Here’s the ‘scoop’ on local ice cream shops

With high temperatures and summertime freedom, ice cream serves up the perfect mixture of beating the heat and curing boredom. Many local ice cream parlors mesh together delicious ice cream and a delightful atmosphere for customers.

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Photo by Madison Stine

Order up!…Serving up scoops of strawberry ice cream, Downtown Scoop employee Fin Heron prepares a customer’s cone. The store also set up their mobile trailer for Souderton’s 3rd Friday event on May 19.

Through showing support toward local businesses throughout the summer season, enjoying family-owned ice cream destinations close to home offers the perfect closure to a summer day.
Located in Souderton on Chestnut Street, Downtown Scoop has been a part of the community since 2015. Many may recognize the store from their mobile trailer, which caters at events such as Souderton’s 3rd Fridays.
The shop itself is very quaint and the ice cream is sourced from Uncle Dave’s Ice Cream, a Bucks County creamery.
The store features various flavors of ice cream and special sundaes, such as their namesake “The Downtown Scoop.”
The mobile catering trailer offers the perfect sweet treat to conclude a summer outing on Main Street, while the store is a splendid spot to pick up classic ice cream flavors.
If you’re looking for a wider selection of unique flavors, “The Inside Scoop” in Coopersburg offers a vast variety. Some notable flavors included “maple bacon” and “Mexican spicy.”
Along with many different flavors, the shop also boasts homemade waffles, coffee and “The Volcano,” which, according to the menu, features 14 scoops of ice cream, eight toppings, whipped cream, cherries, six spoons and a smoking volcano bowl.
As a cherry on top, the shop’s interior is reminiscent of a 50’s diner and hard to miss with a 20-foot-tall statue, named Chip, scooping some ice cream next to the store.
According to their website, the owners hope to recreate memories they shared as 15-year-olds on ice cream dates at their local ice cream shop, which they surely do with their variety of innovative flavors and small-town, homey atmosphere.
Another ice cream spot reminiscent of the past is Longacre’s Modern Dairy in Barto. Milking cows since the 1920s, the Longacre family has continued the tradition and transformed their humble beginnings into a delicious ice cream destination.
The shop features a variety of flavors, ranging from well-loved classics to seasonal delights. Although not located as close as other ice cream shops, the route to the store is full of country views that make the ride quite enjoyable.
And holy cow, is the ice cream good. The ice cream completely melts in one’s mouth with bold, rich and fresh flavors.
They deliver not only a sensational ice cream, but serve up the true taste of a bygone era where quality trumps quantity and smiles are the currency of the day.
Supporting local ice cream shops not only helps boost community economy and morale, but also allows the chance to experience homemade ice cream that puts large retailers to shame.
In addition, these local spots offer an influx of summer jobs for many teens.