From one to one hundred and every age in between – Ice cream feels like magic. Enjoy it after a game, before dinner, or just because, ice cream fits any occasion. We enjoy it all year round but especially when the days are warm. Dayton has quite a few amazing ice cream shops in and around the city all with varying quirks about them. Some specialize in soft serve while others showcase custard. Whatever you are in the mood for you are sure to find something delicious.
Here are our 10 best ice cream places in Dayton!
Young’s Jersey DairyÂ
Family Fun at Young’s: They are a working dairy farm with a restaurant that features the most delicious homemade ice cream, farmstead cheese, and more! Plan for a whole day of fun with miniature golf, a driving range, batting cages, and an animal petting area. You can even watch them milk the cows daily. They offer so many fun events throughout the year, too!
Location: 6880 Springfield-Xenia Rd Yellow Springs, OH 45387
Hours: Sunday – Thursday 11am-9pm, Friday & Saturday 11am-10pm
Jet Freeze
Their soft serve is definitely a must try with their claim to fame being that they are the only place in Dayton where you can get blue, blueberry, soft serve outside of King’s Island. If you have not tried blue ice cream here is your chance. It is amazing! This quaint little sweet treat spot has been a staple in families for generations and they continue to wow their customers with fun and unique flavors alongside the classics.Â
Location: 4014 E. Patterson Blvd., Beavercreek.
Hours: Monday – Sunday 12:00pm – 9:00pm
Ducky’s Snowballs and Ice Cream
Ducky’s has been a summertime tradition for families in Troy since 2015. Between Hershey’s ice cream, soft serve, milkshakes, malts, and snowballs – there is something for everyone to enjoy. And if you are looking for a delicious twist on a traditional snowball, flavored shaved ice, then look no further than Ducky’s for their Stuffed Snowballs. This unique treat blends flavored shaved ice with soft serve ice cream for an extraordinary combination of yum. It is the best! They even offer Jim’s Donuts with ice cream inside. For Ducky’s anything is possible.
Location: 100 W Market St, Troy, OH, United States, Ohio.
Hours: Thursday 3:00pm – 9:00pm, Friday 3:00pm – 10:00pm, Saturday 2:00pm – 10:00pm, Sunday 1:00pm – 9:00pm
Bellbrook’s Dairy Shed
Dairy Shed is located in the heart of downtown Bellbrook serving high quality amazing ice cream creations SINCE 1975! What started out in the 1970’s as a “garage turned ice cream shoppe” located in Bellbrook Plaza, has exploded into a favorite sweet spot passed down through the generations! A small place for neighbors and friends to gather. Loyal customers, grandparents, parents with young kids, and even our 4 legged dog customers, travel from all over the Dayton Area to discover the sprinkled treasure of Bellbrook’s sweet icon.
Location: 55 Bellbrook Plaza Bellbrook, Oh. 45305
Hours: Monday – Thursday 11:00am – 9:00pm, Friday & Saturday 11:00am – 9:30pm, Sunday 1:00pm – 9:00pm
RittersÂ
If you are not in the mood for ice cream or soft serve there is always their awesome cousin custard. One bite and you would have to agree that Ritter’s frozen custard is simply the best. And it is made fresh every single day. So cool! They are such a fun establishment for the family with their Worms N Dirt cups and other silly concoctions sure to make any little one, or grown up, happy! With two convenient locations in the Dayton area – Beavercreek and Kettering you can stop in anytime and enjoy a delicious treat.Â
Beavercreek: 2531 Dayton-Xenia Road
Hours: Everyday 11:00am – 9:00pm
Kettering: 2226 Wilmington Pike
Hours: Open 7 days a week! 9:00am – 10:00pm
The Root Beer Stande
The Root Beer Stande is the perfect stop. Not only do they serve up a tasty float with their house-made root beer, they also serve drive-up style food like foot-long hot dogs. Yum! You can even grab a delicious cone or cup of chocolate, vanilla or swirl ice cream for just $1.99. Then, customers can dip their sweet treats in chocolate, cherry or butterscotch for $1 more. They pride themselves on being Dayton’s favorite drive-in. Keep in mind they are seasonal and cash only.
Location: 1727 Woodman Drive Dayton, Ohio 45420
Hours: Monday 11:00am – 9:00pm, Tuesday – Saturday 11:00am – 8:00pm, Sunday 12:00pm – 8:00pmÂ
Kone Korner Ice cream and Deli
This family-run business has been serving up delicious treats since 1980. They carry a wide variety of lunch and dinner favorites, including the infamous coney dog, and of course endless options of desserts! They even serve their ice cream in pints and quarts to take home.Â
Location: 3709 St. Paris Pike, Springfield
Hours: Monday – Sunday 11:00am – 9:00pm
The Dairy Station
This local favorite is conveniently located right next to the bike trail in Xenia. They offer quite a few flavors and treats with gluten-free options available, too. Be sure to check out their Dole whip, which is gluten-free, and their twisted soft serve cones.Â
Location: 704 N. Detroit St., Xenia
Hours: Monday – Thursday 11:00am – 9:00pm, Friday & Saturday 11:00am – 10:00pm, Sunday 12:00pm – 9:00pm
The Sweet Retreat
Simon Wiley and Christopher Tobias are two lifelong Dayton residents who brought a little sunshine and sweetness to East Dayton by opening The Sweet Retreat. They opened in 2018 and now offer more than 34 soft serve flavors, milkshakes, slushies, cyclones, and more. There is definitely something for everyone in your family. Stop in for a sweet treat and take home a pint of their hand scooped flavors to enjoy later.Â
Location: 2613 S Smithville Dayton, OH 45420Â
Hours: Sunday – Thursday 2:00pm – 9:00pm, Friday & Saturday 2:00pm – 10:00pm
Ben and Jerry’s Dayton
A little known fact is that Dayton is home to an actual Ben and Jerry’s ice cream shop. They are conveniently located near the University of Dayton. So if you want to have your Ben & Jerry’s ice cream the way it was originally intended head over to their locally owned and operated Dayton shop and dig into any of their euphoric ice cream flavors. They even offer catering and will deliver that iconic ice cream right to your next party or event!
Location: 1934 Brown Street Dayton, OH 45409
Hours: Monday – Sunday 12:00pm – 10:00pm