Blue Bell Creameries in Brenham.
Texas takes pride in its ice cream. And we’re not just talking about Blue Bell—though the Brenham-based brand is brag-worthy.
The state is chock-full of great ice cream offerings, from blackberry soft-serve in Pittsburg, to sundaes in Galveston and Graham. You can order fudge-like brownies in Belton and giant cinnamon rolls in San Marcos topped with the creamy dessert.
For more sweet selections, head to Grapevine, where you can find wine-flavored ice cream, or Gainesville, which offers a lavender option. If dairy isn’t your thing, try raspas, made with syrup and shaved ice and topped with everything from gummy worms to pickles. While you can find them most places in Texas, the Rio Grande Valley is a major hub.
The Daytripper columnist Chet Garner particularly enjoys milkshakes from Hillsboro’s A Tisket A Taskit and ice-cream topped snow cones from Corpus Christi’s Sno-Ball. If you like your treats with a side of history, he’s also had nice things to say about the famous float at the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco and the vanilla scoop at the Southwest Dairy Museum and Education Center in Sulphur Springs.
In Dallas, Hypnotic Emporium challenges dairy-lovers to a timed ice cream-eating challenge, and in Fort Davis, Hebert’s Caboose is a scoop shop that once functioned as a rail car.
These are obviously just a few examples of places to get your ice cream fix in Texas—but it’s pretty darn clear, whether it’s National Ice Cream Day or not, scoops are the supreme summertime indulgence.
