11 Unique Nebraska Ice Cream Shops You’ll Want To Seek Out

Who screams for ice cream? Hand scooped. Soft serve. Homemade. It’s all so delicious. And worth a road trip around Nebraska to enjoy unique and tasty frozen treats. Buckle in and maybe undo a belt notch or two and find out why Nebraska ice cream is for everyone.

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UPDATED: This post was first published in 2020 and has been updated with more stops in April 2024.

Ted and Wally’s

Location: Two locations in Omaha – the Old Market and Benson

Housed in former gas stations, Ted and Wally’s creates more than 3,000 flavors in their antique ice and rock salt ice cream maker. With flavors that change daily, order your homemade hand-scooped ice cream treats in a cone, cup, sundae, or as a malt.

Using ultra-premium 20 percent butterfat gives Ted and Wally’s ice cream that special taste that has made it one of the most-popular ice cream shops in Nebraska. On a warm summer day, it’s common to find people willing to stand in line for half an hour, waiting for the amazing ice cream, such as vanilla bean.

e-Creamery

Location: 5001 Underwood Ave., Omaha

Located in the Dundee neighborhood, e-Creamery’s lone ice cream parlor offers handmade ice cream and gelato. Created as an online delivery service, e-Creamery creates unique flavors that they believe fits its name, such as special flavors for Warren Buffett, each College World Series team, and other special events or people. You can even create your own flavor and give it a name.

The fun part of visiting the ice cream parlor is ordering a cone or cup and walking along Dundee’s classic neighborhood, taking in the sights, such as the large KFAB radio sign or the marker commemorating the time a Japanese bomb landed in Dundee during World War II. 

Coneflower Creamery

Location: 3921 Farnam St., Omaha

A farm-to-cone ice cream shop, Coneflower Creamery uses locally-sourced fresh resources to create impressive seasonal flavors as well as classics, such as vanilla bean and cookies and cream. Try their handmade butter brickle ice cream, which pays tribute to the flavor invented at the nearby Blackstone Hotel. Coneflower also offers vegan ice cream.

Located in the Blackstone District, Coneflower Creamery offers ice cream cones, cups, and ice cream sandwiches. Since the parlor is in a small building, take your order to go and enjoy the treat and some people watching as you stroll along Farnam Street.

Related post: Must-try ice cream shops in Omaha

Graley’s Creamery & Confection

Location: 147 N. Washington St., Papillion, Neb.

Graley’s Creamery & Confection in downtown Papillion has an old-timey vibe to it that lends to a unique atmosphere to the ice cream shop. Stools line the counter where you place your order.

Every so often, the shop tries a new Victorian ice cream flavor, so it makes sense to visit more than once. If you can’t decide on what to order, no problem. Graley’s offers ice cream flights of seven mini scoops.

UNL Dairy Store

Location: 114 Food Industry Complex, Lincoln, Neb.

Open since 1917, the UNL Dairy Store originally supplied dairy products for students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Its transitioned into a popular daily stop for locals and visitors, staffed by university food science students and offering handmade ice cream. The store also sells cheese.

Enjoy a cone at the store or take your treat to go and stroll around the complex area, taking in the sights of classic college buildings and the beauty of the tree-lined streets.

Ivanna Cone

Location: 701 P St., Lincoln, Neb.

Located in Lincoln’s historic Haymarket District, Ivanna Cone is more than just delicious ice cream treats, it’s an experience. You’ll first notice the bright colors and then the old soda fountain décor. But, the handmade ice cream is the true star.

With a 14 percent butterfat vanilla base, Ivanna Cone features at least 17 daily flavors. Classic flavors, such as strawberry, are joined by unique and seasonal tastes, including French toast. You can watch ice cream being made inside the store.

Enjoy your cone or shake as you take a walk around the Haymarket, including stops at the train plaza. 

Springfield Drug

Location: 205 Main St., Springfield, Neb.

Located inside a former bank building, a visit to Springfield Drug’s soda fountain is a trip back in time. Sit on a stool at the counter and order a hand-scooped ice cream treat, such as a cone, shake, banana split, or phosphate drink, and you’ll feel like in you’re in the 1950s.

After enjoying your treat, take a short tour of the drug store, that’s more than just a drug store. Take a selfie while sitting on a bench with the Simpson family from the long-running cartoon, or tour some of the antique items located around the store. Springfield is home to the annual Sarpy County Fair. 

Potter Sundry

Location: 324 Chestnut St., Potter, Neb.

Home of the Tin Roof Sundae, Potter Sundry has been offering treats since 1916. Named for its tin ceiling, the sundae includes overflowing vanilla and chocolate ice cream scoops with chocolate and marshmallow sauce and nuts.

Potter Sundry also offers shakes, malts, and ice cream cups. You can also order breakfast and lunch at the Sundry.

More Nebraska ice cream shops to visit

• Q’s Dairy Sweet in Crawford
• Keller Pharmacy in Ponca (another one of the few old-fashioned soda fountains left in the state)
• Double Dips Ice Creamery in North Platte
• Dairy Chef in Elkhorn (I’m partial to their ice cream sandwiches, but a lot of people love their giant cones)

From Omaha to Western Nebraska offers a variety of unique ice cream shops. Whether you enjoy handmade ice cream or a malt from a soda jerk, Nebraska has it all. Grab a spoon, pull up a seat, and enjoy a treat.