From soft serve to hard scoop, local ice cream shops, stands and parlors are dishing out a dazzling array of tantalizing treats that span well beyond 31 flavors. No matter what floats your boat — even if you’re dairy-free by necessity or by choice — you’ll be sure to find something that’s parfait for your palate when you dip into one of these area favorites.
Waylon’s Handcrafted
No truth in advertising laws are being violated at Waylon’s Handcrafted. As the shop’s name implies, everything, from the ice cream itself to the baked goods that get blended into signature flavors like Fudge Brownie, is lovingly made in-house, from scratch.
“Everything is handmade on site,” Owner-Operator Jenn Harmer says (although she notes she does occasionally use pre-made pretzels and Oreos for some treats). “When there is cinnamon roll ice cream, it comes from cinnamon rolls that are made from scratch; the brownies and cookies in the ice cream are all scratch made.”
Harmer launched Waylon’s, which is named after her son, in 2020, as a production kitchen, selling pints and custom creations off-site. The public scoop shop debuted last year and has been dishing out a rotating array of 15 to 20 varieties of hard scoop in classic and creative flavors, but it’s also Harmer’s spectacular ice cream sandwiches and cakes that keep guests coming back.
“I started it all by making ice cream sandwiches — they’ve become Waylon’s signature treat,” she says. “From there I moved on to the ice cream cakes. Our cakes are completely customizable because we are making all the ingredients.”
Harmer says the most popular sandwich features Cookie Monster ice cream, packed with an assortment of handmade cookie crumbles and fudge, and coated in blue sprinkles to resemble its namesake Muppet. Bestselling ice creams include Buckeye Fudge and Banana Oreo.
Harmer says she can’t decide what she likes better between her Fudge Brownie and Coffee flavors.
“I make everything the way I’d want to eat it,” she adds. “I always try to think of a way to make each flavor the most delicious I’d know how.”
3979 S. Main St., 937-545-7969, waylonshandcrafted.com
Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream
Fresh, seasonal tastes are among the main attractions at Handel’s Ice Cream.
“Our slogan, ‘made fresh daily,’ isn’t just a slogan. We truly make our ice cream in-house, every day,” says Green franchise Owner Miriah Valentic.
At 79 years old, the chain has 27 locations in Ohio, plus spots in 14 other states, but no matter where, the focus is on fun flavors made with the best ingredients.
“Banana flavors are made with real bananas; peach is made with real peaches,” Valentic says. “Every flavor can be enjoyed on its own or made into a milkshake, sundae or banana split.”
Popular scoops include Chocoholic Peanut Butter Ripple and Graham Central Station (one of Valentic’s favorites). Her husband, and co-franchisee, John, reaches for Key Lime Pie and the banana, caramel and brownie-fueled Monkey Business.
Regardless of what she’s savoring, Valentic says the greatest reward for filling cones and stuffing sandwiches is satisfied customers and a sated sweet tooth.
“The way that ice cream makes somebody’s day, I think that’s the most fun part,” she says. “People are just happy when they come get ice cream. We love being able to make someone’s day.”
3433 Massillon Road, 330-896-5655, handelsicecream.com/store/green
Dairy Queen Grill and Chill
At Dairy Queen Grill and Chill, there’s more to enjoy than just frozen desserts. Guests are greeted by a full fast-food menu of burgers, fries and treats — meaning you can start with a meal and finish with something sweet.
“My personal favorite is the Chicken Strip Basket with a Peanut Buster Parfait,” says Karl Warther, who owns the Green franchise, plus five others, with his brother and brother-in-law.
One of the oldest soft-serve chains in the country, Dairy Queen is famous for customer favorites like its Blizzards and DQ cakes.
“(DQ) has created generations of stories,” Warther says. “Whenever we talk to somebody in public and they ask what we do for a living, we always hear a childhood story about ‘my Dairy Queen.’”
Warther and his partners plan to eventually relocate the store out of its current location in Town Park Plaza and into a freestanding building, but in the meantime, he says he’s just happy to serve the community its frozen favorites.
“One of the reasons we got into DQ was to be in the treat business, where people come to celebrate, be happy and get a treat.”
1840 Town Park Blvd., 330-563-4224, dairyqueen.com
Pav’s Creamery
Pav’s Creamery has been run by the same family for four generations, starting when current Co-owner Nik Pappas’ grandfather bought his first ice cream stand from original Owner Robert Pavlik in 1978. Now Nik’s son Luca has joined the company. No one involved in the business is content to coast on past victories. Pav’s, instead, has respected a multigenerational tradition of quality while continually expanding, innovating and thinking outside the carton.
“I had no intentions of ever getting into the ice cream business,” Pappas says. “I was a hotelier for many years, worked overseas for 12 years and was happy doing that. Then I came home one summer and just kind of fell in love with it — so here I am 15 years later, and we have five stores now. It just kind of organically grew.”
Among the things that have fueled Pav’s growth are its adult milkshakes, which are frozen custard shakes spiked with liquor.
“We were the first ice cream shop in Ohio and the second one in America (the other one was in Las Vegas) to have to have a full-service liquor license,” Pappas says. “We have the same liquor license that a bar in Downtown Cleveland would have, so it gives us an opportunity to create different things that other ice cream shops can’t. Our adult milkshakes were a hit, and then we did adult push pops for the summer with sorbets.”
Pav’s is still kid-friendly, though. Last year, the shop recreated Willy Wonka’s golden ticket contest, offering anyone who came into the shop a gold scratch-off ticket. Five lucky winners received free ice cream for life.
Another way Pav’s is innovating is by taking its treats to the streets.
“When COVID happened, we went out and bought two old-fashioned ice cream trucks,” Pappas says. “(We thought), how could we survive as a business? Well, there’s always going to be weddings, there’s always going to be graduation parties, there’s always going to be neighborhood block parties — so we bought two trucks and that has just totally taken off. We do right around 25 to 30 events a week, so it’s kind of like a business within a business.”
Whether Pappas is slinging a signature Baklava Sundae or enjoying one of Pav’s 15-plus dairy-free options (he, ironically, is lactose intolerant), he says making the shop stand out is the goal.
“Our whole model is just to be different; we don’t want to be the same old ice cream shop. We’re just trying to do things that are fun, engaging and unique.”
3875 Massillon Road, 330-958-1589, pavscreamery.com
