Embark on a Cape Cod Ice Cream Tour and Find Your Favorite Scoop

Ask ten people where to find the best ice cream on Cape Cod, and you'll probably get ten very passionate different answers.

Some people won't hear a bad word about Four Seas. Others will defend Sundae School like it's a member of their family. Plenty will tell you Cape Cod Creamery is the only correct answer, while someone else will insist you're all wrong and send you somewhere you've never even heard of.

Our advice? Make it a delicious experiment and decide for yourself! Cape Cod is full of incredible homemade ice cream shops, each with its own personality, signature flavors, and loyal following. Some have been serving scoops for nearly a century. Others are newer additions that have quickly earned a reputation for doing things a little differently. The only way to settle the debate is to taste your way across the Cape with an ice cream crawl.

We've mapped out one of our favorite routes starting right here at our Cape Cod bed and breakfast. Order the kiddie size, pace yourself, and don't forget to let us know who earns your vote when you get back.

·    Four Seas Ice Cream, Centerville. The oldest ice cream shop in Massachusetts.

·    Katie’s Homemade Ice Cream, Hyannis. Scratch-made scoops and creative flavors on Main Street.

·    Cape Cod Creamery, South Yarmouth. The hometown pick, minutes from the inn.

·    Ice Cream Smuggler, East Dennis. A Route 6A institution since 1979.

·    Holy Cow Ice Cream Cafe, Dennis Port. New on the Cape, nationally award-winning.

·    Sundae School, Dennis Port & Harwich Port. A Cape Cod tradition for generations.

·    Schoolhouse Ice Cream, Harwich Port. Super-premium, oversized portions.

·    Buffy’s Ice Cream, Chatham. Tiny Main Street shop, home of Chatham Ice Cream Bars.

·    Ice Cream Cafe, Orleans. Homemade ice cream with options for every diet.

·    Lewis Brothers, Provincetown. The grand finale at the tip of the Cape.

360 S Main St, Centerville

Four Seas Ice Cream opened in 1934 inside an old blacksmith’s barn, which makes it the oldest ice cream shop in Massachusetts. The Warren family ran the legendary spot for over sixty years, but in December 2024, they officially passed the keys (and the top-secret recipe book) to longtime local customers Lesley and Josh McElhattan. Don't worry, though, the transition involved months of meticulous training to ensure everything is still made the exact "Four Seas way."

A few of the recipes date all the way back to the beginning, and they are just as spectacular today. Local favorites include:

·    The Fresh Peach: This was Jackie Kennedy's personal favorite flavor and only appears on the menu when southern peaches are perfectly ripe.

·    Cantaloupe: We know a melon-based ice cream sounds a little unconventional, but trust us on this one.

·    Buttercrunch: Everyone’s favorite! It's rich, buttery, and one of those flavors people order every single visit without even looking at the menu.

568 Main St, Hyannis

Just east of Four Seas, you'll spot Katie’s Homemade Ice Cream. It’s the bright pink building on Main Street in Hyannis that you quite literally cannot miss.

Katie’s is where you go when you want to move past the classic vanilla and chocolate and get a little adventurous. True to their name, absolutely everything here is made completely from scratch in small, homemade batches, and they rotate over forty unique flavors throughout the summer. The flavors everyone talks about are Lavender Honeycomb (it’s bright, botanical, and you will either absolutely love it or pass it to your spouse) and the mysterious Cape Cod Sand. It is their absolute most popular flavor, but good luck finding out what's actually in it; the staff won’t give any hints or descriptions about this secret family recipe. You’ll just have to order a scoop (or a sample) and guess the ingredients yourself.

Now, if you are the type of person who firmly believes that ice cream without chocolate isn't actually ice cream, skip the mystery and order the Cape Cod Mud with a coffee ice cream base woven with deep ribbons of dark chocolate fudge, almonds, Oreo cookies, and chocolate chips.

5 Theater Colony Rd, South Yarmouth

Cape Cod Creamery in South Yarmouth is the original of three family-owned locations (the others are in Hyannis and Dennis), and you'll spot the shop by the blue-and-yellow Adirondack chairs and umbrellas out front. As you read the menu, you’ll notice all the flavors like Woods Hole Walnut, Bayview Beach Brownie, and Cummaquid Coconut are all Cape Cod themed. They make their ice cream with New England dairy, Madagascar vanilla, French cocoa, and Colombian coffee, and you can taste the difference.

1555 MA-6A, South Dennis

The Ice Cream Smuggler has been a Route 6A landmark since 1979, serving up massive scoops to generations of beachgoers.

Before you even get to the counter, you'll notice the giant wooden measuring stick on the wall. Stand next to it, and it'll recommend an ice cream flavor based on your height. Is there any science behind it? Probably not. Is everyone still going to do it anyway? Absolutely.

As for the ice cream, Grape Nut has been a longtime favorite, but if you're having trouble deciding, order the French Raspberry Truffle, a vanilla base swirled with raspberry and packed with dark chocolate raspberry truffles.

They usually have several vegan and dairy-free flavors available, too, so nobody has to miss out.

671 Main St, Dennis Port

Holy Cow is one of the newer names on Cape Cod, but don't let that fool you. They'd already built a loyal following north of Boston before opening their first Cape location in Dennis Port.

They have all the classic favorites, but we'd encourage you to branch out and try one of their more creative flavors.

Their nationally award-winning Ritzy AF combines salted butter cracker ice cream with homemade Ritz toffee bark, and somehow it's every bit as good as it sounds. Cereal Milk, Lunch Lady, and Pistachio Baklava are a few other fun options if you're feeling adventurous. They also have several excellent dairy-free flavors made with a coconut base.

Whatever you order, get it in a waffle cone. They're made to order, so you'll be handed one that's still warm.

381 Lower County Rd, Dennis Port

Some places become traditions without even trying. Sundae School is one of them.

They've been making ice cream in Dennis Port since 1976, and because they’ve perfected their craft, there's a good chance you'll see a line stretching out the door on a warm summer evening. Don't let it scare you off. It moves surprisingly fast, and it’s well worth it.

The hot fudge sundae is the obvious choice if you're in the mood for the full experience. Homemade whipped cream, hot fudge, a cherry on top...sometimes the classics really are the best.

If you're ordering by the scoop, Bass River Mud is one of the local favorites with coffee ice cream, roasted almonds, chocolate chips, and ribbons of fudge. Shark's Tooth, made with black raspberry and white chocolate chips, has its own loyal fan club. And if fresh Peach is on the menu, you won’t be disappointed.

By now you'll probably have a favorite shop...or at least think you do. Don't decide yet. We've still got a few more stops down the Cape.

749 Route 28, Harwich Port

Schoolhouse Ice Cream is just up the road in Harwich Port and has been family-owned since 1996. It’s known for two things: huge portions (a “kiddie” size is what a medium is anywhere else), and super-premium ice cream made with 16% butterfat. The signature flavor is Harwich Mudpie, coffee ice cream studded with chocolate cookie pieces and chocolate-covered almonds. Locals also love Brady’s Bunch Crunch, a playful nod to the town’s most famous football connection. They keep about thirty-five flavors on rotation at any given time, plus low-fat frozen yogurt and dairy-free options.

Schoolhouse Ice Cream takes allergies seriously and offers a detailed allergen guide for guests with dietary concerns. If you have allergies or are ordering for someone who does, it’s always worth checking with the staff before you order so they can walk you through safe options and current flavors.

456 Main Street, Chatham

Buffy’s Ice Cream in Chatham has been the town’s only homemade ice cream shop for nearly thirty years. Buffy’s is especially known for its Chatham Ice Cream Bars: handcrafted ice cream sandwiches made with locally baked cookies. Their milkshakes use three full scoops of ice cream and are widely considered the thickest and one of the best on the Cape.

It's the perfect stop after wandering Chatham's Main Street, especially if you're headed toward Lighthouse Beach or the fish pier.

5 South Orleans Rd, Orleans

If you're traveling with a group, Ice Cream Cafe might be the easiest place to keep everyone happy. They've been serving homemade ice cream in Orleans since 1992, but what really sets them apart is the variety. Alongside more than 30 rotating homemade flavors, they also offer vegan and non-dairy ice cream, dairy-free soft serve, no-sugar-added options, frozen yogurt, sorbets, and clearly labeled allergen-sensitive choices. In other words, no one has to settle while everyone else enjoys a cone.

The flavor board here sticks to the classics, but in the best way. These are the kinds of scoops people come back for year after year. Mint Chocolate Chip, Strawberry, and other familiar favorites keep things simple and satisfying without trying too hard. And for anyone avoiding dairy, the vegan lineup (like Mocha Chip, Sweet Granola, and Coco Mint) are just as delicious.

Their flavors are classics because why change what already works....what they  do well, Mint Chocolate Chip and Strawberry are longtime favorites. Looking for something dairy-free? Their vegan Mocha Chip, Sweet Granola, and Coco Mint prove you don't have to compromise on flavor.

310 Commercial Street, Provincetown

By the time you reach Provincetown, you've officially made it to the final stop. Whether you've already crowned a winner or are still undecided, Lewis Brothers makes for a pretty delicious finish to the crawl. The shop sits on Commercial Street in a building the Lewis family has been connected to for over a century. Brothers Alan and David Lewis opened the ice cream shop in 1997 inside what was once their family’s general store, and they’ve kept much of that old Provincetown charm intact.

A few flavors to look for: their Ginger, originally made for a long-gone Commercial Street restaurant and now a fan favorite, Almond Joy, Grape Nut (a New England classic), and grown-up options like Chocolate Guinness and Limoncello.

Pace yourself. This is a crawl, not a sprint, so don’t overdo it!

Bring cash. Many spots are cash-only, including Schoolhouse, The Smuggler, and the Dennis Port Sundae School.

Plan for the lines. Some of the Cape's most popular ice cream shops regularly have lines on summer evenings, so leave a little extra room in your schedule. They're usually worth the wait.

Try a signature flavor. You can get vanilla anywhere; this is about finding your Cape favorite.

Whether you make it to three shops or all of them, there's really no wrong way to do a Cape Cod ice cream crawl. The fun is discovering which place earns your loyalty.

Book your stay at the Inn on Main and make us your home base for exploring Cape Cod one scoop at a time. When you find your favorite, let us know. We love hearing which shop won you over, and we're always up for a friendly debate over breakfast or around the fire pit in the evening.