email: roadarch@outlook.com

Ohio Ice Cream Stands

(hit "refresh" to get the most recent version of this page; click on photos for larger images)

Vargo's Drive-in
Norwalk, OH
Vargo's Drive-in was built in the 1950s. I don't know the original name. It became Vargo's in 1965. In addition to the ice cream stand, there is a mini golf course. For more, see this website. [map]

Drown's Dairy
Oak Harbor, OH
Drown's Dairy appears to be from the 1950s or 1960s. [map]

Sweet Shop
Doylestown, OH		 DG's Soft Cream
Curtice, OH
The Sweet Shop has been here since at least the 1960s. [map]

DG's Soft Cream features ice cream, fast food, and a giant cone. [map]

Dairy Freeze
Mount Sterling, OH
This Dairy Freeze building was built in 1942 in Columbus, OH. The neon sign is from 1952. In 1956, the building was moved here. The steel canopy, added in 1961, was built by a Louisville, KY bridge company. This was the company's "rock and roll" design. That company might also have produced the canopy for this former drive-in in North Wilkesboro, NC. As far as I know, this Dairy Freeze was not part of a chain. [map]

Gold Top Dairy Bar
Cincinnati, OH
The Gold Top Dairy Bar was built in 1968. The owner believes this was originally a Golden Point but the A-frame seems too narrow to me. I also don't know of any Golden Points that were built that late. [map]

Cooper's Twist and Shake
Eastlake, OH		 Young's Jersey Dairy
Yellow Springs, OH
Cooper's Twist and Shake opened here in the mid-1960s. [map]

Young's Jersey Dairy started in 1948 when Hap Young bought the 60-acre farm with the red barn (built in 1869). In 1958, his three sons started selling milk directly to the public. In 1960, they opened a retail store on the farm. The Golden Jersey Inn (restaurant) opened in 1998. The complex now includes a bakery, a gift shop, a petting zoo, wagon rides, tractor shows, a picnic area and miniature golf. They also have a very popular ice cream stand offering 35 flavors of homemade ice cream. For more, see this website. [map]

Honey Hut
Cleveland, OH		 Zip Dip
Cincinnati, OH
The Honey Hut opened in 1973. Their homemade ice cream is sweetened with honey rather than sugar. They now have three other locations in the Cleveland area. This sign was replaced around 2021 with a more modern one. [map]

The Zip Dip has been around since 1950. This is the original building and sign. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Dairy Land
Mansfield, OH
Dairy Land opened in 1947. [map]

Little Red Caboose [gone]
Marion, OH		 Dari-Creme
Portsmouth, OH
The Little Red Caboose was a caboose-shaped ice cream stand. The place also sold sandwiches. This photo is from 2010. The place was gone by 2018.

The Dari-Creme is an old-fashioned walk-up stand. The sign and fluorescent tubes on the building are lit at light. Does anyone know when this place first opened? [map]

Dixie Dairy Dreem
Moraine, OH
The Dixie Dairy Dreem opened here in the 1950s. By 2015, the building had a purple paint scheme. Both sign panels had been replaced. [map]

Tom's Ice Cream Bowl
Zanesville, OH
Tom's Ice Cream Bowl opened in 1948 as Jack Hemmer Ice Cream. It moved to this location in 1950. Around 1957, it was renamed Tom's Ice Cream Bowl. It has a great original interior with glazed brick walls, counter stools and small tables. Tom's makes about 600 gallons of ice cream per week. There is also a candy counter. [map]

Graeter's Ice Cream
Bexley, OH
Graeter's Ice Cream was established in Cincinnati in 1870. The company claims to be the oldest continuous ice cream maker in the country. There are 13 stores in Cincinnati, 10 in Columbus, one in Dayton, and four in Kentucky. Graeter's ice cream is also sold in grocery stores.

This location was originally a pharmacy in the 1910s. It became the Wentz Pharmacy in the 1920s and added an ice cream parlor. Wentz's closed in 1989 and Graeter's took over the space in 1991. The pharmacy's sign was adapted. For more, see this website. [map]

Aglamesis Brothers
Cincinnati, OH
The Aglamesis Brothers opened their first ice cream parlor in 1908. It was known as the Metropolitan. This location opened in 1913. The store still features the original marble, tile floors, and Tiffany lamps. They also produce their own candies. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

More Ohio:
Mary Coyle Ice Cream (Akron)
Dairy Treat (Edon)
Sweden Creme (Hamilton)
Dairy Corner (Newtown)
Dairy Hut (Pataskala)

Ohio
Drive-ins		 Ohio
Misc.		 Eateries Main Page