Sweet Retreats
Arizona’s Coolest Ice Cream Destinations
Writer Shannon Severson
Step inside the chilly respite of an ice cream parlor, and you’re transported back to a simpler time — when you’d leave your bike outside the door and approach the counter to scan the rainbow-hued tubs of tempting tastes. Aficionados of cool and creamy confections will want to add these independently owned havens of ice cream and gelato to their Arizona road trip bucket lists.
Timberline Ice Cream // Flagstaff
Brothers Nic and Seth Beckett cooked up their very own ice cream dreams in their kitchens with a focus on high-quality ingredients free from artificial colors, flavors or cheap sweetening shortcuts like corn syrup. Their passion, creativity and chemistry are at the heart of the now wildly popular Timberline Ice Cream, situated in a small, unassuming storefront in Flagstaff. It has introduced something entirely new to the community and put the town on the ice cream map.
Every scrumptious scoop begins with organic cream, milk and eggs. Then the magic begins. Using local ingredients whenever possible, the Beckett brothers’ “super-premium” ice cream uses fresh fruit, housemade jams and natural coloring like beet juice and spirulina to produce fabulous flavors like butter pecan, rocky road, lemon berry, dairy-free orange creamsicle made with coconut cream, and mint freckle — the Timberline version of mint chocolate chip.
Black Cow Cafe // Sedona
Since 1998, the charming Black Cow Cafe has been scooping up heaping helpings of homemade ice cream alongside an extensive selection of pies just like mom would make if she had the time. Pastries, milkshakes, ice cream floats and coffee from a local roaster round out the menu of this favorite stop for visitors, locals and hikers after exploring the beauty of the local mountains and trails.
“A lot of people come in to try our prickly pear ice cream as it is a local novelty,” says Devin Buck, who owns the shop with his wife, Carrie. “You can’t go wrong with a classic cone, a sundae or a slice of pie a la mode.”
In addition to the famed prickly pear ice cream, flavors like rich Belgian chocolate, espresso swirl, malted vanilla and butter pecan keep this small spot at the top of the list of local favorites. Specialty sundaes include tin roof sundaes smothered in hot caramel and salted peanuts and turtle sundaes dripping with hot fudge and roasted pecans.
Fite and Sons Mercantile and Ice Cream // Prescott
Within steps of Prescott’s famed Whiskey Row, the siren scent of fresh-roasted nuts wafts from the doorway, luring passersby inside a magical little shop: Fite and Sons Mercantile and Ice Cream. It’s a true oasis of sweet, creamy and chocolaty delights, offering respite from the heat or a delectable detour during one of the town’s many celebrations centered on old-fashioned family fun — from rodeos to parades.
Owners Tom and Samantha Fite say patrons in search of the best-tasting ice cream visit their shop on downtown’s picturesque, tree-lined Main Square for signature, locally made flavors like whiskey caramel toffee crunch and award-winning lemon biscuit. Every month debuts a new custom flavor combo created for their milkshake of the month, and dog owners can reward their furry best friends with doggy ice cream.
In addition to scoopable sensations, the Fites offer house-made fudge, toys, local souvenirs and a year-round Christmas room — fitting as Prescott has been called Arizona’s “Christmas City.”
The Screamery // Tucson
When Kenny and Linda Sarnoski decided to change their diet with a focus on clean, wholesome ingredients, they didn’t want to quit eating ice cream. Their solution? Make their own! After lots of experimentation and sourcing top-quality, hormone-free milk, cream and other ingredients, their friends and family insisted their cool creation needed to be shared with the public.
The Screamery is an award-winning Tucson institution and the first in Arizona to receive certification to pasteurize its own ice cream, controlling every aspect of the process from cow to cone. Natural, chemical-free flavors are infused directly into the velvety ice cream base, and the result is a selection of unexpected and utterly craveable creations like Bacon and Bourbon — a Maker’s Mark bourbon-infused base mixed with candied bacon pieces — or the refreshing, seasonal Orange Creamsicle made with real fruit.
The Sarnoskis use local, raw honey from Marana in their most popular flavor — sweet cream honeycomb. They even have dedicated hives to keep up with production demand.
Bella’s Gelato // Tucson
Family-owned and operated since 2015, Bella’s Gelato began as a food truck, scooping up a limited menu of creamy gelato and refreshing sorbet, but popular demand drove its expansion into a welcoming brick-and-mortar shop, taking over the former home of a much-beloved ice cream shop a stone’s throw from the University of Arizona. Named for the family’s beloved rescue Chihuahua, it’s a delightfully pet-friendly spot offering 34 flavors of homemade gelato and sorbetto, plus scratch-made desserts like brownies using locally sourced chocolate.
“We pride ourselves on our warm and welcoming atmosphere,” says owner Elizabeth Sebring. “Bella’s is a true community gathering spot. Our outdoor seating provides tremendous views of the Santa Catalina Mountains and amazing Tucson sunsets.”
Danzeisen Dairy Creamery Store // Payson
The Danzeisen name — with a 60-year history in the Arizona dairy business — is well-known locally for its old-school, glass-bottled milk products on grocery store shelves. The surprise scoop is that the company has two brick-and-mortar stores — in Payson and Laveen — where it dedicates its decades of dairy experience to the sweeter side of life, swirling up towering, Instagram-worthy milkshakes, piling creamy ice cream into cones and sundaes, hosting fundraisers for local charities and even offering butter-making classes.
The most popular items on the menu are their over-the-top Stack Shakes and Stack Flights — milkshakes made with an ice cream base of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, coffee or seasonal flavors and then topped, drizzled and gilded with ooey-gooey sauces, frostings, cookies, pretzels, candy, marshmallows and even Cracker Jacks to delight the eyes and taste buds.
