Cincinnati's creamy whips serve up nostalgia
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Creamy whips, including Zip Dip, are a summer staple across town. Photos: Kristen Swilley/Axios
Creamy whips — the old-school, seasonal soft serve ice cream stands scattered across the region — are as much a part of warm weather here as Reds games and neighborhood festivals.
The big picture: Cincinnati has no shortage of the beloved businesses, including Putz's Creamy Whip, which dates back to 1938.
- Other neighborhood favorites include Zip Dip, Loveland Dairy Whip, Mt. Healthy Dairy Bar and Norwood Delite, while Whipty-Do operates farther north in Maineville.
Zoom in: At General Custer's Golf & Gulp on the West Side, owner Carlena Lockhart is carrying on another longtime Cincinnati ice cream tradition.
- Lockhart says the site, which has been a family business since 1958 and an ice cream shop since the early 1980s, pairs soft serve with miniature golf and its collection of larger-than-life characters.
- Lockhart and her husband, who've also operated local ice cream trucks, took over last year.
What they're saying: "The community that comes and supports us and is happy that we're here and keeping it alive … it just makes me happy," Lockhart tells Axios.
- "Everybody comes in. They're happy, and you just don't have unhappy customers."
The intrigue: Part of the charm of Cincinnati's creamy whips is that many feel frozen in time — sometimes literally.
- General Custer's miniature golf course is being remodeled. Lockhart says the work has uncovered pieces of its past, including a long-missing arm belonging to a course dinosaur.
- The arm has been found and will be restored to its rightful owner.
Lockhart's favorite order: The waffle taco ($7) loaded with vanilla ice cream, Butterfinger pieces, butterscotch topping and butterscotch chips.
The bottom line: Plenty changes from one Cincinnati summer to the next. Thankfully, there's usually still a soft serve cone waiting at the window.