This article is provided by Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau.
Ice cream shops are the perfect dessert stop for all who love a sweet treat. If you are in the Hershey/Harrisburg area or plan on visiting soon, make sure you hit up these ice cream shops for cones, sundaes, milkshakes and more.
Chill Glorious Ice Cream
16 South Rosanna Street, Hummelstown
Its hours are limited—mostly Saturday afternoons—but Studio Chill regulars know to make the stop to stock up on the organic and all-natural ice cream. The three-year-old artisan ice cream company headed by David Eberwein of Hershey recently opened a store front in Hummelstown. The ice cream is sold in six-ounce cups in wild flavors like Pumpkin Chai, Wild Lime Watermelon and Strawberry Jewel Buttermilk. Chill ice cream is made on the premises in small batches. The ingredients, everything from the milk sourced from a dairy in Farmington Maine to the brown eggs from Paul Sauder Eggs in Lititz, are organic. The shop also sells milkshakes, frozen mint lemonade and Space Cakes, which are two cookies sandwiched with Madagascar vanilla ice cream. Check Chill’s Facebook page for hours of operation.
Urban Churn
250 Reily Street, Harrisburg (available at Midtown Cinema)
This microcreamery is pumping out crazy, custom ice cream flavors. Take the Chocolate Covered Swanson, a chocolate covered bacon whiskey, or a chocolate Guinness ice cream. Owner Adam Brackbill is the mastermind behind Urban Churn. The inspiration for the ice cream start-up stems from Brackbill’s Juniata County family, who often makes homemade ice cream for family functions. He makes the ice cream six quarts at a time in electric churns using all-natural and organic ingredients. Right now, you can get scoops of Urban Churn ice cream for $3.50 a cup at Midtown Cinema in Harrisburg or punch in your custom orders online. Pretty soon, Brackbill plans to launch a monthly delivery service directly to customers’ doors.
Jigger Shop Ice Cream Parlor
202 Gettysburg Avenue, Mount Gretna
This creation is the Jigger Shop’s homage to Cafe Du Monde, a coffee shop in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Two-and-a-half scoops of French vanilla ice cream are topped with chocolate sauce, coffee essence, two beignet doughnuts, powdered sugar, whipped cream and a cherry. Jigger Shop owner Drew Allwein wouldn’t spill the beans behind the details of coffee essence, only revealing: “it’s a strong coffee flavor imparted on the sundae.” As for the doughnuts, they are made in house via an automatic doughnut machine. Allwein said the doughnuts are more of a cake doughnut similar to a Pennsylvania Dutch fastnacht. Of course, the crowning touch is whipped cream, a cherry and an obscene dusting of powdered sugar. He instructs employees to “turn the cherry white, that way you know you have enough powdered sugar on there.” Signature Sundae: Beignet Sundae.
King Kone Creamery
182 Hershey Road, (Route 39), Hummelstown/Hershey
Bacon lovers, here’s one for you—the Gorilla Claw. The theme is gorillas at this fun, family-centric ice cream shop. Many of the ice cream creations play off of the theme. The Gorilla Claw is constructed from three scoops of salted caramel ice cream, one chopped chocolate brownie and lots of caramel drizzle. Then, there’s the piece de resistance—a sprinkling of warm bacon pieces. Oh, and let’s not forget, whipped cream and a cherry. Gorilla Split: This “Monkey” has 10 scoops of ice cream, 6 toppings, 2 bananas, a mountain of whipped cream and 4 cherries. Bet you can’t eat one! If you do, you will be photographed and entered in a special giveaway. “No sharing!!” What is all this monkey business? Signature Sundaes: Gorilla Claw & Gorilla Split.
Twistin’ Pig
31 Landings Drive, Annville
Built from soft-serve vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, chocolate rocks and malt. The name borrows from the many quarries in the area. So what about those chocolate rocks? They are basically a version of an M&M, candy-coated chocolates shaped like little rocks, said Amanda Beachler, an employee. We think they look pretty authentic. Signature Sundae: Quarry Sundae.
Phillip Arthur’s Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor
108 West Chocolate Avenue, Hershey
Arrive hungry. The Kitchen Sink is one whopper of a sundae: nine scoops of ice cream, six toppings, whipped cream and cherries, served with as many spoons as you like. Ordering it also comes with an extra bonus—your picture tacked to the restaurant’s wall of fame. Owner Phil Guarno said by the end of the summer an entire wall will be plastered with pictures of those who have tackled the sundae since the restaurant opened. Guarno said he borrowed the sundae from the Kitchen Sink ice cream shops his father used to operate in New Jersey. His dad’s name? Phillip Arthur. Signature Sundae: The Kitchen Sink.
Want to discover more of Harrisburg’s top spots? Visit our travel guide and make your research much easier!
- Chill Glorious Ice Cream varieties photo: Chill Glorious Ice Cream
- Urban Churn photo: Alexandra Whitney Photography
- Jigger Shop Ice Cream Parlor team member photo: Jigger Shop Ice Cream Parlor
- King Kone Creamery photo: King Kone Creamery
- Twistin' Pig photo: Twistin' Pig
- Phillip Arthur's photo: Phillip Arthur's
