As anyone who visits the Adirondacks knows, soft serve ice cream is where it’s at in the summertime. Many of these little one-room walk-up houses of deliciousness are only open Memorial Weekend through Labor Day Weekend, with few exceptions. This makes them truly the taste of summer. I also love that they offer limited flavors that change frequently.

Get the scoop on where we get our cones:

• Donnelly’s is so classic and so good. I love it. It’s seriously a roadside tiny building seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and yet strategically on the way to amazing paddling in the Saint Regis Canoe Area. They’re a cash-only business; follow the doctrine of only opening Memorial Day to Labor Day; they only offer one flavor (plus vanilla); and it’s a different flavor each day. All the more reason to stop every chance you get during their summer season. Expect to stand in line, but it’s so worth it! You’ll have to check the Donnelly’s Facebook page if you want to know the flavor schedule in advance. If there’s any left-over at the end of the day, they’ll put it into pints or quarts for sale in the freezer, along with fresh milk and farm eggs that are also for sale. Oh, and there’s not much place to sit, so everyone just stands around the parking lot and a grassy area by an old barn, and eats their ice cream there. It’s a communal experience. Here’s an example of a recent weekend soft serve line-up at Donnelly’s:

  • Friday, June 17: 5:00-9:00pm Strawberry twisted with Vanilla

  • Saturday, June 18: 11:00am-9:00pm Honey-Cinnamon twisted with Vanilla

  • Sunday, June 19: 11:00am-9:00pm Chocolate twisted with Vanilla

• Mountain Mist Custard is a slightly bigger operation. They have two locations and offer multiple flavors each day (whoa, big time!). Their season seems to last a little later than Donnelly’s which is awesome when you crave soft serve in mid-September. And they post on both Facebook and Instagram. While we typically go to the Lake Placid location since it’s about 2 blocks from our cottage, I also enjoy stopping at the Mountain Mist shop on Flower Lake in Saranac Lake, which offers burgers and hot dogs too. It’s hard to beat sitting out by the lake on a beautiful day with a cone! Bonus points for their picnic tables.

• The Pine Cone in Ray Brook is a super cute little soft serve shop. They’re located across the street from Tail o’ the Pup BBQ and down from the Ray Brook Brewhouse … smart location. Basically, if you eat at either of these two establishments for lunch or dinner, you should be getting a cone at the Pine Cone for either a pre-dinner palate cleanser and after-dinner chaser. I can’t find any social media or website for the Pine Cone, so you’ll just have to walk up and let yourself be surprised with their flavors of the day.