National Ice Cream Day: Fulfilling Your Civic Duty One Scoop at a Time

National Ice Cream Day:: Fulfilling Your Civic Duty One Scoop at a Time | Houston Moms Blog

Back in 1984, then President Ronald Reagan named every third Sunday in July National Ice Cream Day. It is not like we need an excuse to enjoy ice cream, but knowing there is an actual official declaration to eat ice cream makes it easier to enjoy the consumption of this sugary confection and also justify the calories. So let’s all just file National Ice Cream Day under civic duty.

While there is no limit to the ways in which we might choose to recognize the day, it never hurts to have a starter kit to get you thinking. So… here you go.

The LET’S EAT Kinds of Celebration of Ice Cream

Ice Cream Crawl(ing): Creating a Fully Family Experience. Like a bar crawl. Hopping from one site to another. But child friendly. And where everyone is able to participate because there is no need for a designated driver. So that I could properly advise the masses, I sacrificed my diet for the day and engaged in a practice ice cream crawl. Yes. I did it for… you. Wink. Tips follow.

One. Preparation. Research and locate the ice cream shops you wish to visit and map out a plan for conquering your list. Suggestion: The next time your kids say they are bored, give them this project. Put them on research. Have them report why they selected each shop. Once approved, they can create a route and let you know how much time will be required {ordering/eating time included} on the family journey towards ice cream wasted. No need to limit your day to ice cream; visit some of Houston’s hot spots as you move around the city.

Two. Know Your Limits. Order the smallest sizes of different flavors and never eat a whole serving. Failure to abide by this rule will likely result in premature wasted(ness) and subsequently – failure to complete the crawl. Suggestion: Make sure you and your vehicle are crawl ready. Things you might want to have on hand… baby wipes/hand sanitizer, napkins or paper towels and Lactaid. Yep, I said it.

Three. Documentation. Have everyone score the ice cream shops and flavors sampled. At the end of the journey, tally up the scores and declare a winner. Suggestion: Preprint score cards and make sure you have pens or pencils on hand for each crawl team member. For my fellow members of club #TeamTooMuch, here is a printable scorecard.


Favorite Ice Cream Shops in and around Houston

  1. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams– I first encountered a Jeni’s scoop shop while visiting Atlanta, Georgia. Went by for dessert after dinner one night and was immediately hooked. This ice cream is goooood, y’all. Try the flight so you can get a bunch of flavors. My current favorite is the raspberry rose jelly donut.
  2. milk+sugar– the brainchild of a husband and wife duo, these self-proclaimed “ice cream enthusiasts” thought of flavor combos that they personally enjoyed and set out to create them. I like all of their flavors but Thai tea and “hello, summer!” are my absolute favorites. Stop by and support local by purchasing one of these cool treats!
  3. Flower & Cream– another local favorite. Their mix-ins are made in house and their ingredients are sourced from the area whenever possible. I love their honey roasted strawberry ice cream. Try a scoop in a fun waffle cone!
  4. Fat Cat Creamery– here’s another place that specializes in small batch ice cream crafted with local ingredients. Their Amaya coffee & cream flavor ice cream is indisputably the best coffee ice cream I’ve ever had in town.
  5. Hank’s Ice Cream Parlor– Hank’s is a family owned shop that opened in 1985. 18 flavors are available each day {closed on Mondays}. You know it’s good when Queen Bey has been here! Run, don’t walk, and get yourself some banana pudding in a waffle cone. Their famous butter pecan is also popular!
  6. SomiSomi– super creamy and delicious soft serve ice cream. I would spend every day of the summer here if I could. Their ah-boong {Korean taiyaki} is a fun add on; try the custard!


Other Ideas to Celebrate National Ice Cream Day

Blue Bell Road Trip. Brenham, home of Blue Bell ice cream, is only a hop, skip and jump from Houston. The Country Store, Ice Cream Parlor and Visitors Center is open M-F, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Saturdays in June, July and August, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Homemade Ice Cream. Make it a family fun day by cooking up – or rather freezing up some of your own ice cream. Amazon has a wide selection of ice cream maker options. One in particular caught my attention. The Yaylabs Softshell Ice Cream Ball has the potential to be fun for kids and functional – so I was instantly intrigued. However… after further consideration, I am also concerned that all the tossing, rolling and time necessary to freeze the ice cream might also result in pedi-frustration, child to child combat or abandonment of the pedi duty station. If any of these events were to occur, I would likely not get to eat the ice cream. Yet another problem. Also, anything with fewer than 4.5 Amazon stars is suspect in my experience. But, if anyone gives it a try – I would love to know the scoop. Pun intended.

Buy a bunch of pints. Seriously do this. And we’ve already done some of the legwork for you with our favorite swoon worthy store-purchased treats. If you are looking for additional frozen treats to add to your selections, these six are all kid-approved and certain to help cool you down this summer.

However you choose to celebrate – remember it is your duty… to consume ice cream. Your country is depending on you and I am pretty sure the calories don’t even count under these conditions. Enjoy.

National Ice Cream Day:: Fulfilling Your Civic Duty One Scoop at a Time | Houston Moms Blog

Confession: The photo is my ice cream crawl winner. I couldn’t help myself. I broke the rule. I ate the whole bowl. Sorry not sorry.


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Joi Bailey Green
Joi was born and raised in San Antonio. After a brief pit stop at the University of Texas in Austin, Joi moved to Houston in 1994 and began checking boxes off her never ending to do list. During this time and in no particular order, Joi taught a little bit of everything between first and eighth grades, got married and then divorced, completed grad school, birthed a few babies – Ferris {November 1997}, Warren {December 1999} and Laylah {March 2006}, moved an old lady into her home – Granny {January 1925} started working in Human Resources, served an excessive amount of time (on boards, in booster clubs, team momming) as a crazy sports momma, and learned a lot of life lessons. Joi is known for her unabashed honesty, always present sense of humor and her #TeamTooMuch style of doing everything. On most days, you can find her caught up in her love/hate relationship with politics, feeding her Facebook addiction, or counting the number of days until her last child graduates from high school.

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