If you grew up in Cincinnati — or even in the Midwest — you know that when your favorite neighborhood creamy whip opens its doors summer is here to stay. And while, yes, creamy whip is basically soft-serve ice cream, creamy whip is also the name for where the aforementioned ice cream is served. Real creamy whip must come from a creamy whip (Orange Leaf is not a creamy whip), which generally looks like a shack with a walk-up window and line of little leaguers waiting to order up something sweet after a ballgame.

Here is a list of some the top creamy whips in the Greater Cincinnati area and some of our top tips for what to order there.

Zip Dip 4050 Drew Ave., Westwood Zip Dip literally shines like a beacon of light through the dark — the iconic neon lightning bolt adorning the roof is unmistakable. It was added to the building in 1951 and has been guiding customers through summer heat waves to ice cream salvation ever since. What to order: Everyone loves a classic. The top-seller here is a basic small cone with a twist, but scrap the whole chocolate and vanilla idea. Zip Dip serves an orange and vanilla twist that will make you forget you ever wanted anything else. If you’re looking for more, Zip Dip has a whole heap of ice cream selections from chipwiches to sugar-free yogurt to banana boat parfaits. Those who prefer to drink their ice cream should skip the shakes and opt for a malt instead. Photo: Jesse Fox Photo: Jesse Fox
Putz’s Creamy Whip 2673 Putz Place, Northside Putz’s Creamy Whip has been in the family since the day Constantine and Anna Putz opened their first trolley car walk-up ice cream window in 1938. The Putz as we know it — now in a square concrete structure just down the hill from Mt. Airy Forest — is a scoop of summer nostalgia served with a smile. Not much about this place has changed over the past several decades. Of the current generation, Putz descendant Mindy Borgman has been cranking out cones at the creamy whip for the last 17 years — all on the same Electro-Freeze machine. Another tradition? Putz’s is cash-only. What to order: Despite the hoopla about the vintage ice cream machine and vanilla soft serve, the pineapple sherbet is a must. It is creamy like soft serve and tangy like, well, pineapple. “Face cones” are also a hot commodity at Putz’s. The soft-serve cones are adorned with Necco wafer ears and mysteriously crunchy candy googly eyes. Photo: Sami Stewart
Old Milford Parlor 119 Main St., Milford Old Milford Parlor sits in Old Milford’s historic district filled with vintage shops and quirky eateries. Nick Ganim owns this contemporary, year-round parlor, inspired by his grandfather’s Mt. Washington Bakery, now the Mt. Washington Creamy Whip and Bakery. What to order: Get a classic zebra soft-serve swirl and then select from Old Milford’s wild array of toppings, from a classic Krunch Koat and rainbow sprinkles to marshmallow charms and edible gold flakes (made with real gold…). Photo: Hailey Bollinger Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Loveland Dairy Whip 611 W Loveland Ave., Loveland A former Dairy Whip and hamburger stand that opened on the Fourth of July in the 1950s, Loveland Dairy Whip now specializes in creamy soft serve ice cream made with a thick and creamy Dairyman’s blend. With chocolate, vanilla and twist cones, plus chocolate, cherry and butterscotch dip top — and a cake batter dip top — or sprinkles, the whip offers a taste of nostalgia. They also have a drive-thru. What to order: They claim the Chocolate Mountain, Reese Tulip and Hot Fudge Brownie are their customer favorite parfaits. Photo: The Loveland Dairy Whip Facebook
Mt. Healthy Dairy Bar 7840 Hamilton Ave., Mt. Healthy As far as penny-pinching goes, this ice cream shop offers the most bang for your buck. Mount Healthy Dairy Bar has been serving leaning towers of soft serve for more than 60 years. If you’ve got a monstrous appetite and love a good challenge, they also have a monster sundae that jams three large servings of ice cream, three sundae toppings, four brownie and two bananas into a ginormous bowl for $9. Does a better bargain exist? What to order: While they famously serve two-pound monster cones for dirt cheap, their rotating sherbet flavors are to die for. Right now they’re offering a Shockin’ Strawberry sherbert. Photo: Sami Stewart
Whipty-Do! 2529 Montgomery Road, Maineville Whipty-Do! opened its doors in May of 2009, when owners Joe and Kristen Fields turned their love of ice cream into a colorful brick-and-mortar shop. They began serving blue ice cream in 2010, and customers drive from as far as Columbus and Indianapolis to stock up on the stuff with coolers and dry ice in tow. What to order: Customers tend to get creative with their Whipty-Do! blue ice cream concoctions, taking advantage of the shop’s many topping offerings like rainbow sprinkles, chocolate dip, hot fudge and Fruity Pebbles. Swirl it with vanilla and add a homemade waffle cone or try it in its “iceberg” incarnation — a base of blue ice cream topped with any flavor of slushie (cherry, orange, lime, grape, blue raspberry or strawberry). Photo: Whipty-Do! Facebook
Bold Face Dairy Bar 801 Mt, Hope Ave., E. Price Hill This walk-up urban creamy whip just began sweetening Cincinnati last spring. Helmed by the Grear and Harkins family, the menu includes floats, shakes, gourmet ice pops, smoothies and flurries in addition to soft serve. Cones come in vanilla, chocolate or swirl with toppings like sea salt, sprinkles and strawberry sauce but where things really get creative are their flavor swirls. Among additions like lavender, pistachio and chai tea is bourbon barrel stout, a unique Kentucky-style stand-out. What to order:The Bold Face cone is a swirl in a waffle cone, topped with a 24K gold leaf and covered with chocolate sprinkles. Photo: Bold Face Dairy Bar Facebook
The Cone 6855 Tylersville Road, West Chester West Chester’s The Cone is arguably the most recognizable creamy whip in all of Ohio — partially because of its large ice cream cone-shaped exterior. The Cone’s flavors and ingredients are all natural, the majority of which are made in-house daily with fresh fruit, real chocolate and more. Even their famous bright orange zebra cone is made from real oranges. Plus all their ice creams, yogurts, Italian ices and sherbets are not only all-natural but soy free, gluten free and egg free, and their whipped cream is homemade on a daily basis from scratch. What to order: Their orange-vanilla swirl and footlong cheese coneys were The Cone’s original customer-favorites — and they still offer them. A family recipe since 1972, the orange-vanilla swirl is made fresh daily with a secret all-natural recipe; tastes like a creamsicle. Newer menu items include “Wizzards” — ice cream mixed with candy toppings. Photo: The Cone Facebook
Norwood Delite Creamy Whip 4490 Forest Ave., Norwood This no-frills whip has been in Norwood for 65 years, serving everything from footlongs and barbecue to burgers and ice cream. What to order: If you grew up going to Kings Island as a kid, you probably partook in your fair share of blueberry soft serve at the Huckleberry Dairy in what used to be Hanna-Barbera Land. To relive the nostalgia — and if you can’t swing the $50-plus admission to get today’s version of a blueberry cone — Norwood Delite has you covered. This creamy whip staple offers the famed blueberry soft serve and also has everything from popsicles and sundaes to pickles and more. Photo: Norwood Delite Facebook
Flub’s Dariette 997 Eaton Ave., Hamilton Butler County’s Flub’s Dari-ette has been serving locals for nearly 50 years. Originally named The Dari-ette in 1965, owners Mike and Ann Connaughton changed it to “Flub’s Dariette” in the first year of their ownership. What to order: Cyclones include 35 homemade and unique flavors to choose from. No. 1 on the menu is the “Flub’s Fudge Ripple” — vanilla creamy whip layered with their famous Johnston’s hot fudge and topped with more of the same and then whipped topping and a cherry. Photo: Flub’s Facebook
Mt. Washington Creamy Whip & Bakery 2069 Beechmont Ave., Mt. Washington Nestled on the edge of Mt. Washington sits one of Cincinnati’s most simplified creamy whips. Originally operating as a bakery, this creamy whip scooped its way into the ice cream business roughly 12 years ago. Filled with historic and nostalgic Cincinnati imagery, they offer three flavors of soft serve: vanilla, chocolate and swirl. What to order: Among the three traditional flavors are optional toppings including gummy bears, Butterfinger, Reese’s Cups and more. Their Oreo Malt has the perfect cookie/ice cream ratio. Most recommended is their peanut butter sundaes or shakes, or their weekly flavor offerings. Photo: Mt. Washington Creamy Whip Facebook
Don’s Creamy Whip 1522 Market St., Reading Don Vonderhaar of Vonderhaar Catering opened his creamy whip, “Don’s Creamy Whip,” in March 1976. Considered a hidden gem in Reading, it often has a long line of locals or passersby. Don’s offers not only ice cream but slushies and delicious fast food. What to order: No matter what you order from their extensive menu, the portions will be sure to please. Their most popular menu items are their soft-serve ice cream and “whippers,” similar to Flurries or Blizzards, with your choice of candy swirled perfectly within your favorite ice cream flavor. Photo: Don’s Creamy Whip Facebook
Silver Grove Dari Bar 5178 Mary Ingles Highway, Silver Grove A little walk-up classic creamy whip in Northern Kentucky. What to order: If you’re a fan of Graeter’s black raspberry chocolate chip, opt for one of the Dari Bar’s hot fudge sundaes topped with black raspberry. Or a black raspberry blitz — their take on a Blizzard. In addition to soft serve, the Dari Bar offers burgers, sandwiches, coneys, actually footlong footlongs and cheese fries. Photo: Silver Grove Dari Bar Facebook
The Cone Zone 4104 Harrison Ave., Cheviot This Cheviot walk-up whip and drive-thru offers soft serve, shakes, malts, flurries and eight flavorbursts. What to order: The Cone Zone has classic blue soft serve which you can flavorburst with black raspberry, bubblegum, green apple, butterscotch, strawberry, bloo goo, tropical or orange. Photo: Cone Zone Facebook
General Custer’s Golf and Gulp 3325 Westbourne Drive, Western Hills General Custer’s is a mini-golf spot and creamy whip in one — like the kind of family roadside attraction you might see in Florida. They even have a little bungee jumper harness thing for kids. What to order: The creamy whip here has 35 different flavors, including a fruit-forward Dole flavor of the week. Get your whip in a cone, dish or Cincinnati Reds baseball helmet. And in addition to flurries, slushies, volcanoes (slushies with ice cream in the middles), sundaes, etc., to honor FC Cincinnati, every time they break out their Dole orange flavor, they do a side-by-side twist with Dole orange and Cincinnati’s favorite “blue” flavor. Photo: General Custer’s Facebook