Pa.’s first ‘Ice Cream Officers’ give the scoop on their favorite ice cream around the state

It was a journey of a thousand miles, countless calories, and many, many cute and curious cows. The American Dairy Association North East’s first Chief Ice Cream Officers have concluded their three-week tour of Pennsylvania dairy creameries, and they’re here to report on their favorites — not that there was any one winner.

All their visits on the Pennsylvania dairy trail had their charms. The ice cream officers, Maddie Smith and Mia Svirsky, two friends and social media content creators from D.C., posted their experiences along the way.

Here is a snapshot of their best-ofs in the summer job of a lifetime, from one corner of this sweet commonwealth to the other. You can go on your own ice cream road trip.

Their responses have been condensed and edited for clarity.

Best for a Date: Meyers Dairy, State College, Pa.

This was our first stop. Meyers Dairy is famous for its “ice cream flights,” which was a great way to kick off our ice cream adventures. Our flight was Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, Grapenut, and Chocolate Chip Brownie Dough.

Best Learning Experiences: Penn State Berkey Creamery, University Park, Pa.; Fox Meadows Creamery, Ephrata, Pa.

The Penn State Berkey Creamery has been part of campus for over 150 years. We got a behind-the-scenes look at ice cream processing and learned that Penn State’s dairy scientists have made the creamery a world authority on ice cream and dairy manufacturing. The university has its own barn with 200 cows. At Fox Meadows Creamery, we had the awesome opportunity to be part of the process of churning and tasting.

Best Item Made with Ice Cream: Till Top Creamery, Corry, Pa., and Manning Farm Dairy, Scranton.

Till Top Creamery is known for its “build-your-own” milkshakes. We started off with fresh milk from cows just a few yards away, chose vanilla and Cookies and Cream flavors, and enjoyed the freshest milkshake we have ever had. The fourth generation of the Manning Family operates five dairy stores and offers a variety of beautiful, fresh ice cream cakes, and pies.

Best Woman-Run Creamery: Windy Ridge, Fombell, Pa.; and Way-Har Farm, Bernville, Pa.

Windy Ridge, run by fifth-generation mother-daughter duo Christine Fisher and Lindsay Fisher-Blinn, is all about family and the cows that make the milk for their ice cream and shakes. We tried Strawberry Pretzel Salad and Cow Plop!

Way-Har Farm is operated by Lolly Lesher, the first female chair of the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, and her husband, Will. Lolly says, “Connecting with consumers is key. We are passionate about the care we give to our cows and how we protect the land. We want the people who buy our products to know they come from a good place.”

Most Beautiful Setting: Lone Oak Farm, Marion Center, Pa., and Crystal Spring Farm, Schnecksville, Pa.

You couldn’t ask for anything more while enjoying ice cream than the beautiful, scenic views with cows grazing in the pasture at both of these locations. Ice cream at Lone Oak is made with not only milk from their cows, but also fresh produce grown on its farm. Crystal Spring offered pavilions to sit at and there is also a small lake and waterfall!

Best Quirky Flavors in a Homemade Waffle Bowl: Perrydell Farm and Dairy, York, Pa.

Coffee by the Sea, Cookie Kaboom, Death By Peanut Butter, and Give Me Samoas were just a few of the quirky flavors served in homemade waffle bowls. We met with the owners who explained how the farm is totally self-sufficient — starting with growing the feed for the cows to processing the milk for the ice cream.

Most Kid/Family Friendly: The Milkhouse at Oregon Dairy, Lititz, Pa., and Klein Farms Dairy and Creamery, Easton, Pa.

From the farm-themed playground to the corn maze to the many family events they host — and the over 30 flavors of ice cream — there’s something for everyone at the Milkhouse at Oregon Dairy. The Kleins pride themselves on the quality care they provide their cows — and that’s why named their ice cream “Happy Holstein Ice Cream.” They also have a petting zoo and children’s play area with benches and umbrellas.

Best Cow-to-Cone Experience: Merrymead Farm, Lansdale.

Merrymead offers 32 rotating flavors and soft serve ice cream, all made from the milk of cows just a few steps away. We had an awesome soft serve Peanut Butter Explosion sundae and enjoyed it while visiting with the cows. The farm offers field trips and tours to teach customers about the cow-to-cone experience.

Best Flavor Names: Chester Springs Creamery at Milky Way Farm, Chester Springs.

The creamery offers “dairy education” and uses robotics in the barn to increase efficiency. But it never forgets where the credit really belongs. The creamery offers over 48 flavors, each named for a cow in the herd. You can enjoy unique flavors like Claire’s Cookies N Cream, Roxanne’s Rocky Road, and Polly’s Pumpkin Pie.

Best Convenience: Jackson Farms Dairy, New Salem, Pa.

Fun fact — owner Bill Jackson and business partner Kerry Harvey were inspired by the Creamery at Penn State. As a student, Bill frequented the creamery and Harvey took the ice cream course at the university. Today, their ice cream is available at 40 locations, including their store in New Salem.

Best Dairy History: Tanner Brothers Dairy, Ivyland.

The Tanner Family has been in business since 1890! They opened a store with milk and ice cream in 1971 — from there, the family just kept expanding, adding fresh produce and groceries to serve the communities of Bucks County. We sampled Blueberry Pie ice cream and Caramel Cookie Dough.

Best Laid-Back Spot: Maplehofe Dairy, Quarryville, Pa.

Maybe because it was our last stop of the Ice Cream Road Tour that we just enjoyed kicking back at Maplehofe Dairy. Or maybe it was because everyone was so nice and chill, but the vibe is very inviting. We ended the tour with a classic Cookies and Cream milkshake.

The officers’ favorite unique flavors:

Mia loved the Give Me Samoas from Perrydell Farm. Maddie’s pick was Brown Butter Almond Brickle from Fox Meadows Creamery.