Sick of the same old twist cone at the dining centers? You don’t have to suffer from the same boring taste of soft serve day to day when Ames offers a variety of different ice cream places to experience new and exciting flavors. No matter what type of ice cream craving you have, Hickory Park, Cold Stone Creamery, Dairy Queen, Culvers and Chocolaterie Stam can satisfy anyone’s cravings with their unlimited choices and unique blends of ice cream.

Hickory Park

1404 S. Duff Ave.

232-8940

Besides its enormous plates of ribs, the Saucy Southerner and tasty burgers, Hickory Park has a vast selection of ice cream delights to choose from. They’ve got everything – banana splits, sundaes, sherbet, shakes and malts, phosphates, shakes made with sherbet, floats and parfaits – and even a special menu just for “Peanut Lovers” and “Banana Fans.” Some of the more popular choices include the Hot Apple Crunch, the turtle sundae, candy bar sundaes, the brownie sundae, Strawberry Shortcake and basic malts. The build-your-own sundae option is a great choice for those who have just eaten a big meal, as it comes in a much smaller portion size. It’s the perfect spot for your next birthday because you get a discount on the ice cream, a candle and a happy melody from the workers.

Cold Stone Creamery

1310 S. Duff Ave.

233-3911

Looking for some entertainment along with your ice cream? Just stop by Cold Stone Creamery, where you can watch the employees mix your ice cream on a stone and hear them sing if you drop them a tip. Cold Stone has a large menu of original creations that covers a wide array of favorites for your taste buds. Some of Cold Stone’s more famous creations include the Birthday Cake Remix (made with cake batter ice cream), Cookie Doughn’t You Want Some, Founder’s Favorite and Chocolate Devotion. If one of these does not sound tasty, then you can create your own concoction by choosing any flavor of ice cream and adding in whatever mix-ins you want, including sprinkles, chocolate chips, brownies, fudge, caramel and so much more. And if you have any question on what one of their unusual flavors tastes like, they offer free samples. Besides their ice cream, Cold Stone also has shakes, smoothies, sundaes and banana splits. And again, if you leave them a tip, you might hear them sing their own version of a familiar song.

Dairy Queen

117 Welch Ave.

292-8803

3308 Orion Drive

663-0819

316 Lincoln Way

232-5715

2108 Issac Newton Drive

232-8395

With four locations in Ames, ice cream from Dairy Queen is always at your convenience. Dairy Queen has a tremendous number of choices including Blizzards, shakes, cones and dip cones, Arctic Rushes and frozen blended coffee. All locations offer frozen ice cream cakes for special occasions. Dairy Queen also offers a Blizzard of the Month to give customers something new to try. This month’s special is the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard. If you’re looking for something as simple as a vanilla cone to something with more pizzazz, such as a banana split, Dairy Queen is your place to go.

Chocolaterie Stam

230 Main St.

232-0656

If you’re looking for an extraordinary cultural experience, you can stop by Main Street’s Chocolaterie Stam. Chocolaterie Stam offers gelato, an Italian ice cream. The sweets shop has a plethora of flavors of gelato, including the ordinary chocolate and vanilla, as well as more exotic flavors, such as amaretto and coconut. Chocolaterie Stam is the perfect place to take that special someone right after dinner and perhaps pick up some homemade chocolate for later.

Culver’s

525 Gilchrist St.

233-1760

Culver’s is well-known for its frozen custard and has more than enough choices for you to find something you like. The restaurant offers many sundaes, including a turtle sundae, caramel cashew, strawberry shortcake, banana split and banana foster. Culver’s also has flexibility in choices and portion sizes, letting you build your own sundae. You can choose to have one, two or three scoops of custard and add toppings such as hot fudge, caramel, peanut butter, brownie pieces, blueberries, cherries and many others. Culver’s also provides shakes and malts of many flavors, root beer floats, Concrete Mixers and Custardccino, all made with frozen custard. Culver’s features a flavor of the day so stop in to see if there’s something there for you.