Ice cream with a truly simple ingredient deck, consisting of bourbon ice cream, maple ice cream, and smoke maple ice cream swirled together in a perfect combination & complemented by praline pecans!
Best Places for Ice Cream
We surveyed twenty social media pages for recommendations to direct us to good ice cream. The response was overwhelming!
So Many Flavors! Yum Froyo & More, Dickinson, North Dakota (photo courtesy Facebook)
The Top Nine Best Places for Ice Cream Are…..
1. Dakota Drug Company, Stanley, North Dakota
Most people will agree that Dakota Drug Company has the most famous ice cream treat in the state! Ever heard of Whirl-A-Whip? Think vintage blizzard! The Whirl-A-Whip is a retro ice cream machine which was first manufactured in the 1930’s, and has quite a history. Original machines are very rare, with only two most often cited: this one in Stanley (they use hard ice cream, which was traditional) and one in Girard, Illinois (they begin with soft serve ice cream).
Watch this video from KXnet.com: The Only Known Original Whirla-Whip Machine is in North Dakota!
Also check out this interesting video: Destination Small Town Discovers Stanley, North Dakota Whirl-a-Whips!
Ice Cream Counter at Dakota Drug Company, Home of the Whirl-A-Whip! Stanley, North Dakota. (photo courtesy Facebook)
Whirl-A-Whip Flavors at Dakota Drug Company, Stanley, North Dakota (photo courtesy Facebook)
Whirl-A-Whip! A Tradition at Dakota Drug Company, Stanley, North Dakota (photo courtesy Facebook)
2. The Cold Stuff, Dickinson, North Dakota
The Cold Stuff is a food truck which sets up at various locations and events in the Dickinson area. As the owners put it, ” Our ice cream is hard serve, super premium (extra creamy) ‘cold stuff’ from Wisconsin. Come check us out!” The flavors are tremendously varied, and new ones continually rotate through! Keep up with the latest flavors, and locations, by monitoring their Facebook page The Cold Stuff, or receive cell phone texts with updates by texting ‘thecoldstuff’ to 94253. Their ice cream ROCKS! Really!!
Assorted Flavors of Premium Ice Cream! The Cold Stuff, Dickinson, North Dakota (photo courtesy Facebook)
Homemade Dairy Free Ice Cream! The Cold Stuff, Dickinson, North Dakota (photo courtesy Facebook)
The Cold Stuff Ice Cream Truck, Dickinson, North Dakota (photo courtesy Facebook)
3. Larsen Service Drug & Soda Fountain, Watford City, North Dakota
It was readily apparent that in the McKenzie County area a huge draw for ice cream treats is Larsen Service Drug & Soda Fountain in Watford City! The business has been vibrant in Watford City since 1952, and it’s family run. You can find a huge variety of merchandise there, along with medical prescriptions and supplies, but it’s the old fashioned soda fountain which is the fun attraction. Stop by for freshly brewed coffee every morning. This is a MUST place to go for ice cream!
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Homemade Waffle Cones! Larsen Service Drug and Soda Fountain, Watford City, North Dakota (photo courtesy Facebook)
Orange Ice Cream Treat! Larsen Service Drug & Soda Fountain, Watford City, North Dakota (photo courtesy Facebook)
A Homemade Wheat-Free Waffle Cone with Cookies and Cream Ice Cream, Larsen Service Drug & Soda Fountain, Watford City, North Dakota (photo courtesy Facebook)
4. Nutt-N-Better, Sidney, Montana
Nutt-N Better was the most highly recommended ice cream shop in the Sidney, Montana area. People answering the survey raved about the Blue Bunny Ice Cream products. It’s ‘the go-to place’ on a hot summer day in the Sunrise City!
Nutt-N-Better Ice Cream Shop, Sidney, Montana (photo courtesy Facebook)
5. Tioga Drug & The Soda Shoppe, Tioga, North Dakota
The Soda Shoppe is a new addition (the return of an old tradition!) to Tioga Drug, founded in 1953 and still locally owned. The Soda Shoppe opened July 1, 2019. When you stop there, ask about their Soda Shoppe rewards program. This cool retro hang out seems right out of the ’50’s!
The Soda Shoppe at Tioga Drug, Tioga, North Dakota. (photo courtesy Facebook)
6. Long X Trading Post Visitor Center, Watford City, North Dakota
While the Pioneer Museum of McKenzie County and the Long X Trading Post Visitor Center in Watford City are well known for their extensive display of artifacts and art, some miss the genuine hospitality of the place. And the ice cream! This is our favorite place for ice cream in the area! Not only is the ice cream delicious, but the people working there are gracious and knowledgable. They’ll become your friends! Go to this inviting building for a generous (big!) ice cream cone!
Ice Cream, Books, and Gift Items at the Long X Trading Post Visitor Center/Pioneer Museum of McKenzie County, Watford City, North Dakota
Long X Trading Post Visitor Center/Pioneer Museum of McKenzie County. Watford City, North Dakota. (photo courtesy Facebook)
7. Yum Froyo & More, Dickinson, North Dakota
Yum Froyo & More is a frozen yogurt shop which is locally owned. It’s a kid friendly space which offers frozen yogurt, soft serve ice cream, pizza, drinks, and more. Of special note is that Dairy Free options are available!
Frozen Yogurt and Ice Cream, Yum Froyo & More, Dickinson, North Dakota (photo courtesy Facebook)
So Many Flavors! Yum Froyo & More, Dickinson, North Dakota (photo courtesy Facebook)
8. Dairy Queen, Dickinson, North Dakota
What could be more classic for a summer ice cream treat than Dairy Queen! The Dairy Queen in Dickinson received very high praise, and every time we’ve stopped there the lines have been sizable. Dairy Queens are also located in Killdeer, Williston, and Sidney.
Dairy Queen! Dickinson, Killdeer, Williston, Sidney. (logo courtesy Facebook)
9. The Cup & Cake, Belfield, North Dakota
The Cup & Cake in Belfield was formerly known as The Cup. You’ll find specialty coffees, teas, lemonades, bakery items and wonderful ice cream! We’re excited about this place!
You’ll find specialty coffees, teas, lemonades, bakery items and wonderful ice cream at the Cup and Cake in Belfield, North Dakota.
Even More!
While the nine ice cream destinations listed above received the most recommendations, many others followed closely. Here’s the rest of the results!
- My Swirl Self Serve Frozen Yogurt Williston, North Dakota
- Nana Lils Cafe Killdeer, North Dakota
- Dairy Barn Dickinson, North Dakota
- Tasty Treats Parshall, North Dakota
- China Express New Town, North Dakota
- Dairy Queen Killdeer, North Dakota
- Culvers Williston, North Dakota
- Marquis De Mores Ice Cream Parlor Medora, North Dakota
- Wild Cow Coffee & Cream Watford City, North Dakota
- Dairy Queen Williston, North Dakota
- McDonald’s Sidney, Montana
- Dairy Queen Sidney, Montana
- Hatlee & Brae Medora, North Dakota
- Red Rooster Crosby, North Dakota
- Scoops Culbertson, Montana
- Trappers Kettle Belfield, North Dakota
- Paragon Bowl Dickinson, North Dakota
There’s no shortage of good places to get ice cream and full sumptuous meals. We recommend these eateries on your next visit to the Badlands. Just click.
Where’s Your Favorite Ice Cream Place?
There are many more places for good ice cream in western North Dakota and eastern Montana. Where do you go for an ice cream treat?
We recently hiked on a hot summer day, and ice cream would have been the perfect cool down. Check out our afternoon adventure here: Chimney Butte Gave Us More Than We Anticipated!
And on the subject of cooling off, this little known historic railway tunnel in North Dakota (the only one!) is very cool! Literally! Read about it here: Do You Dare Explore This Dark, Curved Tunnel?!
Ideas for us? If you’ve suggestions of sights we should see, places we should explore, people we should meet, let us know! Email us at: beautifulbadlandsnd@gmail.com
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