The Scoop: Popular places to get ice cream in the Beaver Valley

Scott Tady, Beaver County Times
·6 min read

Warm weather and ice cream make a perfect pair.

Fortunately, the Beaver Valley is blessed with wonderful ice cream stands ready to satisfy sweet tooths.

We're cone-fident you'll enjoy a trip to any of these independent ice cream sellers.

Bruster's Real Ice Cream has locations in Hopewell and Bridgewater, as well as a mobile food truck.
Bruster's Real Ice Cream has locations in Hopewell and Bridgewater, as well as a mobile food truck.

Punk's Ice Cream Shoppe

Route 65, Baden.

The scoop: Soft and hard ice cream cones, including flavors like Dreamsickle, maple and blueberry, plus ice cream sandwiches, milkshakes and much more are available at this quaint roadside stand with outdoor picnic table seating.

New this year: Waffle Cone Nachos and Strawberry Pretzel Parfait.

Hours: noon-10 p.m. daily.

A sample of the sweetness at Punk's Ice Cream Shoppe in Baden.
A sample of the sweetness at Punk's Ice Cream Shoppe in Baden.

Bruster's Real Ice Cream

2291 Brodhead Road, Hopewell Township, and 1525 Riverside Drive, Bridgewater.

The scoop: Bruster’s features 150 rotating flavors of premium, handcrafted ice cream, yogurt, Italian ice and sorbet. Starting with a proprietary, home-style mix delivered fresh from its dairy, certified ice cream makers in each shop craft at least 24 flavors every day. Online ordering and Door Dash are available.

New this year: Caramel Brownie Batter in May, Cookie Jar Crunch in July and Campfire S’mores in August, all created at the Hopewell store to be featured in the nationwide Bruster's chain headquartered in Bridgewater.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (changing to 11 p.m. June 1.)

The Southern Banana Pudding ice cream at Bruster's Real Ice Cream.
The Southern Banana Pudding ice cream at Bruster's Real Ice Cream.

Ice Cream Therapy

400 Merchant St., Ambridge.

The Scoop: High-stacked cones and cups, ice cream sandwiches, sundaes, Slush Puppies and shakes. Mix-in items range from chocolate and peanut butter chips to more imaginative items like Sour Patch Kids, Jolly Rogers, Nerds and Chips Ahoy.

New this year: Slush Puppies available with boba pearls

Hours: 3:30 to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 3-10 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Katie's Korner

801 Mercer Road, North Sewickley Township, and 600 Chippewa Town Center, Chippewa Township.

The scoop: Katie's two Beaver County locations sell 40 flavors of ice cream, including cones, ice cream sandwiches, sundaes, plus pecan balls. Online ordering is available, ready for pickup in 15 minutes. All online orders will be packaged in a container or dish with a lid for easy take home fun.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

The Hopewell Windmill

2142 Brodhead Road, Hopewell Township

The scoop: 28 flavors of soft serve including German chocolate cake, espresso, pina colada, amaretto, pumpkin, apple pie and creme de menthe. "Better than a Blizzard" is how this mini-golf and ice cream/snack shop touts its Snowstorms that come in two dozen flavors such as fudge brownie, Hawaiian, Snicker's and old-fashioned cherry. Pecan balls, floats and slushies are on the menu, too.

Back this year: Birthday parties with ice cream, mini golf and various other old-style games, plus a covered patio for rainy days. 

Hours: 3-10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Funnel Cake Explosion at The Windmill.
Funnel Cake Explosion at The Windmill.

Hank's Frozen Custard & Mexican Food

2210 Third Ave., Rochester Township

The Scoop: A Beaver County tradition since 1947, that divine pairing of ice cream and Mexican food brings lines of customers throughout the spring and summer. Soft serve custard is the sweet treat specialty, with flavors like chocolate cheesecake and S'mores. Flavor of The Days on Hank's website: Sunday, black raspberry; Monday, pistachio; Tuesday, orange pineapple and "mystery"; Wednesday, peanut butter; Thursday, banana; Friday, strawberry; Saturday, Dreamcicle. There's also Icees, sugar-free and dairy-free options. Outdoor seating available.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily subject to change depending on staffing.

Frozen custard and Mexican fare are the draws at Hank's, a Beaver County tradition for more than 75 years.
Frozen custard and Mexican fare are the draws at Hank's, a Beaver County tradition for more than 75 years.

R.J.T.'s Ice Cream

631 Lincoln Highway (Route 30), Independence Township.

The scoop: A 35-year soft-serve favorite also selling Hershey's ice cream near Raccoon Creek State Park.

Hours: Noon to 8:30 p.m. daily.

Witch Flavor?

588 Third St., Beaver.

The scoop: 16 daily flavors including creative names like Follow Yellow Brick Dough, Lemon Chillo, Grasshopper Pie, and Midnight Blackberry Cheesecake.

New flavors this year: Bee Sting, with vanilla pudding, graham crackers and a ribbon of hot honey swirls, and Caramel Cookie Jar with salted caramel ice cream with chocolate chip cookie chunks.

Hours: Noon to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Beginning on May 19, Sunday hours will be added, also noon to 9 p.m.

Judy's Jimmies

822 Darlington Road, Patterson Township.

The scoop: Selling the beloved Penn State Creamery ice cream and Oram's Donuts, this independent business, also known as JJ's, offers indoor seating. A recent menu of flavors included uniquely named ones like Teaberry, Happy Happy Joy Joy, Scholars Chip, Coffee Break, Alumni Swirl, Grilled Stickies, Keeney Beany and Bittersweet Mint. There's also ice cream novelties, Sno-Cream delights, turtle delights, hot dogs, chili dogs and nachos.

New this year: Strawberry Pretzel Delights.

Hours: 1:30 to 9 p.m. seven days a week. Beginning Memorial Day weekend, Friday and Saturday closing hours move to 10 p.m.

Judy's Jimmies in Patterson Township has plenty of ice cream treats like this.
Judy's Jimmies in Patterson Township has plenty of ice cream treats like this.

Barry's Ice Cream

105 W Line Ave, Ellwood City.

The scoop: More than 30 flavors, such as Pralines & Cream, Almond Joy, Butter Pecan and Vanilla Peanut Butter and Chocolate Marshmallow are offered by the family-owned ice cream shop, opened in 1993. There's also waffle nachos the last week of every month and Orams glazed donuts one Saturday per month.

New this year: Vegan chocolate.

Hours: Noon to 9 p.m. daily.

Windy Ridge Dairy

457 North Tower Road, Franklin Township.

The scoop: Cones and milkshakes are sold at this family-owned dairy farm that processes milk from its registered Jersey cows. Recent flavors include Cake Batter, Salted Caramel Truffle, Mint Chip Brownie, Pistachio, Chocolate Marshmallow, and of course, chocolate and vanilla. The ice cream cakes are popular, too.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Ice cream cakes are popular at Windy Ridge Dairy in Franklin Township.
Ice cream cakes are popular at Windy Ridge Dairy in Franklin Township.

Neff Haus Ice Cream

550 Main St., Harmony Borough.

The scoop: They make their own cookie dough and place big scoops of it atop super creamy vanilla soft serve at this quaint ice cream stand located in the historic Neff House built in 1807 for Harmonites. The most popular soft serve items are the Giant Buckeye Cookie and the Strawberry Pretzel Salad Cloud. Classic chocolate chip, brownie batter, sugar cookie birthday, peanut butter, and snickerdoodle are among the other two dozen flavors, with ingredients from local dairy farms.

Hours: 4-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; noon to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Hours change June 7 to noon-10 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.

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Scott Tady is the entertainment editor for The Beaver County Times and Ellwood City Ledger. Reach him at stady@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Indulge in pure sweetness at these Beaver Valley ice cream stands