There’s nothing better than ice cream on a hot day. Or ice cream on a cold day. Or ice cream on any day, really.

We’ve been talking a lot about Alabama’s best food lately here on AL.com. We’ve discussed barbecue, pizza and burgers, and now it’s time to get to ice cream. (Finally, something sweet!)

My colleagues waded into more ice cream-adjacent fare like gelato, milkshakes, popsicles and mangonadas on their Huntsville, Birmingham and Mobile lists (they’re must-reads – please check them out), but for this one, I stuck with places known for plain ole ice cream cones.

Let’s just go ahead and get to it, shall we?

MORE: Summer treats in Alabama to beat the heat

10. Edgewood Creamery

936 Oxmoor Road, Homewood; bhamcreameries.com

Look, I love a good community ice cream place, and Edgewood Creamery is the perfect local spot. It’s located near SAW’s BBQ and several other popular restaurants so it’s easy to pop in for dessert after dinner. It offers shakes and cakes, but my favorite is obviously the ice cream. It’s rich and creamy, the way ice cream should be. (Note: Edgewood Creamery is owned by Jay Connor, who also owns Mountain Brook Creamery. It could just as easily be on this list, but we gotta keep it down to 10.)

Order this: You can never go wrong with a scoop of pistachio ice cream in a waffle bowl.

9. Matt’s Homemade Ice Cream

701 Gulf Shores Highway, Gulf Shores facebook.com/MattsHomemadeIceCream

There are a few Alabama beach traditions I adhere to every visit: I gotta get a cheesy photo underneath Souvenir City’s giant shark head, and I have to get ice cream after a hearty seafood dinner. And Matt’s is the place to go. The shop offers a variety of ice cream flavors, plus sundaes, floats and banana splits, and candy as well. It’s been open for almost a decade now and bonus: It’s open until midnight, so you can get your ice cream fix late.

Order this: Get a double scoop and load up with two flavors.

8. Payne’s Sandwich Shop and Soda Fountain

101 E. Laurel St., Scottsboro; facebook.com/PaynesontheSquare

Payne’s may be one of northeast Alabama’s most revered landmarks. The soda fountain celebrated 150 years of business in 2019, and it’s a favorite among locals. Co-owner Lisa Garrett told AL.com’s Bob Carlton, “It’s the cornerstone of this town. It really is. Everybody has a memory of Payne’s.” And with food like this, it’s impossible not to love Payne’s. It’s menu is filled with sandwiches, hot dogs and salads, but ice cream is the star. Take a seat at the old-fashioned soda fountain and order up a sweet treat – you won’t be disappointed.

Order this: The Elvis sundae. Vanilla ice cream is topped with sliced bananas and peanut butter, and it’s perfection. Go ahead and get whipped cream and a cherry while you’re at it.

READ MORE: 68 must-try Alabama dishes

7. Pizzelle’s Confections

2211 Seminole Drive S.W., Railroad Room #4, Huntsville; pizzellesconfections.com

The second you walk into Pizzelle’s Confection, you know this is gonna be fun. Willy Wonka, bats, the grim reaper, and David Bowie mingle on the walls. House in a row of exterior spaces at Lowe Mille, Pizzelle’s is known for their knockout chocolates, including the “Sexyback,” a salted caramel/dark chocolate creation. (I worship their dark-choc-almonds-coconut-and-sea-salt candy bar “Mommy Dearest.”) Founded by sisters Caitlin Lyon, a former technical writer, and Michelle Novosel, a former bakery manager, Pizzelle’s also does eclairs, mini-cakes etc. They also do a mean house-made ice cream. (As rad as Cozy Cow’s sundaes and Oscar Moon’s Milkshakes are, they use Blue Bell ice cream to make those.) – Matt Wake

Order this: Pizzelle’s usually offers only around eight or so ice cream flavors at a time, but they switch ‘em up. Trust your instinct and eyes on what to get. Or do like I did and ask the nice employee taking your order for a suggestion. I recently did scoops of coffee cacao nibs and banana pudding, both dripping with backyard-made charm-meets-art-school-flair.

MORE: The ultimate Huntsville weekend: 30 local must-do’s

6. Kreme Delite

401 W Washington St., Athens

Kreme Delite is nostalgia at its finest. The walk-up dairy bar looks exactly the same as it did when it opened in 1951, and the food is just as tasty too. You can find your typical dairy bar items there – hot dogs and pretzels – but the stars of the show are definitely the sweet treats, including the ice cream and sundaes. If you’re looking for a big menu, this isn’t for you. But if you’re looking to connect with the community (Kreme Delite is a local favorite) and eat a dipped cone, Kreme Delite is perfect.

Order this: The upside-down banana split. The popular concoction is made in a plastic cup, so it’s easier to eat. (It’s also delicious, of course.)

5. Trowbridge’s

316 N. Court St., Florence

Trowbridge’s is steeped in history – the soda fountain has been a downtown Florence staple since 1918. It’s popular with locals and people who travel to the Shoals for its rich musical history. (Wynonna recently made a stop there.) Trowbridge’s is known for its simple-but-delicious sandwiches – think pimento cheese, egg and olive, and tuna – and it’s must-try ice cream treats. The most famous is the orange pineapple ice cream, which the Alabama Tourism Department named in its “101 Dishes to Try in Alabama Before You Die” list. Trowbridge’s ice cream supplier recently discontinued the flavor, but the owners have been working diligently with another dairy farm to get the recipe right. They’ve finally got the recipe where they want it to be, and it’s available again.

Order this: The orange pineapple ice cream, of course.

4. Blue Ribbon Dairy Farm

5290 Chana Creek Road, Tallassee; www.blueribbondairyal.com

People from all over central and south Alabama love Tallassee’s Blue Ribbon Dairy Farm. It’s not just because field trips to the farm include pony rides and watching the cows get milked; it’s because of the ice cream. You can get samples of the sweet treat during your visit and buy pints and quarts of it on-site to take home with you. There are more than 15 flavors, so you’ll definitely find one you love. (If you can’t make it out to Tallassee, you can also purchase Blue Ribbon ice cream, milk and other products at some grocers.) If you want to know exactly where all the ingredients come from and want super-fresh, delicious ice cream, then you’ll want to try Blue Ribbon Dairy Farm.

Order this: The cookies and cream ice cream is superb, and while you’re at it, purchase the cookies and cream milk (if available) for a doubly chocolate treat.

3. Cammie’s Old Dutch Ice Cream Shoppe

2511 Old Shell Road, cammiesolddutch.com

Twenty-five years ago, Cammie Wayne bought the former Widemire’s Old Dutch Ice Cream Shoppe from Edwin Widemire, who’d been her boss at her first job when she was 16 years old. She has reigned as queen of the ice cream scene in Mobile ever since, making 700 gallons a week with the help of her husband, Larry Wayne, at their creamery on Halls Mill Road, where she has opened a second location. But that original, cheery yellow building at the corner of Old Shell Road and Florida Street in Midtown, a former Texaco station before Widemire opened his ice cream shop in 1969, has become a Mobile icon. Cammie offers some 47 flavors in the shop (Creole Praline is the most popular) and supplies 25 other shops and restaurants as well as 25 local grocery stores with her products. – Michelle Matthews

Order this: The Banana Split is a classic on Cammie’s menu, and on Sundays she sells 60 to 100 of them. – Michelle Matthews

MORE: Ice cream from Cammie’s is the best thing I ate last week

2. Big Spoon Creamery

4000 3rd Ave. South, Birmingham; 927 Oxmoor Road, Homewood; 201 Jefferson Street North Suite J, Huntsville

Sometimes life’s most enjoyable moments can be the most fleeting. Take, for example, Big Spoon Creamery. The artisan ice cream shop has a delectable rotating menu of ice cream and ice cream sandwiches, but some of the parlor’s most delicious options are their limited edition creations.

Last year, Big Spoon wowed fans with its rendition of the Choco Taco, posting the goods to its Instagram account just months before Klondike officially confirmed it would discontinue the classic beloved ice cream snack. Was it a “Simpsons”-style prediction? We can’t tell, but what we do know is Big Spoon’s creation gave us the chance to collectively drown our nostalgic sorrows and pay tribute to the end of an era (well…kind of. Klondike later said the Choco Taco may return down the line.) But while the ice cream brand that jilted us plays with our feelings, Big Spoon stepped in to console and entice us with multiple iterations of the Choco Taco, including a Christmas cookie dough rendition and a Valentine’s Day creation with taco-shaped cones dipped in white chocolate, filled with vanilla ice cream and meticulously topped with square chunks of sugar cookie dough, sprinkles, and brown sugar.

Big Spoon Creamery has been a favorite in Birmingham for nearly a decade, and for good reason. First off, Big Spoon smells delicious (think baked goods, sugar, and sweet cream). For those who like to play favorites, it’s best to have at least two preferred ice cream flavors of choice. Big Spoon’s menu is seasonal, so some flavors, such as cereal milk, have a limited time on the menu. – Shauna Stuart

Order this: The Cinnamon Toast Crunch ice cream with brownie bites.

1. Peach Park

2300 7th St. S., Clanton; facebook.com/peachparkclanton

Peach Park is an Alabama icon. It’s the ultimate bucket list item. It’s a well-known direction. (“I’m going to the beach, I’m probably about 10 miles from the Peach Park exit.”) If I meet an Alabamian who hasn’t stopped by at least once, I immediately ask them a zillion questions, starting with, “What do you mean you haven’t been to Peach Park? Why haven’t you been there? Are you sure? Do you know true happiness?”

Peach Park opened in 1980, according to the Encyclopedia of Alabama, and since then, it’s been a must-stop for Interstate 65 travelers because it has a little bit of everything. It’s partly a restaurant. You can order barbecue, daily specials and a lot of country fixins’ and chow down. It’s also a farmers’ market – there’s some locally grown produce there you can purchase. Peach Park is also a gift shop. There are T-shirts, trinkets and other goods you can buy. And of course, there’s the dessert. You can purchase pie, cobbler and homemade ice cream to eat there or take on your way. (Did I mention there’s space outside to relax and enjoy your meal?)

In other words: It’s probably the Buc-ee’s of parks.

And although Peach Park is all these things, it’s most famous for its homemade ice cream. Its strawberry and cantaloupe ice cream is fantastic, but it’s Peach Park, after all, and the peach ice cream is a top 10 Alabama food. It’s just wonderful.

Order this: The peach ice cream on a cone. Don’t mess with a classic.

MORE: Why there’s a peach tower in Alabama

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