By Susan Marquez, Magnolia Tribune
(Photo from Sal & Mookie’s)
When temperatures climbs into the 90s, and the heat index is in the triple digits, all anyone wants is to find something cold. Both effective and delicious, there is nothing that beats the power of a good ice cream cone.
From the ice cream truck peddling cold treats in the neighborhood to festivals that celebrate summer’s sweet and cold delight, it’s not hard to find ice cream anywhere in Mississippi.
Here are a few of our favorites:
Sal & Mookies – Madison and Jackson
With locations in Madison and Jackson, this is the spot for New York-style pizza, but there is also a wonderful selection of hand-dipped ice cream to finish off your meal. Always cold and creamy, we don’t feel guilty about skipping dinner and going straight to the ice cream counter.
Donna’s Number 6 Produce – Florence
While traveling down Highway 49 south of Jackson, be sure to stop in at Donna’s #6 for a dip of the creamiest ice cream ever. All the ice cream is made in-house using fresh fruits. The secret is the high butterfat content that gives the ice cream the dreamiest mouthfeel. While it’s probably not a good idea to make a steady diet of it, an occasional treat won’t hurt a thing!
Delta Dairy – Cleveland
In the most charming building, sandwiched between other old downtown buildings, Delta Dairy is the place to go for ice cream, frozen yogurt, Italian ice, and handmade chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches.
Chuck’s Dairy Bar – Rolling Fork
A bastion of resilience, Chuck’s is as important to the community as any other business. In a town that has experienced great adversity (a major tornado nearly wiped out the town a couple of years ago), Chuck’s reopened quickly and provided normalcy when people needed it the most. Grilled burgers and crispy fries are the prerequisites to eating one of Chuck’s delicious hand-dipped ice cream cones.
Walthall County Dairy Festival – Tylertown
Each June, families enjoy this free festival with concerts, ice cream eating contest, tractor and vintage engine show, International Turtle Race, and plenty of free ice cream and milk. To cap off the day, there is a free fireworks display.
Strawberries & Cream Festival – Picayune
This festival is held each spring at the Crosby Arboretum to celebrate the history of the area’s Depression-era strawberry farm. In addition to free ice cream and strawberries, there is live music, crafts, and a cupcake booth where kids can decorate their own cupcakes.
Ice Cream Safari – Jackson Zoo
A wonderful summertime event presented by Blue Bell ice cream and Visit Jackson. Enjoy your favorite flavor while checking out all the animals at the Zoo. Be sure to look for the fun new murals while you’re there.
Bully’s Premium Ice Cream
If you plan on dipping your own ice cream at home, make it a made-in-Mississippi treat with Bully’s Premium Ice Cream produced at Mississippi State University in Starkville. Their School of Dairy Science churns out 25,000 gallons of ice cream annually using the freshest ingredients to produce 16 flavors. The most popular flavor is Muscadine Ripple, produced with grapes grown and harvested at the South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station. Fun fact: it takes 150 gallons of muscadine juice to produce a year’s worth of the Muscadine Ripple ice cream. It is sold by the cup, or in half gallon or three-gallon cartons at the MAFES store on campus.