Here’s the scoop on 8 must-try ice cream shops in Western Pennsylvania

Western Pennsylvania is home to a tradition of local, family-owned ice cream shops beckoning you to grab a cup or a cone this summer.

Pennsylvania has a few thousand family dairy farms producing milk to create sweet and creamy Pa. ice cream, and some of these farms can be found in the foothills of the Appalachians in western Pa. Yet while many ice cream shops use local milk, at least one of our favorites proves you don’t even need cows to produce decadent ice cream!

As the summer heats up, grab some Western Pa. ice cream to cool off. After all, July is National Ice Cream Month — but let’s be honest, you don’t need an excuse to eat Pa. ice cream any day of the year. Extra sprinkles on mine, please!

Page’s – Pittsburgh

The quintessential Pittsburgh ice cream shop, Page’s, can be found under an old railroad bridge on the city’s South Side. Originally opening as Page Dairy Mart in 1951, the ice cream shop recently adopted the name that everyone always called it anyway — Page’s. Customers wave a long line around the shop each evening to order classic soft serve as well as specialty flavors — more than 30 flavors in all! Each flavor can also be ordered in a non-dairy version. Try a classic cone or build a sundae with your favorite toppings.

Casey’s Ice Cream & Candies – Meadville

Though Casey’s Ice Cream & Candies has only been operating in Meadville for 25 years — since 1999 — the shop uses traditional techniques to craft the homemade ice cream that’s a favorite of people in Crawford County and surrounding areas. All of the ice cream is made in house using local ingredients. (So is the candy, but you’re here for the ice cream, right?) You can choose from more than 60 ice cream flavors, including classics like chocolate and mint chip as well as more innovative flavors like “Conneaut Lake crunch” — vanilla ice cream with roasted cashews and caramel. Plus, Casey’s also has unique rotating flavors it announces on the shop’s Facebook page. “Strawberry pretzel salad” is one such flavor, and it’s so popular that customers can pre-order it!

The Freezerie – Erie

Headed by a creative father and son team, The Freezerie is an Erie ice cream shop that scoops homemade ice cream in a number of flavors for cones, sundaes, shakes, floats, and more. “If it was any fresher, we’d have the cows out in the back,” the younger of the two ice cream chefs joked in 2019. The Erie shop is also a favorite of the area’s vegans and dairy-avoiders because The Freezerie makes non-dairy ice cream with the same care and commitment to its dairy flavors. When you visit the west Erie shop, you can try unique flavors such as pudding pie and “waffle cone bash” as well as traditional flavors.

Sugar Spell Scoops – Sharpsburg

Sugar Spell Scoops is a small ice cream shop specializing in small batches of unique, artisan — and sometimes quite amusing — flavors. While Sugar Spell Scoops makes cones and sundaes with traditional flavors like strawberry or peanut butter as well as creative flavors like Thai iced tea, it also often sells specialty pints based around a fun theme. For example, the shop has previously sold pints in flavors related to the TV show “The Office,” like “Kevin’s Famous Chili” (red velvet ice cream with crushed pecans, chocolate beans, and a cream cheese frosting swirl à la sour cream), reminiscent of when the character Kevin famously made a giant batch of chili and then slipped and spilled it everywhere. Sugar Spell Scoops also happens to be entirely vegan, crafting its ice cream with creamy cashews. The shop is currently only open on the weekends; you can check Instagram or Facebook for special flavor announcements or news of other shop events.

The Cow – Alum Bank

The Cow is a soft-serve ice cream shop located just north of the small town of Bedford. Founded in 1958 on a whim by a couple new to the ice cream scene, The Cow has grown into an area institution recognizable by the large cow statue that has graced the stand for decades. Now run by the original owners’ children, the affordable soft serve stand is open each summer and fall, crafting cones, sundaes, banana splits, and more with real ice cream, not ice milk. While ice cream is the shop’s focus, The Cow also serves burgers, fries, and other comfort food. Check The Cow’s Facebook page to see available soft-serve flavors.

Shaffer’s Frosty Freeze – Johnstown

Shaffer’s Frosty Freeze first opened in Johnstown in 1957 and quickly became a regional favorite. In 2020, management of Shaffer’s was transferred to the next generation, further cementing a family legacy of ice cream. Open April through September, the ice cream stand scoops and swirls a handful of flavors of both ice cream and frozen yogurt, rotating offerings each week. Check Shaffer’s Facebook page to see what flavors are currently on offer.

Glen’s Custard – Springdale and Lower Burrell

Glen’s Custard has served decadent frozen custard — creamer and thicker than ice cream — to the people of Greater Pittsburgh since 1948. Since then, four different generations have operated the shop — Glen, Glen, Glenn, and Eli. You can find Glen’s in Springdale as well as at a second location in Lower Burrell; at both, you can choose from among roughly two dozen classic, seasonal, and specialty flavors of custard. Plus, the Springdale location has mini golf!

Custer City Drive-in Ice Cream – Custer City

Enjoy your ice cream with a side of nostalgia at Custer City Drive-In, which has been serving ice cream since 1952. And the 50s vibes are still strong at the drive-in, located near Bradford. Shop staff scoop dozens of classic flavors as well as specialty flavors that often incorporate seasonal produce (like fall apples and summer peaches). Plus, the drive-in regularly hosts events like local craft fairs, classic car shows (it’s a 50s-era shop, after all!), and nights when staff bring your treats to you on roller skates, just like they would have at an old drive-in.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.