Email this page  Print this page  Feed

July is National Ice Cream Month, so here are some of our favorite spots to beat the heat.

Traditional or edgy, creamy or icy, scooped or soft-serve: Here are a range of licks to help you keep your cool as the mercury rises:
 
OLD-SCHOOL SCOOPS
 
The Daily Scoop
This East Bay institution shovels everything from coffee to cantaloupe to Grape Nuts and carrot cake at parlors in Barrington and Bristol. All the dairy comes from hormone-free cows and the fruit from local suppliers. For a true taste of summer, try the strawberry: They use two flats of berries in every batch. 230 County Rd., Barrington, 245-0100; 446B Thames St., Bristol, 254-2222, dailyscoopicecream.com
 
Three Sisters
Pop over to the tree-lined oasis of Blackstone Boulevard and indulge in one (or more) of Three Sisters’s hand-churned flavors. Feeling adventurous? Try the Kulfi, a frozen dessert from the Indian subcontinent that incorporates cardamom, cinnamon and pistachio. Its exotic kick may just have you feeling as if you are in an E.M. Forster novel. 1074 Hope St., Providence, 273-7230, threesistersri.com
 
HOLD THE DAIRY
 
Like No Udder
This charming purple truck offers up vegan soft-serve in the traditional flavors of vanilla, chocolate and twist in cups and cones. Like No Udder is the world’s first vegan soft-serve truck, so in addition eschewing dairy, they also avoid using eggs, animal fats or honey. You won’t miss the cream in these artfully swirled desserts made with a soy base, coconut milk and cocoa, among other ingredients. Follow them on Twitter or Facebook to determine the truck’s daily route. 419-8869, like-no-udder.com
 
Nana’s Gelato
Just across from Narragansett Town Beach, you’ll recognize Nana’s by the line of sandy, impatient fans out the door and the aroma of freshly baked waffle cones wafting from inside. While most gelato recipes include milk, all of Nana’s fruit flavors are lactose-free. Try the passion fruit-mango, coconut or the blood orange-raspberry. Nana’s also has a second location near the Block Island Ferry. 28A Pier Market Place, Narragansett; George's of Galilee, 250 Sand Hill Cove Rd., Narragansett, 782-2705, nanasgelato.com
 
A LITTLE BOOZY

Eskimo King
This spot offers more than 200 soft-serve and non-fat yogurt options, as well as two dozen premium hard ice cream varieties. Warning: You may need fifteen minutes just to decide which kind to get! Some of the most interesting (though non-alcoholic) flavors include mojito and margarita. You can even blend flavors to create your own custom one. 29 Market St., Swansea, Mass., 508-379-0202, eskimoking.com

La Laiterie
If you’re lucky, you’ll hit on a night when the menu includes the Dark and Stormy sorbet. A combination of an after-dinner drink and dessert, the sorbet is simultaneously mysterious and comforting. Dark rum, ginger and just a hint of lime will transport you to a catamaran off the coast of Bermuda. 184-188 Wayland Ave., Providence, 274-7177, farmsteadinc.com -JAMIE SAMONS

Photo from Eskimo King