You Scream, I Scream

Photo by Rachel Lukas.

Local frozen-treat shops help you beat the heat

With summer temps peaking in Wisconsin in July, it’s only fitting that this month is National Ice Cream Month. And there’s no better place to celebrate the cold and creamy treat than Door County. 

EGG HARBOR

Grumpy’s Ice Cream and Popcorn

7849 Hwy 42 in Egg Harbor

Don’t let the name fool you – you’ll leave Grumpy’s with a smile on your face. The seasonal, family-owned business serves ice cream floats, scoops and sundaes, along with house-made treats such as popcorn and fudge. Enjoy them all while admiring the vintage décor inside the shop or the front-yard flower garden outside. 

FISH CREEK
Dippy’s Ice Cream Shop

Founder’s Square, Main St. in Fish Creek

Step up to the walk-up window and into the past at Dippy’s Ice Cream Shop, a spot that’s been serving Wisconsin-made Chocolate Shoppe–brand ice cream and other frozen treats for 20-plus years. In addition to all the classic flavors you’d expect to find in an ice cream case, Dippy’s also offers some inventive special varieties such as Exhausted Parent (Bourbon-spiked espresso ice cream with bittersweet chocolate chunks) that change every day, or specialty treats such as sundaes and shakes.
If you’re a connoisseur of other varieties of creamy, frozen desserts, Fish Creek has you covered with stops for frozen custard at Not Licked Yet Frozen Custard, 4054 Main St., as well as gelato at Sara’s Artisan Gelato, 4192 Main St.

EPHRAIM
Wilson’s Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor

9990 Water St. (Hwy 42) in Ephraim

Enjoy a house-brewed root beer float or a classic ice cream sundae while listening to oldies drifting out of the jukeboxes. Or, if you’re looking for a challenge, see how much ice cream you can devour during the shop’s annual ice cream eating contest. This classic Ephraim landmark is a blast from the past, serving ice cream since 1906 – a history that’s been recorded in The Scoop, which is available for purchase in the parlor’s shop.

SISTER BAY 

Analog Ice Cream and Coffee

10649 N. Bay Shore Dr. in Sister Bay

Along with serving standard pints and cones, Analog Ice Cream and Coffee offers a treat with a grown-up twist. No Sleep ’Til Brooklyn features your choice of ice cream with an espresso shot poured over the top, similar to an Italian affogato. The throwback-themed shop also features specialty tea and coffee drinks, breakfast items, baked goods and merchandise such as T-shirts and hats for diehard Analog fans.

Door County Ice Cream Factory & Sandwich Shoppe

11051 Hwy 42 in Sister Bay

If you want plenty of variety, travel a little farther north to Door County Ice Cream Factory, where you can choose from 30 flavors of house-made ice cream, including limited-edition flavors such as ambrosia, black licorice and sticky bun, as well as Bordeaux cherry, cherry chip and cherry cheesecake (it’s Door County, after all). Enjoy a generous scoop or two in a dish, or indulge in one of the house-made waffle cones. 

ELLISON BAY

The Vault

12046 Hwy 42 in Ellison Bay

Curt and Amy Bawden met each other over soft-serve ice cream, and today they share the love by co-owning The Vault, a bank-turned-gourmet-treat-shop. In addition to dishing up soft serve, The Vault offers Italian gelato and a root beer float bar where guests can help themselves to root beer tapped right from the keg. Four-legged family members can join the fun, too, by enjoying the shop’s grassy outdoor area, set up with chairs and lawn games.