Exploring the Olympic Region's Ice Cream Trail | News, Sports, Jobs

Entering Emma's Lake Placid Creamery feels like you've been transported back to the 1950s. (News photo — Delaney Muscat)

LAKE PLACID — As a newcomer to Tri-Lakes this summer working as an intern at the Lake Placid News, I wasn't familiar with the local hot spots, so I decided to remedy that by finding some of the area's staple spots that serve as community landmarks.

We couldn't visit every independent shop in the area — it would take too much time — so we decided to pick one category — ice cream — and create an unofficial Olympic Region Ice Cream Trail for the newspaper.

I love ice cream. It's the perfect summer treat after a long day at work.

I gathered information from people who had visited ice cream stores in the area: from the internet, locals, coworkers, local friends, etc. Again, there were too many stores to visit them all, but I did visit a few that stood out to me from my master list.

Lake calm

Better Brownie Batter spread on a cone at Emma's Lake Placid Creamery. (News photo — Delainey Muscat)

While in Lake Placid, we couldn't resist visiting Emma's Lake Placid Creamery at 2507 Main Street. Walking into Emma's, we felt like we were transported back in time to a 1950s ice cream shop. The candy colored floors and ceilings give the shop a bright and fun atmosphere. Even on an overcast day, Emma's was packed with customers.

I tried the Better Brownie Butter flavoured hard ice cream, the chunks of brownie and chocolate ice cream are bursting with flavour and the cold sensation reminds me of my mum's homemade brownies.

Due to Emma's popularity and location, parking can be a hassle. Luckily, I was able to find a parking space just down the road. Emma's opening hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 1pm to 10pm, Wednesday from 3pm to 10pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 12pm to 10pm.

I'm a huge fan of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Their Milk and Cookies pints are a regular in my freezer at home, so imagine my delight the first time I drove down Main Street and spotted a Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop. The store is located at 2423 Main Street and is open from 12:30pm to 9:30pm.

Lake Placid also has a Mountain Mist Ice Cream location at 2241 Saranac Ave., in the former Custard, Mustard & Brew storefront, which is open daily from noon to 10 p.m.

Whitebrook Dairy Bar in Wilmington serves up a variety of sweet treats, including floats, shakes and soft and hard ice cream. (News photo — Delainey Muscat)

Adirondack Corner Store & Deli, located at 188 Newman Road in Lake Placid, offers a variety of menu items beyond sandwiches and subs. They also serve soft serve ice cream. Hours of operation are 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Wilmington

Wilmington also has sweet treats. I visited Whitebrook Dairy at 5660 State Route 86 to try their ice cream. I ordered a cone with a little mint chip on top. Unfortunately, they were out of mint chips, so I had to settle for a scoop of cookie dough. It was pouring when I got to my car to enjoy my cone. They also sell grilled items like burgers and hot dogs. It's a cash only store, so make sure you bring cash. Whitebrook Dairy is open from 11:30am to 9pm.

Though technically a chain, the Wilmington A&W Family Restaurant at 5629 state Route 86 has a local feel and serves up specialty root beer floats and other frozen treats. It's open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Located at 2505 State Route 86 in Wilmington, Little Supermarket offers sandwiches, subs and pizzas as well as soft serve ice cream in unique flavors, including coffee. Hours of operation are 6am to 9pm Monday through Friday and 7am to 9pm Saturday and Sunday.

Olive Maiore (left) and Muna Cubaj serve Donnelly's famous soft serve ice cream outside in Saranac Lake. (News photo — Delainey Muscato)

Keene Valley

Noonmark Diner, located at 1770 State Route 73 in Keene Valley, is known for its pies, jams and breads, but in the summer they also start selling ice cream. The diner is open from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Saranac Lake

In Saranac Lake, we visited Donnelly's Ice Cream at 1556 State Highway 86, about four miles north of the village toward Gabriels. A friend of my parents' told me about the store even before we left our home in Canandaigua.

Opened in 1953, Donnelly's serves delicious soft serve ice cream with a unique twist (pun intended). Donnelly's offers two flavors daily. Vanilla is featured daily, with a rotating flavor added daily. Past flavors include strawberry, honey cinnamon, black cherry, and coconut almond.

Donnelly's Ice Cream in Saranac Lake has been serving up soft serve ice cream for more than 70 years. (News photo — Delaney Muscat)

The day I visited, chocolate flavours were on rotation and I got a little chocolate and vanilla twist in a cone, it was so good, the cream was so smooth and started to melt as soon as it was exposed to the sun.

Donnelly's posts the flavor of the week on its Facebook page at the beginning of each week. The store opens at 11am and closes at 9:30pm.

I will definitely be back several times to try other flavors. Remember, Donnelly's is a cash only establishment.

If you're looking for hard ice cream or different flavors of ice cream in Saranac Lake, there are a few other places to get ice cream.

Mountain Mist Custard, located at 260 Lake Flower Ave. in Fogarty next to Lake Flower Marina, sells a variety of flavors of hard and soft ice cream. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Fish Creek Ponds Trading Post (Knapp's) sells camping gear, meat, beer, gasoline and even ice cream. Hours are 9am to 6pm and the store is located at 4426 State Highway 30 between Saranac Inn and Tupper Lake.

Ray Brook

Pine Cone Ice Cream Stand, located at 1179 State Route 86 across from Tale of the Pup BBQ in Raybrook, is open from noon to 8 p.m.

Bloomingdale's

Teddy's Ice Cream and Grill, located at 1663 State Route 3 in Bloomingdale, posts a new sundae for the week on its Facebook page each week. They sell hard ice cream, soft ice cream, ice cream cakes and more. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Tupper Lake

Tupper Lake has several places to enjoy ice cream.

Enjoy ice cream and mini golf at Timberjaxx Pass. This recently opened course is located at 86 Demars Blvd.

Skyline Ice Cream is located at 1976 State Route 30 and is open from 1pm to 9pm. They sell soft serve ice cream, gelato, and even dairy-free ice cream.

Final thoughts

Stewart Shops convenience stores sell ice cream: two in Lake Placid and one each in the communities of Keene, AuSable Forks, Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake.

McDonald's also serves ice cream at its locations in Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake.

It's impossible to list every place that sells frozen treats in the Olympic region, but here are the main ones:

Hopefully, as I continue to explore Lake Placid and the surrounding towns, I'll be able to try most or all of the ice cream places on my master list.

Stay tuned for 2024 “Battle of Corn” Hosted by the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism over the Summer, the contest will open on July 22 and will feature locations around the Northern Adirondack region. For more information, visit www.adirondackwayfinder.com.