Summer Guide: We all scream for ice cream (and froyo) in the summer heat
One of the best parts of summer is enjoying desserts with family and friends to cool off from the heat that overtakes the season. Humidity (compared to the dry heat of my previous home of Las Vegas)? Gross.
There are family-friendly options aplenty in Spokane for ice cream and frozen yogurt. There are the tried-and-true and dependable mainstream safe havens of Baskin-Robbins, Ben & Jerry’s, Cold Stone Creamery, Dairy Queen and McDonald’s.
Before partaking in cold and/or frozen lusciousness, here are a few fun facts, folks: An “ice cream” of sorts was invented in China in about 200 B.C. when a mixture of milk and rice was frozen by packing it into snow, and an ice-cream-like concoction was first consumed in China in 618-97 A.D. King Tang of Shang had 94 ice men who created a dish of buffalo milk, flour and camphor.
The things you unearth via Google. Per a handful of Spokane parents and yours truly, here are ice cream and frozen yogurt shops to check out this summer (and all year long, really). Pro tip: Call ahead for flavors, as they vary during the seasons.
Abi’s Ice Cream
112 N. 4th St., Coeur d’Alene; (208) 930-0699
Notable: Mint chocolate gooey brownie and Arnold Palmer sorbet (lemon and tea)
Bluberry Frozen Yogurt
4727 N. Division St., Spokane; (509) 487-4410
Notable: Grab a cup, choose among usually 10 flavors of froyo, add toppings and place on scale.
Brain Freeze
1238 W. Summit Parkway, Spokane; (509) 321-7569
1230 S. Grand Blvd., Spokane; (509) 309-3830
https://brainfreezecreamery.com
Notable: Hundreds(!) of flavors, including vegan options
Didier’s Yogurt & More
10410 N. Division St., Spokane; (509) 466-8434
www.darkhorserestaurantgroup.com/didier-s-yogurt-more
Notable: Choose your own blends (Irish mint, for example) and toppings (Oreos, marionberries)
Doyle’s Ice Cream Parlor
2229 W. Boone Ave., Spokane; no phone number listed
www.facebook.com/DoylesIceCream
Notable: Huckleberry. Small-business icon Doyle’s opened in 1940 in West Central Spokane.
Froyo Earth
Multiple locations
Notable: Multiple self-serve flavors, it’s like Bluberry except with more locations
Mary Lou’s Milk Bottle
802 W. Garland Ave., Spokane; (509) 325-1772
Notable: Old-fashioned café with old-fashioned desserts. “Benny & Joon” (1993) was filmed here.
Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt
9986 N. Newport Highway, Spokane; (509) 413-2407
Notable: Dozens of delicious flavors
Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Chocolates and Ice Cream
513 E. Hastings Road, Spokane; (509) 321-7450
Notable: A chocolatier and ice cream shop? Yes, please! Family owned since 1964.
Pete and Belle’s Ice Cream Shop
1330 N. Argonne Road, Suite C, Spokane Valley; (509) 924-4718
www.facebook.com/peteandbelles
Notable: Forty-eight flavors of floats – fun!
Sweet Peaks Ice Cream
415 W. Main Ave., Spokane; (509) 474-9096
Notable: Pine needles and crickets as ingredients? It’s mountain-made ice cream from Montana.
The Scoop
1001 W. 25th Ave., Spokane; (509) 535-7171
Notable: Creations, with rotating flavors, include Banoffee Pie, basil and LemonHuckleBlue
Yummy Ice Cream Rolls
1601 N. Division St., Spokane; address; (509) 309-2991
https://yummyicecreamrolled.com
Notable: Trendy in recent years, rolled ice cream is a lighter and fun version – think Cold Stone in how it’s created – of the dessert.