It’s officially summer in the Treasure Valley and that famous southwestern Idaho sun is beating down hard. Days spent at the city pool and heading for the mountains for weekend camping trips help beat the heat, but sometimes a sweet treat is all you need to cool off.

        While Popsicles and Otter Pops® from the freezer and the occasional jaunt to the gas station for slushies can do the trick, we sometimes crave the milky goodness only ice cream can provide. Luckily for us, we have a variety of fun local joints to choose from.

        Delsa’s Homemade Ice Cream on Ustick Road in Boise was started by Owen and Delsa Watson in the 1960s. Though the parlour has gone through various owners, closings, and re-openings, it has been able to keep its old-fashioned goodness intact, and still offers such unique flavors as black licorice and huckleberry.

        Donnie Mac’s Trailer Park Cuisine on Grove Street in Boise’s Linen District serves up some yummy frozen custard. While technically not ice cream, it’s worth mentioning! The main difference between the two is that custard is typically made with eggs, giving it a more dense texture. It’s much more popular in the heartland of America’s Midwestern states, and we are lucky to have a local place serving it up.

       Another long-time frozen favorite in the Treasure Valley is Chef Lou’s Famous Idaho Ice Cream Potato. It consists of a tuber-shaped serving of vanilla ice cream rolled in cocoa and topped with whipped cream (to simulate sour cream) and crushed chocolate cookies and nuts (to simulate bacon bits and chives). This quirky Idaho favorite can be found at both the Western Idaho State Fair each August and the Boise Art Museum’s Art in the Park each September, or anytime at Chef Lou’s Westside Drive In on State Street in Boise.

        For an allergen-friendly and one-of-a-kind ice cream experience, try SubZero Ice Cream & Yogurt at the corner of Fairview and Milwaukee in Boise. Choose your own cream mix (dairy, rice milk, almond milk, or soy milk), your own flavorings (more than 20), and watch your order mixed and frozen on the spot using liquid nitrogen.

        There is also the satisfaction of making your own ice cream at home on a hot summer’s day. Below is a sure-fire easy recipe using an ice cream maker.

        So whether you opt to eat your own homemade version in your backyard or throw on your flip-flops and hop in the car and head for a local establishment, there are plenty of ways to satisfy those cravings for a cool treat when your family screams for ice cream!

Writer Amy Pence-Brown has been an ice cream fanatic for as long as she can remember. In fact, her very first job at the age of 14 taught her the magic of swirling up the perfect soft-serve ice cream cone, a talent she is proud to possess.

What are your family’s favorite ice cream flavors? Email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .