Ellen's Homemade Ice Cream offered advent calendars for sale this year, which feature 24 different flavors of ice cream. Here's what we got: 1. Pumpkin 2. Spiced Apple 3. Oreo 4. Black Raspberry 5. Chocolate Chip 6. Pink Panther (raspberry, orange zest & black currant) 7. Orange Cream 8. Dutch Chocolate 9. Mint Chocolate Chip 10. Banana Chocolate Chip 11. Maple Oatmeal Raisin 12. Lemon ZestivALL 13. Cotton Candy 14. Raspberry Chocolate Chip 15. Vanilla 16. Blueberry 17. Brownie de Leche 18. Bubble Gum 19. Raspberry Sherbet 20. Coconut 21. Butterscotch Cream Pie 22. Sugar Cookie Crumble 23. Eggnog 24. Peppermint

Coneflower Creamery is an award-winning shop that handmakes their ice cream in Omaha, Nebraska.

"Crafted with creativity and a love of real, local ingredients, our ice creams, waffle cones, and heck, even the sprinkles are made in our own kitchen. We put time, passion, and pure ingredients into our sweet delights, and the results are worth it! What we don’t make ourselves we bring in from the best shops sharing our passion for quality ingredients." "Our classic flavors include traditional flavors like Vanilla Bean, Cookies and Cream, Dark Chocolate, and Salted Caramel and a blend from our friends across the street at Archetype Coffee. We also pay homage to butterbrickle, first introduced in the 1920s by the Blackstone Hotel." There was a long line to enter the ice cream shop, so after waiting for quite some time, I was excited to finally see the inside and all the different options. It was worth it for Yelp’s #1 Ice Cream Shop in America (2023): Coneflower Creamery was honored as the top ice cream shop in the United States, based on customer reviews and ratings on Yelp. Their famous flavor is BLACKSTONE BUTTER BRICKLE - "One of our classics and most popular, Blackstone Butter Brickle, is based on the famous butter brickle ice cream created at the Blackstone hotel. Our version is loaded with housemade toffee that is covered in chocolate." The Blackstone Butter Brickle features house-made toffee coated in dark chocolate, mixed into a sweet cream ice cream base. This combination creates a delightful blend of sweetness, saltiness, and buttery goodness. Grade: A

Rainbow Cone has been a Chicago tradition for over 95 years.

"When Joe and his wife, Katherine, opened the first Rainbow Cone in 1926, their signature cone featured five delicious flavors. Chocolate, Strawberry, Palmer House, Pistachio, and Orange Sherbet were sliced (not scooped) into one smile-sparking cone. Little did Joe know, his creative combination of flavors would become a Chicago staple for decades and decades to come," reads the website.



I visited this institution and had to try the iconic cone. Small slabs of Chocolate, Strawberry, Palmer House, Pistachio, & Orange Sherbet. Palmer House ice cream is a flavor that consists of vanilla ice cream studded with maraschino cherries and walnuts. I don't think it gets much better. Variety, refreshing, delicious. Each layer brings a distinct texture and taste - from the creamy richness of chocolate to the bright, citrusy finish of the sherbet. Together, they create a playful, balanced bite that’s sweet, nutty, fruity, and refreshing all at once.



Grade: A

In Welch, one local ice cream shop combines frozen treats with coal mining history. Coal Town Creamery is a small shop housed in a historic former 76 gas station. "The service station was run by World War 2 veteran and two-time purple heart recipient, Ed Shepard. Shepard’s legacy has been memorialized with the entry room of the shop, letting future generations learn more about this local hero," according to WVVA. I was excited to visit on their first day of reopening for the season. I'm sure they were still working out some of the kinks and dealing with the recent flood, but you wouldn't know that from the ice cream. I enjoyed butter pecan and cashew, as well as chocolate peanut butter. They were certainly a bit difficult for the workers to scoop, but softened my the time they hit my palate. I believe they use Velvet brand ice cream, which is a little unique. But just as good. Grade: A

Leopold’s Ice Cream was founded in 1919 by three brothers from Greece. They learned the art of candy and dessert making from an uncle who had already settled in America. George, Peter and Basil Leopold perfected their secret formulas and created the now world famous Leopold’s Ice Cream in Savannah, Georgia, reads the website.



Leopold’s Ice Cream is a downtown Savannah landmark, and features the original black marble soda fountain, wooden back bar, and telephone booth. But the main draw is the premium ice cream.



Tutti frutti is their most popular flavor - rum ice cream with candied fruit and fresh roasted Georgia pecans. The Original since 1919!



Butter pecan is another favorite, though, and features roasted George pecans. So that was my choice. And after waiting about a half hour, I was ready to dig in.



Very smooth, very creamy. And butter pecan is one of my favorite flavors because it adds a little texture, plus some salty to go along with the sweet.



Have you been?



Grade: A

Crafts of Coal has expanded beyond their humble beginnings. The ice cream shop has opened up several locations, with the newest being in Sissonville. The building has a walk-up window and lounge chairs on the porch - but no inside dining. The flavors are a fun combo of classics and unique. I ordered the Country Roads Cookie Jar, which had both m&ms and cookie dough. I enjoyed the cookie dough bits, but I think the m&ms were just a bit too much for my personal preference. But I'd gladly go back to try all the other flavors! Grade: B