Food Editors' Picks: The Best Ice Cream Spots in the U.S.

Signature Item: Cherries Moobilee ice cream (made with local cherries)

The hands-down favorite of locals. The deck offers views of grazing dairy cows. moomers.com

Related: Great Ice Cream Sandwiches

Signature Item: Black Bear (red raspberry ice cream with chocolate chips and chocolate raspberry truffles)

The ice cream here is made in small batches from a 40-year-old recipe. crescentridge.com

Signature Item: Wicked Chocolate ice cream

Among the local ingredients used at this Pearl District shop: Oregon bing cherries for its Bing Cherry Almond Chip and hazelnut butter and toasted hazelnuts from orchards 20 miles away for its Willamette Valley Hazelnut. coolmoonicecream.com

Signature Item: Huckleberry ice cream (made with local berries)

The inspired flavors range from El Salvador Coffee to Honey Porter. bigdippericecream.com

Signature Item: Carolina Crunch (vanilla ice cream with bits of Heath Bar, Butterfinger, caramel cups, and a caramel swirl)

This family-owned dairy farm just outside Chapel Hill opened its ice cream shop in 2000. mapleviewfarm.com

Signature Item: Mint Summer Night's Dream (mint chocolate ice cream with dark and white chocolate chunks)

This hugely popular shop right on the Portsmouth waterfront serves all-natural ice cream in more than 30 regular flavors, plus rotating seasonal ones. annabellesicecream.com

Related: Crazy Things People Do to Ice Cream

Signature Item: Goat Cheese and Honey ice cream

Christopher Elbow is just as boundary-pushing with his ice creams, in flavors like Salted Pretzel and Persian Spice, as he is with his stellar artisan chocolates. glaceicecream.com

Signature Item: Swiss Chocolate ice cream

A Bainbridge Island favorite owned and operated by two Argentinean expats; the superb ice cream, made in small batches, comes in flavors like Dulce de Leche and Gianduja. moraicecream.com

Related: Amazing Ice Cream Sundaes

Signature Item: Theo Chocolate (dark chocolate ice cream made with melted Theo bars)

Molly Moon Neitzel uses mostly local fruit to flavor her ice creams—the farthest south she goes for fruit is Napa Valley for blood oranges. mollymoonicecream.com

Signature Item: Strawberry ice cream

All the ice creams here are certified organic from the milk to the fruit blended in. bluemarbleicecream.com