Must-Visit Ice Cream Shops in Tennessee

You can get authentic gelato when you visit Johnson City at Mona Lisa's Gelato & Cafe. The artisan gelato is rich, creamy and full of flavors, some of which are quite unique like rum raisin, tiramisu and popcorn. The cafe also serves sandwiches, salads and soups. Come in for lunch and end your meal with indulgent gelato.

If you’re in downtown Knoxville and craving something sweet, stop by Phoenix Pharmacy and Fountain for a milkshake or sundae. The independently-owned-and-operated store has an authentic soda fountain where you can order specialty sundaes like the classic banana split or scooped ice cream. Other treats include ice cream sandwiches, ice cream floats, phosphate sodas, Italian cream sodas and more. 

Cruze Farm started as a humble dairy farm in the 1980s and has become a popular East Tennessee stop for ice cream in downtown Knoxville, East Knoxville, Sevierville and Morristown. Check out the different flavors highlighted at the different locations including Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Pina Colada Dole Whip, vegan vanilla or chocolate, salty caramel, brown butter or cookies n cream. You can order a waffle cone, cake cone, dip your cone in chocolate, peanut butter, toasted coconut or cherry and turn any of the flavors into a shake. For something a little more indulgent, order a churn, ice cream blended with toppings like the Rocky Top Road - chocolate ice cream, marshmallows, peanuts and chocolate sauce. Affogatos, sundaes and floats round out the menu.

Enjoy the old-fashioned pharmacy soda fountain at Tinsley-Bible Drug Store in Dandridge. Ice cream and sodas are served 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day. Enjoy a molten lava cake sundae topped with ice cream, hot fudge and whipped cream or a banana split, malt or milk shake. You can even add peanut butter, caramel, peppermint, pineapple or cherry to any shake or malt for a fun twist. You can also order classic cream sodas and a variety of homemade desserts.

When you’re craving a sweet treat, head to Tic-Toc Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Loudon. Enjoy 29 flavors of homemade ice cream on three different kinds of cones or in a glass dish. They also whip up ice cream sodas, banana splits, sundaes, floats and shakes. The ice cream bar is open April – October.

Malts, floats, banana splits, ice cream sundaes, homemade ice cream in single, double or triple scoops on a waffle cone or cake cone, milk shakes and fruit smoothies and frappes can all be enjoyed at The Apple Valley Creamery in Sevierville. Choose from 60 flavors of ice cream of the ice cream that's churned one batch at a time.

Travel to Chattanooga for a visit to Clumpies and a stroll downtown. Clumpies has been serving the public generous portions of frozen dairy since 1999. Savor the creamy flavors Firecracker, which is Tutti Frutti ice cream mixed with Pop-Rocks; French Silk, which includes extra fie chocolate flakes; and a Southern favorite, Pralines and Cream. If you want a stripped down version of ice cream, choose The Sweet Cream which has nothing but milk, sugar and cream.

Cool off from the summer heat with frozen treats from Mayfield Dairy Farms. T.B. Mayfield Jr. purchased 45 Jersey cows in 1910 and began delivering milk to his neighbors in Athens. The next generation picked up where he left off and in 1950 built the Southeast's most modern milk plant. Mayfield is one of the nation's leading dairies today. From fresh, cold milk to delicious ice cream flavors like Blueberry Cream Pie, Extreme Moose Tracks and Snickerdoodle, Mayfield continues to offer great selections for its customers. You can visit the factory 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Tours come with a free scoop of ice cream.

Family-owned and -operated Ember’s Ice Cream Shoppe is in downtown Pikeville. The town has several antique stores, restaurants and Bankwalker Brewing Co. along with historic homes and other structures. Step inside Ember’s for a scoop of your favorite ice cream flavor, then enjoy your ice cream while walking around town to learn about the history and do some shopping.

Get your Wi-Fi and ice cream all in one place. Cream City Ice Cream & Coffee House in Cookeville serves its patrons 30 flavors (like Mocha Almond) that are hand-dipped and served by cup, cone, sundae, milkshake, sherbet freezes, and banana splits. Dairy-free options are plentiful as well. If you want a little kick to your treat, have a frozen frappe, iced coffee or latte, Italian soda, or, for a healthy option, fresh smoothies.

For delicious vegan and dairy-free ice cream flavors, make a stop at Lazy Cow Creamery in Cookeville. Handcrafted flavors like coconut banana, coconut fudge, birthday cake and vanilla chunk can be ordered on a gluten-free and dairy-free waffle cone or in a cup. Keto and no sugar added ice cream is made in-house as well with must-have flavors such as cheesecake, chocolate mousse, mint chocolate, strawberry sweet cream and cotton candy among others.

Visit Elliston Place Soda Shop for a retro ice cream parlor vibe in the heart of Nashville. The city's go-to soda shop since 1939, Elliston Place will make you feel like you stepped on the set of "Grease" with its red and white booths, neon light accents and chrome bar stools. Part meat-and-three, part soda fountain, the shop serves up homemade recipes and must-have shakes, sodas, malts and floats. Try the egg cream soda which is a fizzy chocolate milk, flavored sodas and milkshakes featuring flavors like Nutter Butter, Butterfinger, Oreo, pineapple, banana and many more. Dig in to a hot fudge banana sundae, ice cream float, banana split or sundae.

With locations in Murfreesboro, Columbia, Franklin and Nashville, you can stop in for a scoop or two from Hattie Jane's Creamery. Everything is made in-house form scratch in small batches, so you're getting a quality cone or cup of ice cream every time. Order one of the Southern-inspired flavors like banana pudding, brown butter pecan, dairy-free strawberry jam or the popular Goo Goo & Jack - featuring Jack Daniels No. 7 whiskey and Goo Goo Clusters. Other fun flavors like Unicorn Cotton Candy, classic vanilla, peanut butter and brownie batter and dairy-free toasted coconut are also available.

In the heart of downtown Franklin, stop in at Kilwins for a tasty treat. The shop is full of nostalgia and the smell of waffle cone. Stroll up to the counter to see more than 75 flavors available for a cone, cup or milkshake. Once you choose your favorite ice cream concoction, enjoy the local shops that line the historic Main Street.

Have you ever ordered ice cream from a trolley before? In Rock Island, you can. A great stop after hiking in Rock Island State Park, the Rock Island Trolley Stop serves specialty shakes and sundaes, ice cream by the cone or cup including waffle cones or waffle bowls, banana splits, Boba smoothies and specialty sundaes like the apple fritter sundae or s'mores sundae - a Belgian waffle topped with sugar pearls, toasted marshmallows, rocky road ice cream, whipped cream and smothered in Hershey's chocolate syrup. Order a Freak Shake, giant milkshakes covered in toppings, like the Sheriff's in Town which comes with a white chocolate sheriff's badge and features coffee ice cream.

Over 20 ice cream flavors are made in small batches with high quality ingredients at Nash Family Creamery in Chapel Hill. Southern pecan, fairground caramel corn, chocolate brownie batter, cotton candy crunch and blueberry cheesecake are just some of the flavors you can order. Try the Bushhog Special - two flavors of ice cream of your choice, topped with a topping of your choice and whipped cream. The Cow Trough is a photo-worthy sundae featuring seven scoops of your favorite flavor ice cream, four house baked cookies, topped with hot fudge, marshmallow topping and whipped cream. You can also order a specialty grilled cheese or one of their cinnamon rolls, cheesecakes or cobbler.

Homemade syrups and fresh-made waffle cones enhance your ice cream experience at A. Schwab on Beale Street. This store has been opened since 1876. Here, you'll see an authentic mercantile. Before you leave, enjoy a malt, milkshake, phosphate soda and more.

Local shop The Levee Coffee & Creamery is a must-visit when in Collierville. You can order scooped ice cream, choosing unique flavors like fruit loop, vanilla cotton cream, sweet chair, rocky road and caramel cashew among others. Get a soft serve ice cream in a homemade waffle cone, a milkshake, Electric Fence (ice cream with espresso), affogato or the Avalanche that includes soft serve with a number of toppings.

You can find Sweet Jordan's in downtown Paris serving specialty coffee, pastries, sandwiches and ice cream. Get your scoops served on a waffle cone, small or large bowl. You can also order a half gallon of your favorite flavor. The shop is owned by Jordan, an individual with Downs Syndrome. He employs individuals with disabilities to show everyone has something positive to contribute to the community.

You'll want to try the burgers, macaroni and cheese and hot wings at The Grind Mac and Cheese Burger Bar, but save room for dessert. One look at the Over-the-Top milkshakes coming out of the kitchen will make you want one. These creations are smothered with toppings, the rims of the glass covered in icing and sprinkles, cookie dough, M&Ms and more. There are shakes with a toasted marshmallow or cotton candy, cookies or brownies on top. For example, the Churro Champion is a cinnamon bun milkshake, rimmed with Cinnamon Toast Crunch and topped with a churro, whipped cream, caramel syrup, a dash of cinnamon and a cherry while the Chocolate Freak Shake is a chocolate milkshake rimmed with Coco Pebbles and topped with a chocolate ice cream treat, whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, chocolate syrup and a cherry. 

Check out more Tennessee bakeries and cafes that offer sweet treats.

In Brooks Shaw's Old Country Store in Casey Jones Village in Jackson, there is a recreated 1890's Ice Cream Parlor & Fudge Shoppe. The parlor serves up delicious frozen treats like praline pecan, mint chocolate chip, vanilla and chocolate ice cream, milkshakes, sundaes, banana splits and more. Don't forget to buy some homemade, delicious fudge for the rest of your road trip.

Open all year long, Jerry's Snow Cones and Burger Shack in Cordova serves ice cream, snow cones and the snow cone supreme (a snow cone topped with a few layers of vanilla soft serve ice cream). Snow cone flavors abound with fun names like tigers blood, toxic waste, fuzzy navel, electric slide and candy crush. Classic flavors like root beer, raspberry, pink lemonade and blue raspberry are also on the menu. Chocolate dipped ice cream cones, banana splits, sundaes and soft serve ice cream in a cup or cone can be ordered, too. If you're hungry, Jerry's Snow Cones also has a hot food menu that includes their delicious burgers.