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15 Best Milkshake and Ice Cream Shops at Virginia Beach

Summer comes with the fun, great weather to hit the beach, the buzz and smiles of everyone else savoring this time of the year, and of course, a good deal of heat. You adorn your gorgeous self in a light colorful dress or beachwear, a hat, and get the fun on until you’re sweating terribly from the heat in the afternoon. You can hit the beach and swim for a while, or, get something cold and frozen to cool you down. Yes, ice cream! I still haven’t found anything else to compare to that refreshing feeling when you take the first scoop of a cold cup of vanilla or strawberry on a hot summer afternoon. Or better yet, that first sip of a freezing milkshake when your body’s been heating up.

At Virginia Beach, you don’t have to ask twice about where to find some great ice cream or milkshake, whether it’s summer or not. There are numerous shops strung all over the city, at the oceanfront, in malls, along the boardwalk, and let’s just say, right where you are. All you have to do is choose which one will add to your great day in the city. They serve delicious soft-serve ice cream, scoops, sundaes, yummy milkshakes, and all of this in as many creative flavors as you can imagine. Some are hand-crafted, and the menu will leave you spoilt for choice. We have compiled the 15 best ice cream and milkshake shops in Virginia Beach for you to check out when you want to get your cool on!

Carvel

Located at the Birchwood Shopping Center along Virginia Beach Boulevard, Carvel is not just an ice cream joint. It is an experience bringing family and friends together over delicious, handmade ice cream creations. It is known for its creamy, light soft serve ice cream and custom cakes. Tom Carvel began selling ice cream in 1929 from a vending truck. That has now translated into several locations of fantastic ice cream shops in Virginia Beach.

It offers dine-in, takeaway, and delivery, so whether you want to sit down with friends as you watch the servers handcraft your pick, or grab a cup on the go, Carvel has you covered. Did I mention their gazillion flavors? Oreo-cookie, cherry vanilla, butter pecan, chocolate chip, cold brew coffee, coconut, and strawberry are just a few. Combine several and you just invented another great flavor. That’s part of the fun in ice cream, I guess. Try their classic sundae, dipped cones, or oreo rounders. Then get your family an ice cream cake because they’ll love it.

Practical Information

Address: 3746 Virginia Beach Blvd, Virginia Beach VA 23452

Call: + 1 757 486 7429

Open: 10 am to 9 pm Daily

Website:

The Sweet Spot

Since 2016, Sweet Spot has been serving delicious dessert treats. It is tucked right there between the Resort Beach and Vibe Creative District neighborhoods. It is an all-pink, chic affair here, with a lively but cool color décor to set the mood for a happy ice cream or milkshake afternoon with friends. You can savor your scoop or cone indoors, or have some takeaway on the go. Popular for their ‘explosive milkshakes’ handmade with real ice cream, you have to try one. They serve it in a mason jar, and you get to keep it and save $ 2 on your order when you bring it with you next time! Does a milkshake deal get any better?

The presentation and flavors are simply outstanding. Flavors include cheesecake, oreo madness, strawberry, and peanuts. The churro has a cinnamon sugar rim, churro ice cream, Nutella sauce, hot cinnamon rolls, and fresh churro. Order a fresh fruit smoothie or frozen blended coffee when you’ve had enough cream. But can you ever really have enough ice cream here?

They have igloos too, great private spaces for you and your date. Just make a reservation from Tuesday through Sunday, and show up on the set date ready for a cool, creamy, romantic date. The igloos can hold up to 8 guests and are perfect for an intimate family hangout as well. You get 105 minutes, a private waiter, a speaker for your music, and board games. Perfect. Sweet Spot accepts online orders as well.

Practical Information

Address: 1718 Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23464

Call: + 1 757 734 1212

Open:  Friday to sunday 1 pm to 10 pm

Website:

The Yard Milkshake Bar

Tasty specialty milkshakes! That’s just the beginning of the cool experience at the Yard. It was established in 2017 by the lovely couple, Logan and Chelsea Green as a unique dessert joint serving up handcrafted, creative milkshakes. It debuted on Shark Tank in 2019, and now has 23 operating locations across the United States. That tells you that this is a great place for sure. Hop onto the Yard experience and savor the mind-blowing milkshake creations.

Try the pumpkin patch, which is pumpkin ice cream with marshmallow drizzle, placed in a vanilla ice jar with candy pumpkins around the rim. Top that with an orange sugar pumpkin doughnut, whipped cream, and green sugar sprinkles, and you have a yummy delight to keep you coming back for more. They also sell cookie dough that is safe to eat raw, with no eggs and the flour is heat treated. Some of their creations don’t contain milk and gluten. These are marked on the menu. No worries then if you’ve got allergies. Other flavors include the old banana school split and salted caramel milkshake. The Yard has colorful merchandise as well, so you can grab a Yard T-shirt if you love the joint to rock in.

Practical Information

Address: 3229 Virginia Beach Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23452

Call: + 1 757 741 6003

Open: 12 pm to 9 pm Daily

Website:

Blue Cow Ice Cream Co.

It is conveniently located at the Cape Henry Plaza. After the hustle of shopping, stop by this amazing artisan ice cream joint for some ice-cold milkshakes. They spin their flavors daily, serving up classic creations. Their mission is to serve up smiles, one-hand crafted scoop at a time, and that’s exactly what they do. Blue Cow was first opened by Jason and Carolyn in Roanoke, Virginia in 2016. It is community-oriented, and the crew uses fresh milk and cream to craft new and creative scoop flavors for your liking.

The Blue Cow Patty has butterfingers, oreo, and bittersweet chocolate chips layered into dark chocolate ice cream. You can also order the brown butter pecan, with salted roasted pecans in brown butter ice cream. Vegan? Blue Cow has vegan ice creams too, such as the non-dairy rocky road with roasted almond and marshmallow chips.

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Practical Information

Address: 2817 Shore Drive Suite 111, Virginia Beach, VA 23451

Call: + 1 757 937 6698

Open: 12 pm to 9 pm Daily

Website:

Lolly’s Creamery

As they’ve put it, Lolly’s crew is about three things; joy, community, and generosity. Located in Loehmann’s Plaza, Lolly’s is one of the several fantastic ice cream joints in the lively Vibe Creative District. They serve constant and rotating flavors as well to keep the experience ever fresh, new, and exciting. Some of their classic flavors include the cookie monster, a local’s favorite made up of yummy cookies, cream, and chocolate chip cookie dough all in one scoop of sweetness.

If you’re looking for that sweet and salty flavor, try the crunchy munchy with brittle from pretzels and wafers. The blueberry lemon bar is a top pick as well, with sweet cream custard, blueberries, and housemade Meyer lemon bars. Strawberry, coffee, mint chocolate, vanilla, and double dark chocolate flavors fit the menu as well, so all you have to do is choose what fits your palate!

Practical Information

Address: 4000 Virginia Beach Boulevard, Virginia Beach, VA 23452

Call: + 1 757 330 1490

Open: Monday – Thursday 3 pm to 9 pm

            Friday – Sunday 12 pm to 9 pm

Website:

Ben & Jerry’s

You’ve had a great day at the beach and all you need to cream your afternoon is ice cream? Ben & Jerry’s is right there on the oceanfront on Atlantic Avenue, offering ice-cold scoops for dine-in, takeaway, and delivery. Ben and Jerry started serving up scoops in 1978, and this iconic Vermont-based ice cream shop is still serving sensational flavors to date. They have pints, scoops, party packs, and dough chunks.

Whether you want sundaes, shakes, or a scoop of ice cream, they have it all. Ice cream sundaes make just the right dessert and this spot has incredible flavors, including hot fudge, cookie, waffle cone, and banana split sundaes. The waffle cone sundae combines your favorite flavor of ice cream with hot fudge, whipped cream, and your preferred topping. They also have non-dairy flavors including the cold brew coffee fudge chip.

Practical Information

Address: 3220 Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23451

Call: + 1 757 422 0019

Open: 12 pm to 10 pm

Website:

Aqua S

Located at Hickman Place on General Booth Boulevard, Aqua S is all about delicious soft-serve ice cream with a touch of art. You can be sure that it tastes as good as it looks. The place has beautiful aesthetics, photo-worthy décor, an overall great vibe, and a picture-perfect look. They serve rotating ice cream flavors to keep you going back for more.

With over a hundred flavors to pick from, creatively crafted with bright colors and delicious toppings, you can hardly contain the wonder and excitement as you bite into your pick. Their one-of-a-kind signature ‘sea-salt’ soft serve ice cream is from Okinawa, Japan. They have mastered the art of contrast, realizing a sweet and creamy taste with a tinge of saltiness. Given, the creations at Aqua S have their unique flavor, and if you’re looking for such an experience, then this is a great pick.

Practical Information

Address: 2204 General Booth Boulevard, Virginia Beach, VA 23456

Call: + 1 757 563 8808

Open: 12 pm to 9 pm Daily

Website:

Gerald’s Ice Cream

Looking for smooth, creamy, freshly churned ice cream? Gerald’s specializes in creating flavors of ice cream that fit that and more. This joint is located at the Hilltop North Shopping Center, so whenever you’ve had your shopping done and need some rest over cool delights, hop in. They have over 30 ice cream flavors, and these are made fresh on-site, with no pre-made ingredients. Some of the flavors are seasonal, so check current flavors on their website.

House favorites include salted caramel and mint chocolate dip. The banana peanut butter with chocolate fudge flavor spells yum, and when you think you’ve had enough, the chocolate hazelnut with the mocha almond chip is already tempting your choices. Crown it all with homemade toppings and sprinkles to your suited liking. Gerald’s offers both dine-in and takeaway.

Practical Information

Address: 1612 Laskin Rd Suite 770, Virginia Beach, VA 23451

Call: + 1 757 417 7600

Open: Tuesday to Sunday 12 pm to 10 pm

Website:

Kohr Brothers Frozen Custard

Located at the oceanfront and in operation for 3 generations now, this family-run shop has maintained its customer appeal through the years and for good reason. The ‘Original Frozen Custard’ recipe curated by Archie Kohr in 1919 is the foundation of their low-fat and sugar delicacies, including shakes, smoothies, sundaes, and premium ice cream. The recipe ensures fewer levels of fat and sugar in the end product than what a typical ice cream creation has.

The treats are light and creamy with a silky texture. They offer single flavors or combinations of various real fruit and other delicious flavors including vanilla and chocolate. Their frozen dessert has a unique fresh twist to it, and each cup is suited for your taste. If you want some less sugar than the typical ice cream levels in your treat, Kohr is the perfect place to order one.

Practical Information

Address: 2204 Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23451

Call: + 1 757 491 9077

Open: 1 pm to 9 pm Daily

Website:

Kilwins

Kilwins is a delightful confectionary serving hand-crafted traditional treats less than a mile from the Virginia Beach boardwalk. They make it all right there at the store, and you can see the friendly staff hand-dip apples in their original caramel recipe developed by Don Kilwin. They also hand dip a variety of treats in their dark and white chocolate. Their ice cream is kosher certified, using only fresh milk and cream from family farms. Once you land at Kilwins, they get you some samples, then after your order and treat, sweets for takeaway!

You think the cool treat is over? No. Kilwins’ freshly squeezed fruit drinks are still up for grabs, and they come in a variety of flavors including lime, strawberry, orange, and lemon. Get your friends or family a custom gift box or basket, and trust me when I say that their chocolate platter is one of the top picks for good reason. It has fudge, caramels, oreo cookies, pretzels, Graham crackers, and truffles. It mainly offers takeaway and delivery.

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Practical Information

Address: 2420 Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23451

Call: + 1 757 937 1344

Open: 10 am to 10 pm Daily

Website:

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream

It is all about fresh homemade ice cream and milkshakes at Bruster’s. Bruce Reed, the founder began making ice cream the old-fashioned way with slow kettle processing in 1989. Now, the joint has at least 24 rotating flavors and over 150 handcrafted flavor recipes. From black cherry, caramel, and oreo to butter pecan and chocolate, just to mention a few, you’re spoilt for choice.

The slow kettle processing ensures that the ultimate Bruster’s taste is attained. Savor the thick, creamy, fresh ice cream creations served by friendly staff. They have artisan desserts, customized sundaes, ice-cold freezes, and crispy, tasty milkshakes. The orange sherbets, Italian ices, and sorbet freezes add to the already rich menu of delights. You can order ahead online for pickup.

Practical Information

Address: 4921 Virginia Beach Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23451

Call: + 1 757 499 4343

Open: 12 pm to 8 pm Daily

Website:

Hershey’s Ice Cream

Founded in 1894 by Jacob Hershey and his brothers, Hershey’s has been serving quality ice cream products at great pricing deals for years. Using wholesome ingredients such as fresh cream and condensed milk, and high-quality cocoa, the result is a rich, fresh taste. Their fruit flavors are from freshly picked frozen fruits, including almonds, pecans, and walnuts. They roast the nuts on-site, preserving their freshness and taste.

With over 125 years of experience, Hershey’s creations are made to perfection. Whether you want hand-dipped, soft-serve, or pre-packaged ice cream, there’s a variety of flavors to choose from in every instance. Try the Brookie dough blast, with chocolate chip cookies and brownie batter ice cream, and peanut butter, or the caramel cookie dough with creamy peanut butter ice cream with swirls of salty caramel and peanut butter dough. Take-away is available.

Practical Information

Address: 3420 Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23451

Call: + 1 888 240 1905

Open: Monday to Saturday 11 am to 12 am

            Sunday 11 am to 10 pm

Website:

Gilly’s Creamery

Located in Virginia Beach Farmers Market, Gilly’s is the haven for fresh homemade ice cream made daily. Just like their crew put it, everything here is ‘udderly delicious’, all pun intended. They use real milk sourced from local farms in its entire freshness. With a wide variety of flavors to choose from, including vanilla ( sweet cream with pure Madagascar bourbon vanilla and vanilla beans), butter pecan (vanilla ice cream with toasted buttered pecans and brown sugar), coconut, strawberries fresh from local farmers when in season, Gilly serves tasty treats from morning till evening.

They purchase their fresh chocolate pieces locally from the Royal Chocolate store in the Town Center. They have additional ice cream flavors regularly rotated to keep it going. Try their health bar, lavender, mocha java, green tea, or basil flavors. You can enjoy it all inside, or get some takeaway to feast on as you stroll through the afternoon.

Practical Information

Address: 3640 Dam Neck Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23453

Call: + 1 757 689 8817

Open: 10 am to 6 pm Daily

Website:

Cold Stone Creamery

This award-winning ice cream, milkshake, and smoothie joint has been doing it for 30 years! They have some of the freshest made-to-order ice cream creations and specialty cakes for your occasion. Their signature process is using a frozen granite stone to craft their treats, and they hand-craft it all at the store. Try the ‘ create your own creations’ option, and mash up your choice of candy, nuts, and fruits to personalize your ice cream experience.

With a wide variety of flavors to pick from, including chocolate, mint, coffee, and vanilla, there are so many ways to craft your ice cream so all you have to do is show up and have a go at it! Order their ice cream cookie sandwiches or cupcakes for that special afternoon chill hangout. The staff is friendly and service quick. Cold Stone Creamery won the Dayton Business Journal Reader’s Choice for Best Ice Cream in 2012, and Best Cold Treat in Union City. Services available include online ordering, take out, and delivery. Call in and order for pickup so you don’t have to wait long in line.

Practical Information

Address: 2077 Lynnhaven Pkwy Ste 104, Virginia Beach, VA 23456

Call: + 1 757 471 6400

Open: Sunday to Thursday 12 pm to 10 pm

            Friday & Saturday 11 am to 11 pm

Website:

Gelati Celesti Ice Cream

Gelati is located in the Shops at Hilltop. With 24 house favorites and more than 85 rotating flavors, you’re definitely in for a scrumptious treat. These are carefully hand-crafted to get the perfect portion combinations for just the right flavor. The ice cream is churned in small batches using special Italian equipment. The hand-crafting process may take longer but trust me, the final product is worth the wait. Flavors include rum raisin, oreo, cookie dough, vanilla from Madagascar, and strawberry.

If you’re a chocoholic like me, try the chocolate chocolate chip or chocolate decadence. Daily specials change regularly. They also offer ice cream sandwiches and made-to-order ice cream pies and cakes. When you’ve had your fill but you’re sure you’ll still want some more when you get home, order a quarter pint of ice cream and they’ll pack it for you with joy. You can dine in or drive through.

Practical information

Address: 754 First Colonial Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23451

Call: + 1 757 937 0471

Open: 12 pm to 10 pm Daily

Website: