Ice Cream Season

July is National Ice Cream Month, with the third Sunday officially dubbed National Ice Cream Day — but honestly, we’re celebrating all summer long. Whether you’re into a velvety scoop or a soft, swirly cone, here’s where we’re getting our chill on around the DMV:

FOR A SCOOP: Handcrafted, small-batch, flavor-packed. These spots are the scoop dreams of summer:

Blue Duck Tavern – Sophisticated scoops with seasonal standouts like Sweet Corn Ice Cream paired with Pickled Tart Cherry Compote and Caramelized Sunflower Seed Crunch. Or go old-school indulgent with the Root Beer Float Sundae, featuring Birch Ice Cream, NY Boylan Root Beer, Vanilla Salted Caramel, and Toffee Cake.

Captain Cookie & the Milk Man – Fresh baked cookies meet local dairy ice cream in sandwich form.

The Creamery – Try their Chocolate Covered Strawberry: a traditional strawberry base swirled with smooth dark chocolate. Available by the scoop or by the pint.

Cucina Morini – Their Affogato Sundae is a luxurious option: vanilla & pistachio gelati, espresso, marsala, and salted caramel sauce.

The Cumberland Valley Ice Cream Trail – A regional adventure with a digital passport to check in at ice cream shops and win prizes.

Dolci Gelati – Known for Italian-style gelato, unique flavors include Dubai chocolate and Kettle Corn Popcorn gelato.

NEW: Fossette Focacceria - The new menu of organic and handmade Gelato Festival gelato are now available in cups or cones with the choice of sprinkles, pistachio sauce, chocolate sauce, or topped with warm espresso as an affogato.

Gatsby – This retro-spot brings the nostalgia with summer-ready sweets like the Caramelized Banana Split stacked high with strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate ice cream, finished with caramel, fudge, whipped cream, and waffle cone crunch. Oh & there’s milkshakes.

Happy Ice Cream – From the minds behind Gemini Wine Shop, this spot pairs sourdough cones with handmade ice cream in flavors like Strawberry-Buttermilk with polenta crumble, and Yuzu with Frozen Labne.

Honeys & Friends – A cult-following for flavors like Banana Cream Pie and Creamy Fig. Don’t miss the cookies.

Ice Cream Jubilee – A local favorite for bold, fun flavors like Banana Bourbon Caramel, Blueberry Crisp, and Cookies & Cookie Dough.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams – A beloved scoop shop with multiple DMV locations. Don’t miss Wedding Cake, Root Beer Float & Toasted S’mores.

Joon – This Persian concept serves Saffron and Rose Water Ice Cream with rose water cookies.

Malai – Eggless, South Asian-inspired flavors with creamy texture and depth. Try Apricot Mace or Rose with Cinnamon Roasted Almonds.

Medium Rare - A nostalgic sundae, featuring a scoop of vanilla topped with warm hot fudge, a mountain of whipped cream, and rainbow sprinkles.

Omni Shoreham Hotel – Don’t miss their Scoop Social: an ice cream cart (plus jingle!) that makes daily rounds on property.

Pascual – Pastry chef Isabel Coss brings her ice cream expertise to this refined Mexican kitchen with a Chocolate Tamal topped with hoja santa ice cream and masa crumble. The earthy, anise-kissed hoja santa is sourced from local Karma and Chalet Farms grown especially for her to spotlight in this singular summer dessert.

Pitango Gelato – Every batch is made on-site at each location. Find 20 flavors, including 10 dedicated to dairy-free sorbets. Standouts include Sicilian Pistachio, Gianduja, and a raspberry sorbet.

Shuga x Ice – African-inspired frozen desserts like inventive combos like Tea + Bread and ChinChin + Cream.

Van Leeuwen – A NYC-born favorite now all over the DMV. Must-tries: Sicilian Pistachio or Vegan Peanut Butter Brownie Honeycomb.

FOR A SWIRL: Because nothing hits like soft serve when it’s 97 degrees and rising:

Dolcezza (H Street) – Known for their artisanal gelato, now also offering gelato-style soft serve at the H Street location. Try Black Sesame or Black & White Cookie Batter scoops or they now have Pistachio California and Vanilla soft serve either straight up or topped with fresh Strawberry Jam

Levain Bakery x Dolcezza – Pair Levain’s fan-favorite Rocky Road Cookie with a scoop of Dolcezza ice cream exclusively at DMV locations.

Love, Makoto – Known for their fast-casual Love on the Run, serving cool and creative soft serve like their Matcha Coconut or swirl in some vanilla with that

State Fair at The Roost – Known for its playful take on nostalgic treats, State Fair serves up over-the-top sundaes made with their housemade custards. Try the NotSoFogato, a blend of vanilla custard, toasted almonds, molasses cookie crumble, and espresso sauce. Or the Fairy Flossin’, vanilla custard layered with strawberry sauce, cookie dough pieces, cotton candy sprinkles, and a puff of cotton candy on top.

Yellow – You definitely want a taste of James Beard Award Winner Mike Rafidi’s soft-serve. Think Labne with pomegranate molasses and extra-virgin olive oil or the tahini oat with candied walnuts.

So whether you scoop or swirl, It’s cold, it's creamy, and it's calling your name.