Is there anything better than treating the kids to an ice cream cone on a hot summer day? We can't think of one... just make sure to treat yourself, too! #treatyoself
Luckily, We have a lot of great locally-owned ice cream shops from Burlington-Hillsborough where we can indulge in yummy goodness. Here are 4 of our favorite places for ice cream and other icy treats around the area.
Maple View Farm Ice Cream
6900 Rocky Ridge Road, Hillsborough
  Photo Source: Samantha Earnhardt |
What we love: I've been a fan of Maple View since someone in my freshman dormitory at UNC first shared some delicious milk from their signature glass bottles many years ago. And while, sadly, their milk-bottling operation didn't survive the pandemic (my kids have never liked any milk much since!), their Ice Cream production is still going strong at their little outpost on Dairyland in Hillsborough. With a porch full of rocking chairs and open fields for sugared-up kids to run free, every time we visit their Country Store is bustling and their lawn is full of happiness. Maple View has become a favorite spot for Grandma to take the grandkids when she comes to visit. If you love a good chocolate base, I highly recommend my guilty pleasure, the Devil's Delight (choc full of Kit Kat, Twix, and chocolate chips) - although as a UNC fan I really hate admitting that I like it more than the Carolina Crunch!
Maple View Ice Cream can also be enjoyed at the following locations:
Muffin's Ice Cream Shoppe - 109 N North Street, Mebane (downtown)
Maple View's County Line Creamery Company - 113 E Main St, Gibsonville (downtown)
Smitty's Homemade Ice Cream (3 locations)
107 E Front St, Burlington
300 N Main St, Graham
130 N Williamson Ave, Elon
  Photo source: Samantha Earnhardt |
What we love: Our first several family experiences at Smitty's were at the Elon location, conveniently located inside the delicious local pizza place Pandora's Pies, making it an easy way to top off a fun Family Night Out. The standout for me personally was their unique Brown Sugar Oatmeal ice cream - which caught my attention at my very first visit and was soooo good that I have yet to order anything else when we've gone back. Lucky for me, we're a family of sharers, so I've gotten a few bites of lots of other flavors - and have yet to try one that wasn't delicious. Our most recent visit to their main store in downtown Burlington after a morning spent playing at the Willowbrook Arboretum was a delicious end to a fun morning.
Eno River Farm
2127 St. Marys Road, Hillsborough
  Photo source: Samantha Earnhardt |
What we love: Eno River Farm has an impressive operation of Pick-Your-Own offerings throughout the year. Our family spent a perfect spring afternoon there once just after school let out, enjoying some homemade ice cream before taking to the fields to go strawberry picking. While all 3 flavors we tried were delicious, their Strawberry ice cream was the standout and was by far the best I've ever had (not surprisingly since they use their own fresh-picked berries!)
Pelican's Snoballs
1147-A St Marks Church Rd, Burlington
  Photo Source: Samantha Earnhardt |
What we love: Admittedly, this location benefits tremendously from being located directly next to the very popular Miss Kim's Children's Dance & Arts. I myself have been known to treat my kids to a Snoball on occasion after a dance or Spanish class at Miss Kim's and I have seen countless dancers and their siblings enjoying a visit to Pelican's, too. But what makes Pelican's great isn't just a good location, it's the WIDE variety flavors (more than 100!) that can be mixed, matched, and topped off with extras for a truly customizable treat. BONUS: If anyone in your family doesn't handle dairy so well, a Snoball is the perfect alternative to ice cream!
But that's not all!
Here are more places in the area where you can grab a sweet, frozen delight:
- Broken Spoke Farm @ 5601 St Mary’s Rd, Hillsborough
- Cold Stone Creamery @ 3160 Walden Lane, Burlington
- La Muneca Ice Cream @ 131 Mayo St Hillsborough
- Homeland Creamery @ 6506 Bowman Dairy Road, Julian
- Polar Panda Snoballs @ 408 W. Center St, Mebane
- Sunset Slush of Alamance County @ Graham (mobile)
- Tickle My Tongue FROYO & Hot Cobbler @ 1183 University Dr #107, Burlington
- Tickle My Tongue FROYO & Hot Cobbler @ 1051 S Main St, Graham
- Whit's Frozen Custard of Graham @ 21 SE Court Square, Graham
- Whit's Frozen Custard of Hillsborough 240 S Nash St, Hillsborough
Help! I need to find the closest Ice Cream to my location RIGHT NOW!
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