What happens when you survey a bunch of moms about the Best Ice Cream in the Hudson Valley?

Let me tell you… Absolute craziness happens!!!!

The scenario went like this:

After reading a recent article about the Top Ice Cream places in Upstate NY,  I took to the streets, or better yet, many HV Facebook Moms’ groups and asked the experts (AKA- moms of the Hudson Valley):

“Which is the BEST ice cream shop in the Hudson Valley?”

And these are the responses I received…

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Things to Know before visiting a Hudson Valley Ice Cream Shop:

• Very few of these shops are open year-round. Confirm information with the individual websites and/or Social Media pages.
• The majority of Hudson Valley Ice Cream Shops on this list open seasonally. Some open as early as April and close late in the year (October).
• Some of the Hudson Valley Ice Cream Shops make small-batch ice cream and popular flavors usually sell out quickly.

The Best of Hudson Valley Ice Cream Shops

According to an article on HudsonValleyPost.com,

NewYorkUpstate.com ranked the top ice cream places in ‘Upstate New York. According to the article Bellvale Farms Creamery, in Warwick, NY, topped their list.

Do you agree????

The Ultimate List of Popular Hudson Valley Ice Cream Shops 

Topping our list with the most votes are:

• Holy Cow (Open year-round)
  Red Hook, NY
  Located on South Broadway, the 4.7 Star rating on Google reviews should convince you that this is the place to be. Customer reviews talk about the great selection of ice cream, both regular and soft serve and the friendly service. 

• Joe’s Dairy Bar and Grill (Open year-round)
  Hopewell Junction, NY
  Located on Route 82, Joe’s Dairy Bar is a place not only about the ice cream but also about the food. It’s a local favorite and people often rave about it! They offer dairy free options too.

• Bellvale Farms Creamery (Open April – October)
  Warwick, NY
  Located on Route 17A, Bellvale is the big winner in the local ice cream scene. With its 4.8 Star rating in Google reviews, people rave about the creamy and delicious ice cream.

• Moo Moo’s Creamery (Open Seasonally)
  Cold Spring, NY
  Located on West Street, this a local favorite in Putnam County. Patrons of Moo Moo’s often have to wait on line to have their ‘4.6 Star rating’ ice cream. All their flavors are homemade and the flavors are unique and delicious.

• Zoe’s Ice Cream Barn (Open year-round)
  Langrangeville, NY
  Located right on Route 55, Zoe’s Ice Cream not only offers delicious soft serve and a wide variety of regular ice cream, but they also have ice cream cakes, cider donuts and food for sale. They have vegan options.

The remaining Hudson Valley ice cream favorites (sorted by county):

Popular Hudson Valley ice cream shops in Westchester Co

• Village Creamery & Sweet Shop (Open year-round)
  Valhalla, NY
  Located on Broadway, patrons really love this little shop in Valhalla that offers unique flavors of ice cream and toppings, as well as, candy. 

• King Kone (Open seasonally)
  Katonah, NY
  Located on Route 100, King Kone sells ice cream and food in this cozy little shop. This is a great family place with umbrella-covered picnic tables and a small sandbox.

• The Blue Pig Ice Cream (Open Seasonally)
  Croton, NY
  Located on Maple Street, this popular ice cream place has homemade ice cream in unique flavors. They also offer vegan and gluten-free options. 

• Longford’s Own Made Ice Cream (Open year-round)
  Rye, NY & Larchmont, NY
  Longford’s is known for its delicious flavors and seasonal ice cream flavors and options. People rave about the variety of toppings. It may be small but it is mighty. 

• Scoop Shop
  Scarsdale, NY
  Located on Wilmot Road, this local favorite has yummy ice cream and options for people with nut allergies. In addition to ice cream, they also offer frozen yogurt in delicious flavors. 

• The Hudson Creamery (Open seasonally)
  Peekskill, NY
  Located right next to the Hudson River Front, this ice cream shop offers homemade ice cream in a variety of marvelous flavors. Enjoy your ice cream while enjoying the beautiful view. 

• Penny Lick Ice Cream Company (Open year-round)
  Hastings-on-Hudson, NY
  A penny lick was a small glass for serving ice cream, used in London, England, and elsewhere in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. This name is so appropriate for this Westchester County favorite.

• Seven Scoops (Open year-round)
  Shrub Oaks, NY
  Located on East Main Street in Shrub Oak, this shop is conveniently located and specializes in frozen custard and ice cream. People rave about the outstanding service and outside seating.

• La Fenice Gelateria (Open year-round)
  Rye, NY
  Located on Purdy Ave in Rye, this shop offers delicious crepes, gelato and a great variety of pastry options. And… don’t forget about the coffee.

• Ice Cream Social
  White Plains, NY
  Located on Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains, this newest addition to the Hudson Valley Ice Cream World is such a delight. Go visit them for a scoop of delicious dairy or non-dairy ice cream, a cup of coffee, or just a friendly hello!

• Sweet Treats by Teresa’s
  Tuckahoe, NY
  Located on Fisher Avenue, this spin off of a local favorite for 10 years has sprung up in Tuckahoe. More of an old-fashioned ice cream parlor , this wonderful place offers 20 ice flavors, as well as, 10 ice cream varieties. You can also find some baked goods, such as cannolis.

Popular Hudson Valley ice cream shops in Rockland Co

• Temptations Cafe (Open year-round)
  Nyack, NY
  Located on Main Street in Nyack, this shop is a great place for ice cream when you and/or the kiddies need a treat! And for those that are hungry, they also have a full menu.

• King Kone (Open Seasonally)
  Pearl River, NY
  Located on North Middletown Rd in Pearl River, this ‘Classic’ walk-up ice cream, stand is what Summers are made of! People love the delicious soft serve, custards, and milkshakes.

Popular Hudson Valley ice cream shops in Orange Co

• Cherry Top Dairy Bar (Open seasonally)
  Newburgh, NY
  Serving a variety of ice cream.

• Hudson’s Ice Cream
  Central Valley, NY
  Offering Old Fashioned, Dairy free, Nut free, Gluten free, Egg free, and Vegan. There is something for everyone!

• Family Farm Ice Cream (Open seasonally)
  Middletown, NY
  They have more than 50 flavors, including Soft Serve, Italian Ice, vegan-nondairy, Stuffed shakes, Sundaes, flurries, ice cream cakes, and more…

• Riverside Creamery (Open seasonally)
  Port Jervis, NY
  Located on Water Street in Port Jervis, this shop offers ice cream, milkshakes and much more. People rave about the sundaes and say that there are many milkshake flavors. All-natural, dairy-free, vegan options, too!

• Chester Ice Cream (Open year-round)
  Chester, NY
  Located in the Quickway Plaza, this shop offers delicious ice cream and generous portions. In addition, the ice cream is homemade and so are the waffle cones! The flavors are unique and rotate often.

• Trailside Treats Creamery (Open Seasonally)
  Goshen, NY
  Located on St. James Place, this ice cream shop that offers generous portions for a fair price. People mention that it is a little hidden, so make sure you use your GPS to find it easily.

• Quickway Twin Cone (Open seasonally)
  Bloomingburg, NY
  Located on RR 17K, this shop is a local favorite and it is not unusual to wait on line. Their ice cream and milkshakes are delicious and their portions are generous.

• Weir’s Ice Cream (Open seasonally)
  Salisbury Mills, NY
  Located on Route 94, people rave about their ice cream and say it’s the best around. They have so many different options: soft, hard, vegan, Italian ice, and even ice cream for dogs!

• The Dairy O (Open year-round)
  Westtown, NY
  Located on County Road 62, this shop offers great choices of flavors. Great tasting, smooth, creamy farm-fresh ice cream. It’s a local favorite!

• Mary Jane’s Dairy Barn (Open seasonally)
  Newburgh, NY
  Located on Route 9w, this ‘Classic’ ice cream stand is a local favorite and have many, many choices and flavors. In addition, they also have food on their menu.

Popular Hudson Valley ice cream shops in Putnam Co

• Scoops N More (Open seasonally)
  Carmel, NY
  Located on Gleneida Ave, this shop offers both soft serve and hard ice cream, as well as, food choices. With so many flavors to choose from, don’t be surprised if the line is long when you go.

• Carmel Creamery
  Carmel, NY
  Located on Towners Road, this shop offers homemade ice cream, hard ice cream, Dole fruit sorbet, Italian ice, liquor-infused ice cream, and non-dairy. Top them all off with an array of toppings.

• Moo Moo’s Creamery (Open seasonally)
  Cold Spring, NY
  Located on West Street, this a local favorite in Putnam County. Patrons of Moo Moo’s often have to wait on line to have their ‘4.6 Star rating’ ice cream. All their flavors are homemade and the flavors are unique and delicious.

• Homestyle Creamery (Open year-round)
  Cold Spring, NY
  Located on Main Street, this shop offers a variety of ice cream desserts, including Ice Cream Sundaes, cakes, pies, sandwiches and more… They also offer 10 rotating vegan ice cream options and vegan milk shakes.

Popular Hudson Valley ice cream in Dutchess Co

• Ally’s Ice CReam & Grill Cafe (Open year-round)
  Poughkeepsie, NY
  Located on Overlook Road, this cafe offers food, as well as ice cream. Outdoor seating and a playground are a bonus for those warm days. They offer ice cream flights and ice cream nachos! Win-Win

• Utterly Delicious (Open seasonally)
  Pleasant Valley, NY
  Located on Route 44, this shop offers a delicious variety of soft serve and hard ice creams. Patrons rave about the service and say the “utterly shakes” and “flavor bursts” are delicious!

• Beacon Creamery (Open seasonally)
  Beacon, NY
  Located right on Main Street, this little shop offers a wide variety of hard ice cream flavors and a selection of ’21 and over’ ice cream and shakes.

• East Fishkill Provisions (Ice cream offered seasonally)
  Hopewell Junction, NY
  Located on Old Hopewell Rd, Hopewell, this place is mainly known for its food. But don’t let that fool you, their custard ice cream is a big hit.

• Ron’s Ice Cream (Open seasonally)
  Beacon, NY
  Located on Fishkill Ave, this shop offers soft-serve ice cream in a variety of flavors. Patrons rave about the pineapple flavor and the banana caramel ice cream.

• The Chocolate Studio (Open year-round)
  Beacon, NY
  Located towards the end of Main Street in Beacon, NY, this shop serves vegan options of lots of sweet treats, in addition to, Moo Moo Creamery Ice Cream! Now thats a BIG PLUS in my book.

• Spoons Ice Cream & More (Open year-round)
  Poughkeepsie, NY
  Spoons Ice Cream is a boutique ice cream shop located in the Eastdale Village Town Center specializing in gourmet sundaes, colossal milkshakes and other sweet treats! 

• Village Creamery (Open seasonally)
  Wappingers Fall, NY
  Your neighborhood Ice Cream Stand!!! Soft serve & hard ice cream. Grill open daily, hot dogs,burgers & much more.

• Kelly’s Creamery (Open seasonally)
  Dover Plains, NY
  Superb ice cream, friendly staff, dog-friendly, and cute seating area are just some of the things that people love about Kelly’s. From Italian ices to milk shakes. Cookie sandwiches to floats. They have it ALL.

• Nana’s Ice Cream & Grill (Open seasonally)
  Hyde Park, NY
  Super good. Old fashioned style out door seating!  Great ice cream and shaved ice. There are plenty ice cream flavors to choose from, including lactose free.

• Fortunes (Open seasonally)
  Tivoli, NY
  Their ice cream is made from scratch in the shop using Hudson Valley dairy.

Popular Hudson Valley ice cream shops in Ulster Co

• The Jolly Cow (Open seasonally)
  Kingston, NY
  Located on Route 9W, this ‘Classic’ ice cream stand offers delicious soft-serve ice cream & amazing milkshakes. Their soft-serve flavors change, so be sure to visit often and taste as many as you can.

• The Frozen Caboose (Open seasonally)
  Highland, NY
  Located on Haviland Road, this shop is conveniently located next to the Walkway Over the Hudson State Park! Take a walk, run, bike ride and then head on over to enjoy delicious soft-serve and hard ice cream.

• Jane’s Ice Cream (Offered year-round)
  Kingston, NY
  Located on Wall St, this shop offers small-batch ice cream that is not only delicious but creamy. They not only offer ice cream here but they also supply ice cream for other local shops.

• Alleyway Ice Cream (Open seasonally)
  Saugerties, NY
  Located on Partition Street, this shop is definitely worth the visit. The home-made ice cream is delicious and so are their homemade waffle cones!

• Tantillo’s Farm Market (Open seasonally)
  Gardiner, NY
  Located on Route 208, this farm market offers delicious ice cream and wonderful donuts. Patrons rave about the treats and the view!

• Twistee Cone (Open seasonally)
  New Paltz, NY
  Located on Main Street, this ‘Classic’ ice cream stand offers a variety of soft-serve flavors that rotate often. Patrons rave that they are one of the only places that offer so many soft-serve flavors. A local favorite that also offers vegan options.

• Cherries Ice Cream (Open seasonally)
  Stone Ridge, NY
  Located on Route 209, this shop offers generous portions of ice cream and always offer wonderful service. They offer a menu of classic American food. A local favorite!

• Boice Bros Dairy (Open year-round)
  Kingston, NY
  Located on O’Neil Street, Boice Bros. Dairy is NY State’s oldest family-run dairy farm that takes pride in offering freshly made ice cream at the Milk House. They offer lactose-free and fat-free ice creams and the flavors change weekly.

• Nancy’s of Woodstock Artisanal Creamery (Open year-round)
  Woodstock, NY
  Located on Tinker Street, Nancy’s of Woodstock Artisanal Creamery is an ice cream shop and cafe. They specialize in homemade ice cream and delicious coffee drinks and pastries. Vegan options, pies and cakes too!

• The Original Mickey’s Igloo & Mickey’s Igloo 3 (Open seasonally)
  Kingston, NY & Saugerties, NY
  This is a fabulous place with many delicious choices of several different artisanal ice cream brands and other treats as well. They also offer vegan almond milk ice cream. They proudly serve premium soft serve and Perry’s premium hard ice cream, vegan ice cream and an assortment of fast foods.

Popular Hudson Valley Ice Cream Shops in Columbia Co

• Village Scoop (Open seasonally)
  Hillsdale, NY
  Located off route 23, this shop offers hand crafted ice cream in a variety of different flavors.

• Valley Harvest Ice Cream & Grill (Open year-round)
  Germantown, NY
  Located on Palatine Park Rd, this shop is a local favorite for both the ice cream and the food.

Popular Hudson Valley Ice Cream Shops in Greene Co

• Cutie’s Sweets and Treats (Open Seasonally)
  Cairo, NY
  Ice cream, sweet treats and more at this great shop.

• Lick’s I Scream (Open seasonally)
  Coxsackie, NY
  Located on Route 9W, this shop is a local favorite for patrons with dogs. They are known for their specialty sundaes and their chocolate sprinkles.

• Sweet Side Ice Cream (Open seasonally)
  Coxsackie, NY
  Located on Route 9W, This shop is popular and offers inside seating. Offering both hard and soft ice cream, there is plenty of variety to choose from.

Popular Hudson Valley Ice Cream Shops in Rensselaer Co

• Smile’s Soft Serve (Open seasonally)
  Nassau, NY
  Located on John Street, this shop is a favorite because of their great tasting ice cream, friendly staff and amazing sundaes.

Popular Hudson Valley Ice Cream Shops in Albany Co

• Emack & Bolio’s (Open year-round)
  Albany, NY
  Located on Delaware Ave, this shop offers a wonderful variety of flavors and creative options. They offer outside seating.

• Kurver Kreme (Open seasonally)
  Albany, NY
  Located on Central Avenue, this shop is a favorite of locals for his fast service, and good portions of ice cream.

Things I Learned while Researching these Hudson Valley ice cream shops:

When it comes to Hudson Valley ice cream shops, it’s hard to pick a favorite.

And the debate about the all-time favorite on Facebook and other social media platforms can go on and on… 

Whether you live in Westchester County or in Ulster County, your favorite shop may be down the road or in another county.

Take my advice: Try as many as you can. 

You never know, you might find a new favorite where you least expected to.

MORE THINGS TO DO IN THE HUDSON VALLEY YEAR-ROUND:

• POPULAR HUDSON VALLEY FARMERS MARKETS
• DAY TRIPS IN THE HUDSON VALLEY EVERYONE WILL LOVE
• HUDSON VALLEY FARMS FULL OF FRUIT TO PICK AND MORE…

Until the Next Adventure…

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