Dclemens1971, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
There is something about driving through Upstate New York on a summer afternoon and coming across an old ice cream stand that brings back memories. You see the sign from the road, pull into the parking lot, and join a line of people waiting for a cone. Some of those customers have been coming to the same place since they were children. Now they are bringing their grandchildren.
These stands became a familiar part of the Upstate landscape during the years when automobile travel opened up new opportunities for roadside businesses. Some grew out of family dairy farms, others began as small frozen custard shops, and still others combined ice cream with hot dogs, hamburgers and root beer. For teenagers, they often provided a first summer job. For families traveling to the Adirondacks, the Finger Lakes or the Catskills, a stop for ice cream became part of the vacation itself.
The following 25 establishments have histories extending back decades and continue to serve frozen desserts. We include ice cream parlors, frozen custard stands and drive-ins with genuine ice cream roots. The Hudson Valley is included in our broad definition of Upstate New York. This is not a ranking, and a business’s founding date does not necessarily mean it has operated in the same building ever since. Many of these places close during the winter, so check their seasonal schedules before heading out.
1. Boice Bros. Ice Cream – Kingston
Pratt and Harriet Boice established their dairy business in 1914, when the milk delivered to local families came from farms much closer to home than many of today’s dairy products. The family built a business that supplied Hudson Valley retailers and eventually offered frozen desserts at its Kingston retail shop, known as the Milk House. The founding date belongs to the dairy, not necessarily to the ice cream counter.
In 2014, the City of Kingston helped celebrate the dairy’s centennial with a waterfront event that included an attempt to create an enormous ice cream sundae. Today, the red building on O’Neil Street sells cones, shakes, ice cream cakes and its distinctive cow pies. Kingston centennial history and shop website.
2. Jumpin’ Jack’s Drive-In – Scotia
Jumpin’ Jack’s traces its beginnings to 1952, when its original Twin Freeze stand opened along the Mohawk River. That ice cream business was the starting point for a drive-in that eventually became one of Scotia’s best-known landmarks. The waterfront location helped make a visit feel like a summer outing rather than simply a stop for something to eat.
The seasonal business grew into a destination for burgers, fried clams and ice cream, with Collins Park and the river nearby. Its annual spring reopening is a local event in its own right: Northeast Public Radio reported on the start of its 74th season in March 2026. The original ice cream operation is an important part of that story. Drive-in website and WAMC history and reopening coverage.
3. Pied Piper – Old Forge
Located on Route 28 near Old Forge Pond and the Water Safari amusement park, the Pied Piper is an old-fashioned roadside stand associated with the Adirondack vacation tradition. Its history reaches back to the mid-20th century, although an exact founding year is difficult to establish from the available records.
Its walk-up windows serve soft and hard ice cream alongside burgers and other casual food. The location makes it particularly convenient for families who have spent the day on the Fulton Chain of Lakes or at the water park. It is a reminder that the Adirondacks’ summer attractions include some much smaller landmarks than the great hotels and mountain resorts. Old Forge visitor information.
4. Abbott’s Frozen Custard – Rochester
Arthur Abbott was already experimenting with frozen desserts while traveling with carnivals in 1902. In 1926, he established his Rochester stand near Charlotte Beach, where crowds visited the shores of Lake Ontario and the amusement attractions at Ontario Beach Park. Its location gave him a steady supply of summertime customers.
Abbott’s eventually expanded beyond its original Lake Avenue location, and the Drew family took over the business in the 1950s. Its distinctive frozen custard is still served at the historic Rochester location, which celebrated a century in business in 2026. The story provides a direct link between the era of lakeside amusement parks and modern Rochester. Company history and centennial coverage.
5. Bonomo’s Dari Creme – Clinton
Guy and Frances Bonomo opened a small roadside business on Route 5 in the Town of Kirkland in 1962. Originally called Dari Isle, it offered hot dogs and ice cream. The Bonomo family adopted the current name in 1983 and remodeled the stand several years later, retaining elements of the earlier design.
The family gradually broadened the food menu, but its frozen desserts remained central to the business. It makes hard ice cream and Italian ice on the premises, in addition to offering soft serve. For residents of the Utica and Clinton area, Bonomo’s represents the kind of family enterprise that grew along heavily traveled roads during the postwar years. Business history and Oneida County Tourism.
6. Anderson’s Frozen Custard – Town of Tonawanda
Carl and Greta Anderson actually began their frozen custard business in the Bronx in 1946. The couple returned to Western New York the following year and opened a shop on Kenmore Avenue. In 1953, they moved to a larger location on Sheridan Drive, where the parking lot could accommodate the increasing number of customers traveling by automobile.
That Sheridan Drive stand still operates, even as Anderson’s has developed into a regional restaurant chain. The menu eventually grew to include roast beef on weck, a Buffalo-area specialty, along with the original frozen dessert business. Few Upstate ice cream establishments so clearly illustrate the transition from neighborhood walk-up shops to automobile-oriented restaurants. Company history and University at Buffalo profile.
7. Tom Wahl’s – Avon
On March 19, 1955, Tom Wahl opened a small stand along Routes 5 and 20 in Avon. The original business sold homemade root beer and Twin Kiss ice cream cones. Hamburgers and other items came later, transforming the modest stand into a popular regional restaurant.
Tom Wahl’s eventually expanded to multiple locations, but the original Avon restaurant remains an important part of its identity. In 2023, it was added to New York State’s Historic Business Preservation Registry. Although many customers now associate the name with burgers, the little ice cream and root beer stand is where it all began. Company history and New York State Senate recognition.
8. Green Acres Drive-In – Dolgeville
Green Acres opened in 1956 on Route 29 near Dolgeville, where the same family has maintained the business for generations. Its location in the western foothills of the Adirondacks is characteristic of the roadside food businesses that developed during the middle of the 20th century.
The stand serves soft ice cream and rotating flavors along with a substantial food menu. Its owners have also participated in local festivals, school activities and community organizations, demonstrating how a small seasonal business can become deeply involved in the community that supports it. Green Acres generally operates from spring into fall. Drive-in website and history.
9. Del’s Roadside – Rhinebeck
The establishment known for decades as Del’s Dairy Creme dates to 1960. Situated on Route 9 north of the village of Rhinebeck, it was a familiar stop for travelers passing through Dutchess County. Its long history did not prevent changes in ownership, and the stand eventually underwent an extensive renovation.
New owner Van Lamprou became involved with the roadside business and a nearby dairy farm in the late 2010s. The restored Rhinebeck stand now operates as Del’s Roadside, serving ice cream produced through the company’s farm and creamery operation. The revival illustrates how historic roadside businesses can adapt while retaining their local identity. Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation and current website.
10. Purity Ice Cream – Ithaca
Leo and Sylvia Guentert established Purity Ice Cream in 1936, initially operating on First Street in Ithaca. Leo, a Cornell graduate with experience in the chocolate industry, set out to produce his own ice cream. In 1953, the growing business moved into a new building at Meadow and Cascadilla streets.
Purity remains at that location today, producing ice cream in small batches and serving customers in its scoop shop. Its history reflects Ithaca’s close connection with Cornell University and the region’s dairy industry. Unlike many seasonal stands, Purity operates throughout the year and offers a broader food menu alongside its frozen desserts. History Center in Tompkins County and shop website.
11. Moxie’s Ice Cream – Wynantskill
The roots of Moxie’s reach back to a dairy stand that existed in the 1930s. Mohamed and Geraldine Allie rented the business from Wagar Brothers Dairy in 1969 and bought it the following year. Their daughter Pamela Allie-Morrill grew up working there and eventually took over the operation in 2001.
Unlike stands that concentrate on two or three soft-serve flavors, Moxie’s developed a reputation for unusual homemade ice creams. Allie-Morrill’s international travels inspired some of the creations, while the colorful Blue Moon flavor became a signature of the business. The setting on Spring Avenue and the family’s long association with the stand make it a particularly distinctive part of Rensselaer County’s summer traditions. Times Union owner profile.
12. Martha’s Dandee Creme – Queensbury
After visiting Lake George in 1945, Martha Schoelermann persuaded her family to buy a former chicken farm in the area. Martha and her husband, Carlton Freiberger, developed a restaurant and ice cream business beginning in 1947. The opening of Storytown across Route 9 in 1954 brought a new generation of vacationing families to their doorstep.
The Lafontaine family bought the business in 1982, sold it to the Great Escape in 1999 and reacquired it in 2009. The giant rooster on the sign recalls Charlie, a rooster remembered from the property’s earlier days. Martha’s remains one of the most recognizable stops along the highway leading to Lake George. Business history.
13. The Snowman – Troy
For generations, residents of Lansingburgh have visited The Snowman on Fifth Avenue in Troy. Established in the early 1950s, the shop emerged during the same period when ice cream stands were spreading across the Capital Region. Its emphasis on making ice cream at the shop distinguished it from many businesses selling only commercially produced desserts.
Daley Hospitality Group took over the establishment in 2021 and continued the tradition of on-site ice cream production. The Snowman offers hard ice cream, sherbet and frozen yogurt and maintains a seasonal schedule. For a business located in an urban neighborhood rather than a vacation town, it has developed a remarkably enduring following. Shop history.
14. Jones’ Humdinger – Town of Chenango
Jones’ Humdinger opened in 1957 on Upper Front Street in the Binghamton area. The business is located in the Town of Chenango, rather than within the City of Binghamton itself. Its distinctive roadside building and ice cream cone decoration have made it recognizable to generations of motorists.
Steve Kallfelz took over in the 1990s, and longtime employee Alexandra Kelly became the owner in 2024. The stand continues to make hard ice cream and offer soft serve, cakes and other frozen desserts. Its reopening in early spring has long been a familiar sign that winter is coming to an end in the Southern Tier. Shop website and WNBF history.
15. King Kone – Elmira
King Kone has served the Elmira area since 1973. Located on College Avenue, the compact walk-up stand has the kind of sloping roof and roadside appearance associated with the ice cream shops that became familiar throughout America in the decades after World War II.
Its menu includes hard ice cream, soft serve, shakes and sundaes, with changing specialty flavors. The business has survived into a period when many of the old neighborhood ice cream stands have disappeared, demonstrating the enduring appeal of stopping at a small local shop rather than a national chain. King Kone website.
16. Polar Bear Homemade Ice Cream & More – North Franklin
Although frequently listed under Oneonta because of its proximity to the city, Polar Bear is located on Route 28 in North Franklin, Delaware County. Its ice cream tradition dates to 1949. The business is an example of an old rural frozen dessert establishment that developed into a more extensive roadside destination.
Regional tourism organizations describe a business that continues to produce ice cream using older batch equipment and offers food and bakery items as well. Its location between Oneonta and Franklin makes it a reminder of the small businesses that served travelers along the roads of the western Catskills. Delaware County tourism listing and Hanford Mills regional guide.
17. Curry Freeze – Rotterdam
Curry Freeze has been serving ice cream in Rotterdam for more than half a century. Its own history explains that the business was originally situated a short distance west of the current location. The stand moved into its present building on Curry Road in 1984.
The business makes hard ice cream, sherbet and Italian ice and also offers soft serve and ice cream cakes. The fact that it relocated rather than disappearing illustrates how some of these small enterprises have managed to survive changing neighborhoods and traffic patterns. Curry Freeze remains a familiar name to generations of Schenectady County residents. Shop history.
18. Donnelly’s Ice Cream – Harrietstown, near Saranac Lake
Donnelly’s began selling soft ice cream in 1953 at the family’s Crystal Spring Dairy. The small building housing the stand formerly served as a warming hut for the nearby Sky View ski hill. Its original ice cream machine became as much a part of the business’s identity as the farm itself.
Rather than offering an enormous selection of soft-serve flavors every day, Donnelly’s traditionally pairs the day’s featured flavor with vanilla. Customers return for different combinations throughout the summer. Its unusual connection to a former ski area makes it an especially interesting stop for anyone who appreciates Adirondack history. Historic Saranac Lake and Franklin County visitor information.
19. Dairyland – Sharon Springs
Built in 1963, Dairyland stands on U.S. Route 20 outside the historic resort village of Sharon Springs. That highway once carried long-distance travelers across central New York, and the stand grew out of the demand for convenient roadside refreshments during the era of automobile vacations.
Dairyland continues to offer ice cream and quick meals in a setting that recalls the classic American snack bar. Summer events have included live music and antique automobile gatherings, an appropriate connection to the road culture that helped create the business. New York State tourism listing.
20. Peter’s Polar Parlor – Fairmount
Peter DeVoria established the business that became Peter’s Polar Parlor in the late 1960s. His obituary gives 1967, while the current operators date the construction of the stand to 1969. The shop on Milton Avenue in Fairmount became a popular summertime destination in the western suburbs of Syracuse.
After several ownership changes, the Penizotto family acquired the parlor in 2023. The familiar location continues to offer soft serve, sundaes and ice cream cakes. Its history is also tied to two other Central New York stands, Big Dip and Sno-Top, which now share the same owners but retain their own individual names and locations. Shop history and founder’s obituary.
21. Kurver Kreme – Colonie
Kurver Kreme opened on Central Avenue in 1952, when the Albany suburbs were beginning a period of rapid expansion. The Meineker family acquired the business in 1981 and operated it for more than four decades. The stand remained a familiar sight amid the development of one of the Capital Region’s busiest commercial roads.
In 2025, David Hostig and Mark Wagner purchased the business, preserving its identity while beginning another chapter in its history. The stand continues to sell soft ice cream, shakes and sundaes. Its survival is particularly notable given how much the surrounding landscape has changed since the 1950s. Business history.
22. Fran-Ceil Custard – Blasdell
Fran-Ceil Custard opened in 1951 near the border of Blasdell and Lackawanna. The owners were brothers-in-law who named the stand for their wives, Frances and Celia. The business developed a following among families living in Buffalo’s Southtowns.
Owner Joe Dzialak, who worked at the stand for years before buying it in 2007, has continued its frozen custard tradition. The shop also preserves an old homemade sherbet recipe and serves rotating custard flavors during its seasonal operation. Its name alone is a little piece of local family history. Shop history and Visit Buffalo profile.
23. Big Dip – North Syracuse
The stand now known as Big Dip opened in 1955 as Mike’s Ice Cream Factory, established by John Schairer. Roy and Ruth Tillman purchased the business in 1968 and gave it the name that North Syracuse residents recognize today. Several subsequent owners continued to operate the roadside shop.
In 2021, the Penizotto family acquired Big Dip and maintained it as a neighborhood ice cream destination on North Main Street. Its brightly colored exterior and walk-up service recall the period when a small ice cream business could become a recognizable landmark along a village’s main thoroughfare. Shop history.
24. Sno-Top – Manlius
Sno-Top opened in 1957 in the village of Manlius. Vince Giordano began working there as a high school student and in 1974 purchased the business with his wife, Kathy. For the next 44 years, the couple operated the stand, which became a fixture near the village center.
Following another change of ownership in 2019, the Penizotto family purchased Sno-Top in 2023. The shop remains at its Fayette Street location. Its story is particularly representative of the local ice cream stand as a place where teenagers earn their first paychecks and sometimes discover a career that lasts a lifetime. Shop history.
25. Mountain Mist Ice Cream – Saranac Lake
Mountain Mist dates to 1951 and occupies a particularly scenic location on Lake Flower Avenue in Saranac Lake. The small waterside stand reflects the importance of summer recreation to a community often associated with its historic tuberculosis treatment facilities and winter sports traditions.
Today, customers can enjoy soft ice cream and other frozen desserts beside the water. Mountain Mist was included in Cornell Cooperative Extension’s 2026 Franklin County Ice Cream Trail, confirming its continuing place in the region’s summer business community. It is a fitting final stop on a tour of Upstate’s old ice cream stands. Regional tourism guide and Cornell Cooperative Extension.
For more on the places and foods that have made traveling through Upstate New York such a memorable experience, check out our articles on 25 of the Oldest Restaurants in Upstate New York Still Serving Customers, 25 Lost Restaurants Upstate New Yorkers Wish Were Still Open, 20 Foods That Were Invented in Upstate New York, 25 Upstate New York Roadside Attractions Worth Pulling Over For, and 12 Most Charming Main Streets in Upstate New York That Feel Like a Movie Set.
