The warmer weather in NYC means shorts, sun glasses, and ice cream. A lot of ice cream. There are many great parlors in the city, and we happen to be close to quite a few of them. Allow us to take you on a tour of West Village (and surrounding) ice creamy bliss.

1. Van Leeuwen: This is the ultimate spot for a delicious, homemade frozen treat. Not only is the story of this brand’s birth and development sweet, their ice cream is divine. They have unique flavors like honeycomb, or candied ginger, and their ingredients are of the highest quality. They also make a deliciously creamy vegan ice cream for those of you who are vegan or can’t have dairy. Another highlight is their monthly specials. Their flavors are always extremely well thought out, and perfect for each season. The current banana cream pie is exceptional. Make sure to stop by for a scoop this spring or summer!
2. Ample Hills Creamery: Talk about creative flavors, Ample Hills is the most unique and delectable ice cream shop in the city. While they have many addictive, sumptuous flavors, the standout is “The Munchies” without a doubt. This ice cream is pretzel infused and slow churned, and is mixed with actual pretzels, potato chips, and m&m’s to create salty sweet perfection. Other delicious flavors include “Ooey Gooey Butter Cake”, which has homemade cake in it, and their unforgettable, rich Dark Chocolate. Ample Hills distinguishes itself by making all of its mix-ins in house from scratch. For example, if you order their peanut butter flavor, “PB Wins the Cup”, you’re getting homemade peanut butter cups in their homemade vanilla ice cream. Homemade. (Repeated for dramatic effect). Stop by Ample Hills in this hot weather for a delightful afternoon.
   
3.  Big Gay Ice Cream: A West Village classic (although the original location is in the East Village, so you’re covered whichever side of town you’re on), and ranked the #5 ice cream parlor in the world, Big Gay Ice Cream is the best EVER. The ice cream itself is actually creamy soft serve, available in only vanilla or chocolate, keeping things simple. Plus, this shop chooses to shine in their selection of toppings. They have created an unbelievable assortment of sauces, dips, and cones that make their ice cream irresistible. Their most popular dipped cone is called “The Salty Pimp Cone”- classic vanilla soft serve with dulce de leche inside, covered in sea salt and dipped in chocolate. Amazing. And while the cone combinations they’ve made are soft serve perfection embodied, you are also free to make up your own creative treats. Some of the best sauces/toppings to consider (underneath that necessary chocolate dip, of course) include key lime curd, Wasabi pea dust, and bourbon caramel. The staff is also exceptionally friendly, something this business prides itself on. So, enjoy the full experience of this perfect Spring treat! 
4. Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream: Morgenstern’s is definitely the trendiest ice cream parlor around. They are known for their black colored Coconut Ash ice cream, which went viral on social media last summer. It’s beautiful. And delicious.

But fear not, if coconut and/or ash are not your thing, there are plenty of gourmet flavor options available. They categorize their flavors into overarching categories like “chocolates”, “vanillas”, “strawberries”, “caramels”, etc. Each flavor within the category has a cool twist- for instance, the “vanillas” category includes “Madagascar Vanilla”, “Bourbon Vanilla”, “Burnt Honey Vanilla, “French Vanilla”, and “Vanilla Rum Raisin”. The vanilla rum raisin is especially delicious, by the way. The rich toppings offered here will only cost you 50 cents each, so maybe spice up that rum raisin with some chocolate fudge.

These four stellar variations on ice cream heaven are an excellent place for you to start your Spring adventures- enjoy!