CINCINNATI — With springtime quickly approaching, local soft-serve ice cream shops are starting to open their doors.
This is the season when Cincinnatians must grapple with a plethora of ice-creamy choices — go with the city's favorite hard-packed treats at Graeter's or UDF, or enjoy a seasonally available soft-serve cone?
In the end, if you're looking to get a scoop of your favorite soft serve ice cream but don't know where to go or who's open, check out our list of local shops below.
Our list contains the location and opening date for 19 ice cream spots:
Whipty-Do!
Whipty-Do opened its doors for the first time in May 2009 and since then, it's supplied soft-serve treats and plenty of sprinkles to go with it. The business has both a drive-thru and a walk-up window.
Location: 2529 US-22, Maineville, OH 45039
Opening Date: Opened Feb. 7
Zip Dip
Zip Dip offers traditional cones, frozen yogurt and more menu items.
Location: 4050 Drew Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45248
Opening Date: Opened March 1
Flub's Ice Cream
Flub's Dari-ette promises a little something for everyone. There are now locations in Fairfield and Ross as well. The Hamilton location opens March 1. Dates for the Fairfield and Ross locations should be announced soon.
Location: 981 Eaton Ave, Hamilton, OH 45013
Opening Date: Opened March 1
Dojo Gelato - Northside
The location serves the same popular flavors of handcrafted Italian-style ice creams, gelato soft serve and espresso beverages as its Findlay Market counterpart.
Location: 1735 Blue Rock Street, Cincinnati, OH 45223
Opening Date: April 3
Loveland Dairy Whip
This local soft-serve shop has dished out cool treats since 1965.
Location: 611 W Loveland Ave #2325, Loveland, OH 45140
Opening Date: Opened March 1
The Goody Shop
Folks can stop in to this local spot for a taste of soft-serve ice cream or enjoy heartier options, like homemade chili or BBQ pulled pork.
Location: 2009 Springdale Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45231
Opening Date: March 9
Silver Grove Dari Bar
The Dari Bar opened in this small Northern Kentucky river town in 1952. The soft-serve ice cream parlor opens on March 9.
Location: 5178 Mary Ingles Hwy, Silver Grove, KY 41085
Opening Date: March 9
Sprinkles Soft Serve & Tasty Treats
Sprinkles opened for the first time in 2020, but has been providing delicious treats to the Goshen area ever since. One fan of the season shop described its ice cream as "da bomb."
Location: 1861 Main St, Goshen, OH 45122
Opening Date: March 17
Mason Whippy Dip
This local shop is also in the process of planning to serve ice cream fans during the upcoming solar eclipse, so customers can watch the show with a cone in their hand.
Location: 127 E Main St, Mason, OH 45040
Opening Date: March 8
The Root Beer Stand
The Root Beer Stand opened as an A&W root beer stand in 1957 and remains a close-knit family operation today.
Location: 11566 Reading Rd, Sharonville, OH 45241
Opening Date: March 9
Gold Top Dairy Bar
The Gold Top Dairy Bar serves cones and other treats for the season. It opens in March.
Location: 2810 Blue Rock Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45239
Opening Date: Opening mid-March
Putz's Creamy Whip
A West Side tradition since 1938, the family-owned business offers a wide variety of summer staples.
Location: 2673 Putz Pl, Cincinnati, OH 45211
Opening Date: March 18
Don's Creamy Whip
Don Vonderhaar of Vonderhaar Catering opened his Creamy Whip in March 1976.
Location: 1522 Market St, Reading, OH 45215
Opening Date: April 1
The Cone
This West Chester staple has been voted Cincinnati's best soft serve ice cream — but fans will have to wait a bit longer, since it won't open until April.
Location: 6855 Tylersville Rd, West Chester Township, OH 45069
Opening Date: April 4
Mr. Gene's Dog House
This South Cumminsville ice cream shop serves soft-serve cones and sundaes, as well as hot dogs, sides and wings.
Location: 3703 Beekman St, Cincinnati, OH 45223
Opening Date: Opened Feb. 15
Pendleton Parlor
Nick Ganim opened Pendleton's first soft-serve ice cream parlor and edible cookie dough shop in late 2018. Ganim's family owns the Mt. Washington Creamy Whip & Bakery and Old Milford ice cream parlor. The Pendleton store is open year-round.
Location: 1218 Broadway, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Opening Date: Open now
Mt. Healthy Dairy Bar
Step back in time at this dairy bar, which serves ice cream through a walk-up window or a drive-thru one — in addition to other old fashioned treats like fair-style mini donuts.
Location: 7840 Hamilton Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45231
Opening Date: Opened Feb. 28
Bold Face Dairy Bar
Situated in the Incline District, Bold Face Dairy Bar was founded in 2018 by the Great and Harkins family to bring sweet treats to the area. It has not yet announced when it will reopen for the season.
Location: 801 Mt Hope Ave Suite B, Cincinnati, OH 45204
Opening Date: TBA
The Twist
The Twist has served ice cream in Liberty Township since 2011; A family-owned business, it supplies fans with their favorite treats from April through October each year — though this year, they're open a little earlier.
Location: 7813 Bethany Rd, Liberty Township, OH 45044
Opening Date: Opened March 3
Are we missing any creamy whips? Email us at newsdesk@wcpo.com
