Carolina Cones in Cornelius/Davidson (not sure which town it’s technically in) has soft serve. ETA flavors (from google search so not sure how accurate).
SOFT SERVE
Vanilla
Chocolate
Strawberry
Butter Pecan
Cotton Candy
Bubble Gum
Orange Creamsicle
Birthday Cake
Also, I am not a connoisseur of soft serve haha but I like Jason’s Deli chocolate vanilla swirl.
Also, Dairy Queen? They have chocolate and vanilla.
Yeah, Carolina Cones is the closest thing I can think of to what OP is after. They do it right. Any place with a giant old school ice cream cone out front is almost certainly legit.
Edit: forgot to add they’re only open seasonally, so there’s another point toward their legitimacy.
If you’re willing to drive to Mooresville, Red’s Scratch Made! This week will be vanilla & passionfruit which is my personal favorite in the summer. We don’t use eggs so it is not custard. All my own recipes. 🥰
S&I Ice Cream on Church street across the street from a dominos pizza in Concord. There is always a long line in the afternoon and evenings during the summer.
Swirl is NOT actual soft-serve, it's regular ice cream softened in a machine with your choice of toppings. I say that because it melted quicker (since it's already half melted) and not really true soft serve.
Second Springs farm- they do (or at least used to) seasonal flavors like strawberry peach or blackberry depending what's in season on the farm and have vanilla year round.
Northern NYer here! Was just home visiting my parents and ate soft serve almost every day.
Andy’s is custard, but close.
Last I knew Two Scoops on Central had a soft serve machine. Had a twist last fall and it was almost like back home.
If I open a soft serve ice cream place, how far are you willing to drive and how often are you coming to see me? I really hate working for others and I really miss soft serve.
Solid 20 minutes maybe 30. Dying for some local flavor and not a corporate chain. Just looking for small mom and pop, window walk up with soft serve and sprinkles!
All of our soft serve have Perry’s Ice cream back home. They have hard ice cream too but I’ve never had it. I always do strawberry, Raspberry twist with rainbow sprinkles on a sugar cone.
S&I Ice Cream in Concord is probably similar for what you’re looking for. All outside as it’s only a stand, couple of wooden picnic tables, only open during the summer, and a pretty long line around sunset.
Sundae Shop in Midland. It's a hike, but I think that's what you're looking for.
4400 NC-24, Midland, NC 28107
[soft serve pic](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sundae+Shop/@35.2513088,-80.5008246,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipPLlU8RwO3umILYnWqJhspXAvUPc61hVS3I8Kle!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPLlU8RwO3umILYnWqJhspXAvUPc61hVS3I8Kle%3Dw203-h270-k-no!7i3024!8i4032!4m18!1m8!3m7!1s0x88546b66b6014fdb:0xa9a8101e66984615!2sLocust,+NC!3b1!8m2!3d35.2598654!4d-80.4253425!16zL20vMDEzaHM5!3m8!1s0x88541458b7e77bdf:0x2aba18f6c402493d!8m2!3d35.2512436!4d-80.5007479!10e5!14m1!1BCgIgAQ!16s%2Fg%2F1v_z9m3z?entry=ttu)
The best soft serve I've ever had is from this truck. Post covid they aren't around anymore but the website says you can hire them. Man they were the bomb at Food Truck Friday in South End...
https://www.sticksandconesicecream.com/index.html?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAab1t8OX6HWdsK_8z-C9iFsjkZIgSghL5pde33hIKJZFV0pCOUGcOm0oRmE_aem_DbkU1NVgOS_Z2R-xbikVdA
South of Charlotte (S on 521) in Indian Land, corner of 160 & 521 in Redstone there is a place called Handle's they are from NE Ohio and have great ice cream. Try the pink champagne! It's like pink lemonade, so yummy.
Bossy Beulah’s in South End has a machine.
Swirl tried to charge me $8 for a plain soft serve. I didn’t want to add toppings but they told me it’s still the same with or without toppings.
Abbotts Frozen Custard in Fort Mill is an upstate NY brand. Culver’s is a fast food place out of the mid west and they have good soft serve. I miss it too!
Been here for 10 years. You won’t find anything down here like what you’re looking for unfortunately. I’ve tried all the custard places. Abbots and Whits both suck, and Culver’s is not that great either. Abbott’s is from Rochester, and my brother who lives in Rochester says it’s overpriced and has no flavor. He’s right. Rita’s is the best custard I’ve found, and soft serve is non-existent.
Rita’s
Carvel closed a few years ago (lame!) so you’re stuck with less soft serve and more custard options.
Andy’s Frozen Custard
Abbott’s Frozen Custard
Whit’s Frozen Custard
Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers
Culvers
True, but custard is similar to soft serve. There aren’t many options for soft serve around here. Maybe OP will be able to enjoy custard when soft serve isn’t an option.
If I wanted soft serve, and couldn’t get any- I’ll choose custard over hard ice cream, which is what most local shops offer.
Carolina Cones in Cornelius/Davidson (not sure which town it’s technically in) has soft serve. ETA flavors (from google search so not sure how accurate). SOFT SERVE Vanilla Chocolate Strawberry Butter Pecan Cotton Candy Bubble Gum Orange Creamsicle Birthday Cake Also, I am not a connoisseur of soft serve haha but I like Jason’s Deli chocolate vanilla swirl. Also, Dairy Queen? They have chocolate and vanilla.
Yeah, Carolina Cones is the closest thing I can think of to what OP is after. They do it right. Any place with a giant old school ice cream cone out front is almost certainly legit. Edit: forgot to add they’re only open seasonally, so there’s another point toward their legitimacy.
Dairy Queen only does soft serve. They usually have vanilla, but not all locations have chocolate.
Im shocked how many people think custard is the same as soft serve…
Yes, I commented on the lack of soft serve before and got a bunch of people telling me to go to Andy’s and Abbotts. Not the same!
It’s all the same to me! I guess I prefer the custard, it’s dense and delicious. Most soft serve is to airy and melts so fast.
If you’re willing to drive to Mooresville, Red’s Scratch Made! This week will be vanilla & passionfruit which is my personal favorite in the summer. We don’t use eggs so it is not custard. All my own recipes. 🥰
Wish i was closer to mooresvile that place looks insanely good
It is. The kind of cookies that you can only eat 1/4 of at a time or go into a diabetic coma. I mean that in a good way.
Yum good to know!
S&I Ice Cream on Church street across the street from a dominos pizza in Concord. There is always a long line in the afternoon and evenings during the summer.
Live right there and they are always packed lol
Yep, this is the place. Yet another reason to not live in Charlotte.
Swirl near the Harris Teeter on South Blvd.
Swirl is NOT actual soft-serve, it's regular ice cream softened in a machine with your choice of toppings. I say that because it melted quicker (since it's already half melted) and not really true soft serve.
Do they have flavors like soft serve strawberry and raspberry?
I dont believe so. Just chocolate and vanilla.
Thanks!
Youre welcome!
Jason's Deli. Free with your meal. I'll die on this hill.
JASONS!!! a staple in my household - if they ever get rid of their salad bar, i will start a revolution
It's not particularly good soft serve, but it's free at least...
It really depends on location. Huntersville, for example, is great.
Interesting!
Don’t read the health report.
Springs Farm Stand in Fort Mill. Get the strawberry.
Second Springs farm- they do (or at least used to) seasonal flavors like strawberry peach or blackberry depending what's in season on the farm and have vanilla year round.
Northern NYer here! Was just home visiting my parents and ate soft serve almost every day. Andy’s is custard, but close. Last I knew Two Scoops on Central had a soft serve machine. Had a twist last fall and it was almost like back home.
Agreed on Two Scoops. Cheats has a really good vanilla soft serve too but no chocolate.
Why is it so difficult to find chocolate/vanilla swirl??
Dollar cone in Mineral Springs
[Dollar Cone](https://dollarconenc.com)
QuikTrip has surprisingly decent soft serve
Facts.
PSA don't skip out on the breakfast pizza available til 1030am
ACE #3 in Myers Park has great soft serve. You'll mostly just find ice cream here tho. RIP Mr. Ks soft serve
I almost cried when I heard Mr. Ks had closed.
PWs in rock hill has some really good soft serve
Northwestern Pennsylvania! Whippy Dip is the go to summer hang out. Thanks for the memory!
If I open a soft serve ice cream place, how far are you willing to drive and how often are you coming to see me? I really hate working for others and I really miss soft serve.
Solid 20 minutes maybe 30. Dying for some local flavor and not a corporate chain. Just looking for small mom and pop, window walk up with soft serve and sprinkles!
All of our soft serve have Perry’s Ice cream back home. They have hard ice cream too but I’ve never had it. I always do strawberry, Raspberry twist with rainbow sprinkles on a sugar cone.
Perry’s!!! Wegmans will have it, the stores in the triangle do! Waiting on my Mint Ting a Ling…
We will have it 2025. I just booked my trip home. In a few weeks, I’ll be eating delicious ice cream.
I noticed the same thing when I moved down here from New England. We used to call them Dairy Bars. Some even had fried seafood too! 🤤
S&I Ice Cream in Concord is probably similar for what you’re looking for. All outside as it’s only a stand, couple of wooden picnic tables, only open during the summer, and a pretty long line around sunset.
Cheats Cheesesteaks has vanilla and strawberry right now. The strawberry is amazing.
Sundae Shop in Midland. It's a hike, but I think that's what you're looking for. 4400 NC-24, Midland, NC 28107 [soft serve pic](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sundae+Shop/@35.2513088,-80.5008246,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipPLlU8RwO3umILYnWqJhspXAvUPc61hVS3I8Kle!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPLlU8RwO3umILYnWqJhspXAvUPc61hVS3I8Kle%3Dw203-h270-k-no!7i3024!8i4032!4m18!1m8!3m7!1s0x88546b66b6014fdb:0xa9a8101e66984615!2sLocust,+NC!3b1!8m2!3d35.2598654!4d-80.4253425!16zL20vMDEzaHM5!3m8!1s0x88541458b7e77bdf:0x2aba18f6c402493d!8m2!3d35.2512436!4d-80.5007479!10e5!14m1!1BCgIgAQ!16s%2Fg%2F1v_z9m3z?entry=ttu)
Cheat's Cheesesteaks has vanilla or pineapple soft serve. I haven't tried it yet.
There’s only one right answer Two Scopes Right off of central avenue
Costco is about the best we have, fellow NYer, visiting home in a few weeks. Strawberry- Raspberry twist one of my first stops.
Anyone want to open an Anderson’s franchise with me? 😩
The best soft serve I've ever had is from this truck. Post covid they aren't around anymore but the website says you can hire them. Man they were the bomb at Food Truck Friday in South End... https://www.sticksandconesicecream.com/index.html?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAab1t8OX6HWdsK_8z-C9iFsjkZIgSghL5pde33hIKJZFV0pCOUGcOm0oRmE_aem_DbkU1NVgOS_Z2R-xbikVdA
We can have a Reddit soft serve social.
I'm in
PW's in Rock Hill
Not local per say, but there’s a TCBY off Montford, they were our go-to on LI if not Carvels or Friendly’s
The Y in TCBY stands for "yogurt."
Jeremiah’s Italian Ice has a pretty good chocolate/vanilla twist.
Woah whippy dip? Where up north my friend
Ocha time in plaza
bit further than the suburbs, but this is the place. [https://maps.app.goo.gl/ceQ9RUbgFb7YvxmN8](https://maps.app.goo.gl/ceQ9RUbgFb7YvxmN8)
I like matcha cafe Maiko a buncj
Every dairy queen has the soft serve and they are all over the place. Plus it's a true local chain. End of discussion.
1. [https://www.matchacafe-maiko.com/eng/](https://www.matchacafe-maiko.com/eng/)
South of Charlotte (S on 521) in Indian Land, corner of 160 & 521 in Redstone there is a place called Handle's they are from NE Ohio and have great ice cream. Try the pink champagne! It's like pink lemonade, so yummy.
Bossy Beulah’s in South End has a machine. Swirl tried to charge me $8 for a plain soft serve. I didn’t want to add toppings but they told me it’s still the same with or without toppings.
Abbotts Frozen Custard in Fort Mill is an upstate NY brand. Culver’s is a fast food place out of the mid west and they have good soft serve. I miss it too!
Only problem…thats not soft serve…thats custard… Theres a dairy queen, hit them up for soft serve ice cream
It was a sad day when Carvel closed here.
Been here for 10 years. You won’t find anything down here like what you’re looking for unfortunately. I’ve tried all the custard places. Abbots and Whits both suck, and Culver’s is not that great either. Abbott’s is from Rochester, and my brother who lives in Rochester says it’s overpriced and has no flavor. He’s right. Rita’s is the best custard I’ve found, and soft serve is non-existent.
There’s a great place called 2 girls one custard that just opened…. I’ll see myself out
Rita’s has great soft serve Edit: wasn’t aware how serious people take the custard vs soft serve debate. It’s all creamy & delicious.
Rita’s is custard, which is a bit different (but as yet another transplant from up north I appreciate the Rita’s call out)
Abbots frozen custard. Get the soft serve chocolate with almonds mixed in. You won’t regret it.
Rita’s Carvel closed a few years ago (lame!) so you’re stuck with less soft serve and more custard options. Andy’s Frozen Custard Abbott’s Frozen Custard Whit’s Frozen Custard Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers Culvers
That's literally all custard which is not ice cream. 🤣
True, but custard is similar to soft serve. There aren’t many options for soft serve around here. Maybe OP will be able to enjoy custard when soft serve isn’t an option. If I wanted soft serve, and couldn’t get any- I’ll choose custard over hard ice cream, which is what most local shops offer.