By Sofia Legaspi Dickens

Nothing says “summer” like an ice cream cone melting faster than you can eat it, or a perfectly blended milkshake with whipped cream and a cherry on top. Is your mouth watering yet? You’re in luck: ice cream shops abound in the Des Moines area. Here are some of our favorites:

BILLY’S ICE CREAM STORE
308 Nile Kinnick Drive S., Adel
billysicecreamstore.com 
If you’re seeking that true small-town feeling, Billy’s Ice Cream Store is where you’ll find it. The owner, Billy Nuzum, works the counter often and says she strives to make everyone feel like her best friend. Serving soft serve and hard scoop ice cream in bowls or cones, shakes, malts, sundaes, floats and slushes. Stop by for a quick meal with any of their sandwiches and hot food offerings, served until 7 p.m. Don’t worry — we won’t judge you if you have dessert first.

BLACK CAT ICE CREAM
2511 Cottage Grove Ave., Des Moines
blackcaticecream.com
In their new Drake neighborhood location, Black Cat Ice Cream serves up hand-crafted artisanal scoops. Their menu rotates with unique flavors like Brown Butter Cookie Dough, Cream Cheese Lemon Cake and Strawberry Lemonade Sorbet. The ice cream shop was named after Boo Bear, the owners’ black cat whose rough exterior could only be softened by ice cream. Having a bad day or want to make a good day even better? Black Cat Ice Cream can help with that!

HOME SWEET CONE
1188 S.E. University Ave., Waukee
homesweetcone.com 
One of the newest arrivals to the ice cream scene, Home Sweet Cone offers premium hard-scooped ice cream of all kinds. Ice cream is made right in the store’s kitchen using their state-of-the-art batch freezer, with only natural ingredients in their base mix. With 16 rotating flavors (and at least two dairy-free flavors at all times), there’s something for everyone at Home Sweet Cone.

OVER THE TOP
955 N.E. 56th St., Pleasant Hill
overthetopiowa.com
Award-winning homemade ice cream in more than 31 flavors, plus homemade waffle cones and bowls. Have a dietary restriction? No problem — Over the Top makes fresh non-dairy and vegan flavors weekly. Watch their production team create their ice cream right in the store. The monthly and seasonal flavor list is massive but includes Crazy Elvis, Cherry Amaretto and Lemon Cheesecake Crumble. Also serving ice cream cakes — yes, you can custom-order — and other novelty treats.

THE OUTSIDE SCOOP
2410 S.W. White Birch Drive, Ankeny
602 N. Jefferson Way, Indianola
outside-scoop.com
Locally owned and operated, The Outside Scoop has been creating artisan ice cream — small batch, from scratch — since 2010. Visit one of their stores or find one of their signature pink ice cream trucks roaming the metro to sample their mouth-watering flavors like Dutch Letter, Goat Cheese with Roasted Cherries and White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake. With over 100 rotating flavors, milkshakes, sundaes, floats, homemade toppings, cones and more, you’ll need to visit again and again.

VAN DEE’S ICE CREAM SHOPPE
5915 Merle Hay Road, Johnston
facebook.com/VanDeesIceCreamShoppe
A Johnston community staple since the 1950s, Van Dee’s has it all. Their soft-serve ice cream is the star of a dizzying menu of sundaes, malts, shakes, blitzes and their popular ice cream sandwiches, “Big Chippers.” Flavors include classics like chocolate and vanilla, as well as a rotating flavor of the week. Their kitchen also serves sandwiches, burgers, fries, walking tacos, onion rings, cheeseballs, corn dogs, slushes and other specialty treats.