CREAMY WHIP TUESDAY: ICE BOX DAIRY BAR

Tucked away near the Indiana border along the Great Miami River is a hamlet of 18 square miles known as Hooven. This rural river town may only have 534 residents, but it advertises its big pride and joy for miles around: Ice Box Dairy Bar. You'll see signs for it as soon as you exit from I-74 with its signature blue and white cone. A journey from the highway, there are plenty more giant cone indicators along the route to make sure you don't pass by this creamy delight.

A modern-looking establishment which sits back off the road behind Kroger, Ice Box has been around for a few years and brings with it the modern amenities of a newer creamy whip. An easy drive thru with full menu lets you grab some sweets without even leaving your car -- I've heard this is ideal for families with small children (or pretty much anyone on a sweltering summer day). There are plenty of clean picnic tables to eat at under the shaded awning, complete with ceiling fans. In addition, there is a giant bouncy castle (for kids) and a giant car wash (for adults). That's right, you can get your ice cream and hose down your car in one stop!

 

Although, my favorite detail may have been the portaloos, designated with "His and Hers" ice cream cones.
 

While there is plenty to choose from on the menu, everything is well organized and easy to read. I opted for a Nutella and strawberry flurry with buckeyes mixed in. Yep, you can get more than one topping mixed into your ice cream. It was mmmm-mazing!

Traditional treats include soft serve cones, which are offered in 18 flavors ranging from black cherry and mocha cappuccino, to butter pecan or pineapple. There are also nearly 30 toppings you can add to your cone or milkshake, such as rainbow sprinkles, fruit, or candies. You can even get a slushie and add ice cream to it!

Look at the size of those sundaes and cones!

In addition to soft serve, Ice Box cooks up food for a quick bite. Cheese conies, BLT sandwiches, fried pickles, soft pretzels, and patty melt cheeseburgers are just some of the savory items on the menu, perfect if you're visiting hungry or with a person who doesn't like sweets.

It may be a far drive for some to reach Hooven and Ice Box, but it's totally worth the miles. I'll be back again this summer.


Ice Box Dairy Bar is located at:
4141 Ohio 128, Cleves, OH 45002

Greenhills Creamy Whip is located at
15 Eswin Street, Greenhills, Ohio 45218 - See more at: http://www.cincywhimsy.com/2013/07/creamy-whip-tuesday-greenhills-creamy.html#sthash.tuxzUpMv.dpuf

Greenhills Creamy Whip is located at
15 Eswin Street, Greenhills, Ohio 45218 - See more at: http://www.cincywhimsy.com/2013/07/creamy-whip-tuesday-greenhills-creamy.html#sthash.tuxzUpMv.dpufIve

CREAMY WHIP TUESDAY: HOLD THE NUTS!

Any place with a clever name gets people to stop by, which is exactly what drew me to Hold The Nuts! on a recent trip to Silverton. A walk-up, hole-in-the-wall creamy whip, Hold The Nuts! is located next to Italianette Pizza and run by the same folks. As I approached the window, a sign read: "To order ice cream, go to the Italianette." The clerk inside the restaurant called for the manager, who met me back over at the Hold The Nuts! window. Odd, but that's the charm of a small town ice creamery.

I kept it simple and went with a peanut butter dip top . I was handed a huge cone that only cost $2.00. Elsewhere, I've paid $2.75 or more. They also had Flavor Bursts, slushies with ice cream, and a large selection of shakes and Frost Bites (their version of a Dairy Queen Blizzard.) An ordinary but fun specialty is their selection of giant freeze popsicles, the kind in the long tube everyone enjoyed during childhood on a hot summer day.

Hold The Nuts! is located at:
6918 Plainfield Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236

CREAMY WHIP TUESDAY: BURGER'S ICE CREAM TROLLEY

On a winding, rural stretch of Route 32, I crossed the tracks to discover Burger's Ice Cream Trolley, a Newtown staple creating soft serve from a streetcar. Located at Burger's Farm, a family-owned garden center since 1904, the bright red venue certainly catches the eye along the country side. With a vast parking lot and scenic farm surroundings, the transit-themed creamy whip may be the most unique ice cream location visited all summer.

 

The menu is simple and can be read in the parking lot, preventing a clustered gathering at the trolley window. Burger's offers a few unique sundae options such as a Twinkie Sundae or the Haystacker: brownie topped with ice cream, marshmallow, and peanut butter cups. They also feature fruit slushes with ice cream, frozen bananas covered in chocolate and sprinkles, as well as soft serve cones with candy faces for the kids.  Another special feature are the parfaits, which include farm-fresh fruit layered with ice cream.

I opted for a Flavor Burst cone with Cincinnati's infamous "blue" flavored soft serve swirled with vanilla. My cone melted quicker than usual, but it was still pretty tasty. Next time, I'll opt for one of the treats served in a cup.

With many options to choo-choo-choose from, Burger's Ice Cream Trolley is too adorable to pass up when driving through the East Side.

Burger's Ice Cream Trolley is located at:
7849 Main Street, Cincinnati, OH 45244

CREAMY WHIP TUESDAY: JF DAIRY CORNER

Our most recent creamy whip journey was highly recommended by friend and CincyWhimsy reader Steph. Her favorite place to cool off is down the street from her home in Northside, yet off the beaten path from the area most visitors patronize. JF Dairy Corner is located on a triangular asphalt island at the intersection of Blue Rock and Colerain Avenue, just down the street from Queen City Cookies.

A true Mom-and-Pop ice creamery, my friend and I were greeted by owner Juan Figaro, the man who puts the JF in JF Dairy Corner. He and his wife, Yolanda, immigrated from the Dominican Republic in 1961, then opened up their creamy whip in August of 1980. Juan joked, "We decided to get into the ice cream business because we only have to work eight months out of the year."

While Juan takes customers' orders from the window, Yolanda concocts the sweet treats. In true creamy whip fashion, their glass window is plastered in hundreds of items, from sundaes and Slush Puppies to hot dogs and BBQ sandwiches. What they're known for, though, is 24 flavors of soft serve.

 

In a cone, milkshake, or a Slush Puppy float, any of these flavors can be mixed up however you'd like. I ordered a blueberry soft serve with rainbow sprinkles; my friend selected a black cherry cone.

Served up with a smile, Juan and Yolanda are as sweet as their ice cream. As Labor Day brings summer to a close, be sure to make a visit to this 33-year-old family affair, still run by the first generation.

JF Dairy Corner is located at:
1735 Blue Rock Street, Cincinnati, OH 45223

CREAMY WHIP TUESDAY: SCHNEIDER'S SWEET SHOP

Within walking distance of the attractions in the Bellevue Historic District, Schneider's Sweet Shop is a cool retreat located along the main drag on Fairfield Avenue. For you out-of-towners, that's the street off the 471 exit when you turn the opposite direction of Newport On The Levee. (That's right, there is more to see past The Party Source!)

Started in 1939 by Robert Schneider Sr., this family-owned business continues to use the original recipes for their ice cream. The have also and have concocted some creative new menu items, like the Ice Ball (sno-cones with ice cream filling.) If you haven't had an Ice Ball, I recommend coconut ice cream with tiger's blood ice. Or coffee ice cream with black raspberry ice. Or birthday cake ice cream with cotton candy ice. Mmmm.

Black Raspberry with Coffee, and Tiger's Blood with Coconut

Cotton Candy with Birthday Cake

Amaretto with Coffee

Rainbow sherbert and Rainbow Ice

Blue Raspberry with Sour Cherry

It's hard to pick a favorite; everything is good and the options are endless! Their sundaes are also a delicious mound of delight and the individual scoops of ice cream always overflow the cup. My tried-and-true go to item is the banana ice cream with hot fudge. It's all the best tastes of a sundae and perfect if you've just had a big meal.





Schneider's Sweet Shop is located at:
420 Fairfield Avenue, Bellevue, Kentucky 41073

CREAMY WHIP TUESDAY: DARI-CREST

"Hey! Do you want to go on a Dairy Quest?"

That's what I call this place, rather than by its given name. Who doesn't want to quest for ice cream?

Located about a mile down the road from Walmart in Fort Wright, Dari-Crest stands out at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Latonia Avenue with its pastel pink and purple exterior and hand-painted signage. This creamy whip looks like it has been around since the 1970s and serves up sundaes and all kinds of soft serve. There are about 50 different flavors to choose from pistachio to apple pie.

Add eyeballs or a face for an extra 5 cents each

 

My favorite is the ice cream slush: vanilla soft serve swirled inside an ice cold fruit slushie.  They also serve Hawaiian Ice with or without ice cream.

A 32oz Passion Fruit slushie with vanilla soft serve.

Strawberry Hawaiian Ice

Dari-Crest prefers cash, but is newly accepting credit cards. There is ample parking in the lot, as well as benches to sit and enjoy your treat.

With a creamy whip boasting an icon of an ice cream licking itself, Dari Quest is guaranteed goodness.

Dari-Crest is located at: 
3024 Madison Avenue, Covington, KY 41015