill neighborhood on West Lemon Street, it's a cheerful neighborhood café and ice cream shop just a short trip from F&M and downtown. This is the after game, after dinner, “does anyone want ice cream?” option.
Which One Fits Your Day?
Closest and easiest farm experience from F&M: Pine View Dairy
Country drive plus polished creamery: Fox Meadows in Leola
Working Amish farm experience: Down on the Farm, original May Post Office Road location
Already visiting Strasburg's railroad attractions: Down on the Farm, Choo Choo Barn location
Classic Amish Country drive: Lapp Valley
Easy neighborhood stop close to campus: Splits & Giggles
The Best Part Isn't Really the Ice Cream
Okay. It's mostly the ice cream.
But looking back, the reason we remember those post game stops isn't because we can recall what flavor anyone ordered. It's because we remember being together.
We all remember those endless practices, games and hours in the car. You don't really think about the fact that someday those ordinary evenings will be the things you miss. Then suddenly they're in college, and you'll happily take twenty minutes in the car together on the way to get ice cream.
Funny how that works. Maybe that's part of why we still love these places. A trip for ice cream gives everyone permission to slow down for a little while. You take the longer road, maybe sit at a picnic table or inside a little shop, talk, and sometimes find that the simplest part of a college weekend ends up being one of the best.
About the Lancaster County Ice Cream Trail
You don't have to take our word for. Discover Lancaster's Lancaster County Ice Cream Trail is another fun way to find local creameries and ice cream shops throughout the county.
The official trail is seasonal, so check Discover Lancaster for the current year's dates and participating locations before your visit. But you certainly don't need a formal trail to create your own.
Take the scenic road, stop at the farm stand and stay awhile. And if your college student says they're too full for ice cream, maybe just convince them to get off campus and go for a little drive.
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