30 Vintage Photos of Ice Cream Parlors to Melt Away the Summer Heat

Nothing beats the summer heat better than treating yourself to a nice ice cream delight. Whether it's a banana split, a soft-serve twist, or a good old-fashioned scoop on a waffle cone, nice cool ice cream is the ultimate complement to those warm summer nights. And while you can browse the frozen foods section at any local grocery store and find a plethora of ice cream flavors to take home, there's something special about gathering your family and friends together and meeting out for ice cream that makes the whole experience all the better. But it's been that way for quite some time ...

Following the prohibition of alcohol in 1920, people turned to soda and ice cream to attain a sugary fix. Enter: the ice cream parlor. Also known as "soda fountains" or "malt shops," ice cream parlors were *the* social gathering spots of the early to mid-1900s. Between 1920–1929, the consumption of ice cream grew by an estimated 40 percent, and by the end of the decade, there were over 100,000 ice cream parlors (located mainly in the back of drugstores) across the U.S. Talk about a quick come-up.

It's now been over 100 years since the great "boom" of the soda fountain, and while some of these relics of yesteryear are still open for a visit today, let's turn back the clock and take a look at 30 throwback photos of ice cream parlors.