Charlotte, NCIce Cream

A family owned shop in Gastonia scooping 28 flavors at 604 E. Franklin Blvd., where the counter also turns out sodas, slushies, and a short menu of sandwiches. It is a drive from uptown, but the crowd on a summer evening says plenty about how the surrounding neighborhoods feel about the place. Charlotte Magazine counts it among the area's cold treat destinations.

A neighborhood counter at 1535 Elizabeth Ave. that keeps the familiar flavors, Mint Chocolate Chip and Butter Pecan, in the case right next to Smurf, Ginger, and Green Tea. The room is small and the pace is unhurried, which suits a walk over from the surrounding blocks on a warm night. Charlotte Magazine lists it in its guide to ice cream and cold treats.

The Central Avenue shop is the one most people picture, with hand painted murals on the walls and a flavor lineup that rotates through the season. It has grown to five locations around Charlotte without losing the neighborhood scoop shop feel, and the line out the door on a Plaza Midwood evening is part of the experience. Charlotte Magazine includes it in its cold treats guide.

A Ballantyne shop at 5355 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy. that rotates its flavors daily and keeps eight non dairy options in the case, which makes it a rare stop where nobody in the group has to sit the round out. Charlotte Magazine includes it in its roundup of the city's ice cream and cold treat shops.

Manolo Betancur of Manolo's Bakery co owns this Matthews shop at 301 W. John St., where the gelato is vegan and dairy free without making a fuss about it. Peppermint Bark, Mango, and S'mores turn up in the case, and the texture is close enough to the dairy version that most people never think to ask. Charlotte Magazine lists it among the area's cold treat stops.