Ann Arbor Ice Cream Tour
There are tons of great options for ice cream in the Ann Arbor area. We have finally made it to most of the reader recommended Ann Arbor Ice Cream spots. Check out our thoughts then chime in with your own favorites.
Go! Ice Cream
Hands down Ypsilanti’s Go! Ice Cream is our favorite local Ann Arbor ice cream spot. Fortunately they are open year round.
Go! handmakes their ice cream with fresh local ingredients. My daughter’s favorite is their Sweet Brown Butter. I am partial to their Mint Chocolate Chip – no green dye here. It has a nice earthy flavor from the fresh mint leaves. My husband loved the scotch ice cream they had for Father’s Day. A seasonal flavor we love is Blueberry and Lemon Curd. Each day they offer about 6 flavors of ice cream and sorbet.
I love that we’ve never had to wait in a long line – although there is almost always a short line. Limited seating is available at the counter or go through the hall to additional seating in a Washington St store front. Free parking is plentiful in nearby lots and on the street.
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Their shop is in an alley at 10 Washington St., just off Michigan Ave. why not stop for dinner at a nearby restaurant – Red Rock BBQ, Ypsi Alehouse, or Ma Lou’s (just pass on their delicious biscuit donuts if you want room for ice cream). Just a warning, they are closed Monday and Tuesday during the winter season.
Blank Slate Creamery
After years of saying we are going to try Blank Slate Creamery, my daughter and I finally tried their ice cream. We enjoyed their ice cream, but not as much as Go! Their big advantage is that they offer more varieties at a time.
Blank Slate Creamery has a wide variety of homemade flavors. My daughter and I decided to be indecisive and split a flight of 4 ice creams.
Blank Slate operates seasonally. They opened for the 2019 season on March 6. While Blank Slate is open daily, they don’t open until 2p on weekdays in the spring. They typically have a long line. It isn’t unusual to see the line wrapped down the block. Blank Slate’s address is 300 W. Liberty, Ann Arbor. Parking near Blank Slate can be a challenge. We had made a few unsuccessful attempts to visit after school and ended up at Washtenaw Dairy because we finally found a spot closer to there. On our visit, we had better luck by parking north of Blank Slate Creamery (across from the Y, although we then walked by many closer spots).
Washtenaw Dairy
Washtenaw Dairy is a very popular Ann Arbor ice cream destination – they also have a great selection of donuts. They are open year round. Washtenaw Dairy serves Stroh’s ice cream. On summer evenings it isn’t unusual for the line to be wrapped through the building, out the door, and nearly to the corner – especially when a couple of kids softball teams show up as we did the other night.
Their portions are typically generous and some outdoor benches are available. There is even a water fountain outside.
Washtenaw Dairy’s address is 602 S. Ashley St. There is a small lot across the street and street parking is also available.
Michigan Creamery
Michigan Creamery is on State Street in the campus area. They were formerly Stucchi’s Ice Cream. All of their ice cream is Michigan made. We used to visit many years ago when they were Stucchi’s. We stopped in for the first time since their name change recently.
All of their ice cream (and sorbet and frozen yogurt) is Michigan Made. I had a delicious seaside turtle pictured above. My daughter had strawberry cheesecake and my husband had lemon sorbet. In addition to hard pack, ice cream, they offer soft serve and handmade chocolates.
My daughter suggested ordering Junior size instead of small. A Junior is one scoop. A Small is two scoops. She ate all of her ice cream, but kept commenting how big it was. Also, it was well air-conditioned in Michigan Creamery – I was freezing by the time we finished eating our ice cream.
Michigan Creamery’s address is 302 S. State Street.
Cream and Crumb
Cream and Crumb is a new venture in Ypsilanti’s Depot Town from the owners of Cafe Ollie. They serve ice cream from Northville’s Guernsey Dairy.
They also offer a selection of pastries – many from Zingerman’s. It’s a great choice when some people want ice cream and others want pastries.
They offer a number of indoor tables and also offer coffee and tea. Cream and Crumb’s address is 44 E. Cross Street. They are open from 8a-9p daily except for Mondays when they are closed.
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Mickeys Dairy Twist
Mickey’s Dairy Twist is a Saline favorite. Mickey’s Dairy Twist is on Michigan Avenue just west of Downtown Saline. They are a walk up ice cream stand with tables available for guests. They operate seasonally and have not yet announced their 2018 opening date.
They handmade their own hard-pack ice cream and also sell soft-serve ice cream. On our visit, my husband enjoyed his cherry amaretto ice cream far more than I enjoyed my flurry. My daughter was at Disney World with her grandparents, so she didn’t get to offer her opinion.
Their address is 751 W. Michigan Ave, Saline.
Dairy Queen
Dairy Queen is always a favorite for a quick, less expensive ice cream. There are several Dairy Queen locations in the Ann Arbor area – Stadium Blvd, Packard Rd, Washtenaw Ave in Ypsilanti, Michigan Ave (in Ypsilanti or Saline), and Main St in Dexter..
Personally, I really like the Blizzards. However, I will often get a cone instead since they have significantly less calories.
Make sure to keep your eye out for their Free Cone Day in the spring. Most of the locations operate seasonally with opening in early March.
Ann Arbor Ice Cream Still to Try
We still want to try Kilwins Ice Cream. It received several reader recommendations (and my aunt and uncle in Florida rave about it). We have visited a few times over the years, but I am usually more tempted by the chocolate than the ice cream. While Kilwins is now a national chain, their roots are in northern Michigan. Kilwins Ann Arbor is at 107 E. Liberty.
Many readers rave about Dexter Creamery. They offer soft Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, Sorbet, and Gelato. They also have 12 flavors of amazing hand dipped Ice Cream and over 70 toppings. We definitely need to add Dexter Creamery to our list for this summer – maybe while doing a few playground reviews.
Other Options to Ann Arbor Ice Cream
Our tour is restricted to ice cream, so I have excluded those shops that don’t see ice cream. For example, we love Iorio’s Gelato (552 E. William St), but since gelato is not ice cream, I have not included them.
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Nice list. I did not even know about Go! In Ypsilanti – must try. I guess Zingerman’s creamery is gelato but also very nice on a hot day. Also, side note, Argus farm stop has fluffy bottom farms coming to serve frozen yogurt (but they call it an “ice cream social” so I’m not certain) every Saturday from 1-4 on their patio.
Yes, I purposely left off gelato & frozen yogurt. For gelato we like Iorio’s Gelateria on William (near Cottage Inn).
Anna – Just an FYI Dexter Creamery has soft Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, Sorbet, and Gelato. We also have 12 flavors of amazing hand dipped Ice Cream and over 70 toppings. You should stop in, we promise you’ll find many things you love.
Thanks! I’ve updated the list to include you. I don’t get to Dexter as much as I should. But, you are on our list – and we need to visit this spring/summer for playground reviews.