It is reported that nearly 90 percent of Americans love ice cream. If you and your family are in the majority, consider incorporating the cool confection into your next holiday.
Here are five sweet spots to consider:
1. Mount Rushmore, S.D. — Thomas Jefferson was a man of many talents. Among them? Ice cream making. At South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore, the memorial commemorates Thomas Jefferson’s legacy by serving vanilla ice cream based on his original recipe from 1780. You can taste for yourself at the park’s Memorial Ice Cream Shop. www.TravelSouthDakota.com; www.NPS.gov
2. Salt & Straw. Portland, Los Angeles and San Francisco. — Billed as “farm-to-cone ice cream,” the delectable and creative flavors regularly result in lines out the door as patrons debate their new favorite concoction. Launched by cousins Kim and Tyler Malek, the pair use local, sustainable and organic ingredients to deliver hand-made, small batches of Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero (a fan favorite), Meyer Lemon Buttermilk with Blueberries, Strawberry Cilantro Lime Cheesecake and Double Fold Singing Dog Vanilla. www.SaltandStraw.com
3. Velvet Ice Cream. Utica, Ohio. — Located on 20 picturesque acres in Licking County, Ohio, the Velvet Ice Cream Center at Ye Olde Mill hosts more than 150,000 visitors each year. A museum, musical entertainment, nature trails, an historic 1817 grist mill with a water wheel, a 19th century-style ice cream parlor and a children’s playground entice ice cream-loving families to this Midwestern sweet spot. www.VelvetIceCream.com
