Which is better – ice cream or gelato? You don’t have to decide – we suggest both! Here’s a tour of some of the sweet shops to check out in Leelanau County.
The Dam Candy Store
Leland
Located in Fishtown, this charming shop is an absolute tradition for visitors and locals alike. Choose from all kinds of sweets, including a melting scoop of ice cream to walk around the Fishtown docks with, a true summer pleasure. Look for flavors like Mighty Mac Peanut Butter or Killer Chocolate (not to mention topping it with every candy imaginable!). Delish!
Laker Shakes Burdickville Market
Maple City
Laker Shakes Burdickville Market has been a Glen Lake tradition for over 30 years. Laker Shakes specializes in local products such as Moomers ice cream, Higher Grounds coffee, Great Lakes Chips, Trish’s Dishes, and many local wines and beers. Try the Cherry Moobilie from Moomers, the Traverse City farm that brings us the ice cream that was once voted No. 1 by Good Morning America, making it a landmark brand name in quiet little Michigan!
Scoops 22/Buchan’s Ice Cream
Suttons Bay
Their new location is next to Northern Lumber, across from Barrels and Barrels in Suttons Bay.
They are serving up Buchan's homemade ice cream, Moomer's homemade ice cream and a number of other delicious frozen treats right in the heart of downtown Suttons Bay. Try their Old Mission Apple Pie ice cream, Lighthouse Cherry ice cream or their Ore-Ragious ice cream “explosion.” (Be sure to visit their u-pick blueberry farm in Traverse City when they are in season.)
The Pine Cone
Glen Arbor
This ice cream shop is packed in the summer and for good reason. The bike rack out front is the first clue – lots of visitors will bike the 4.3 miles from the Dune Climb over to Glen Arbor on the paved Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail for an ice cream break, then back again! Try their chocolate mocha ice cream and loiter in the summer breeze coming off Lake Michigan just a block or so away.
Blue Moon Ice Cream
Cedar
The tell-tale blue roof lets you know you have arrived at Blue Moon! Choose from 20 flavors of premium hand-dipped ice cream, soft serve and no-sugar-added yogurt. They have shakes, malts, flurries, sundaes, homemade waffle cones, hot dogs, chili dogs, brats, polish and BBQ sandwiches. Try one of their icy slushies or glaciers on the hottest of days!
Grocer's Daughter Chocolate Gelato and Sweets Shop
Empire
Here’s that gelato we were talking about!
Grocer’s Daughter may be famous for their chocolate, but their gelato shop has flavors like Ecuadorian milk chocolate, blueberry buttermilk swirl, truffles & sweet cream, fresh lemon sorbet and strawberry rhubarb sorbet. Need we say more? This seasonal sweets shop features housemade gelato, sorbet, cookies, affogatos (a big scoop of vanilla ice cream with a hot espresso shot poured over it), floats, shakes and more. They scoop over 15,000 servings of gelato every season!
There are many more sweets and ice cream shops to be found as you explore the area – dig in and indulge!