Nolensville Pike is well-established as a diverse culinary force in Nashville, with its bevy of international restaurants and an especially deep bench of Mexican food offerings.

• Fueled by reader suggestions, we learned that Nolensville Pike has turned into a one-of-a-kind ice cream alley with several fantastic mom-and-pop shops worth checking out.

Driving the news: We asked readers last month for the best ice cream shops in town, and then took on the task of testing them out.

• It's gritty work, but someone had to do it.

Zoom in: Three of Nashville's best ice cream shops are located on or near the Nolensville corridor.

Adam's favorite: The ice cream stand inside Uptown Fresh Market

• Reader Mark M. called this blink-and-you'll-miss-it stand next to the dairy aisle "stunningly good." He was not wrong.
• We tested several flavors, and our pick for the best of the bunch might surprise you: rice pudding. The texture was silky smooth, and the cinnamon was a perfect accent for the rich spoonful.

Nate's favorite: La Michoacana Premium #1

• This suggestion came from reader Bridget L., who singled out the mangonadas on the menu as a "sweet, spicy, salty, mango ice thing."
• La Michoacana Premium #1, located at 3763 Nolensville Pike, has dozens of different flavors of popsicles, ice cream bars and ice cream.
• Nate, who has a 10-year-old's taste when it comes to ice cream, got the cotton candy bar. It was cream-based and loaded with marshmallows, so it was amazing. There are also juice-based bars and other dairy-free options.

Third up along Nolensville Pike is The Ice Cream Bar. Reader Mark E. described the "assault on the senses" when you walk in and experience bright colors everywhere, including piñatas hanging overhead.

• Despite the colorful decor, The Ice Cream Bar is best known for its subtle flavors. Mark liked the corn-flavored ice cream.

🍦 Yes, and: Other ice cream shops also got readers' love. Nate and his family visited East Nashville standard Sip Cafe, recommended by Randy R.

• Four enormous cones cost $17. The orange sorbet was the biggest hit.

☕ Readers also singled out Hattie Jane's Creamery, which has a downtown location, and the ever-classic Bobbie's Dairy Dip.

• Adam bought a pint of Hattie Jane's Mulekick flavor, which is steeped in Muletown coffee beans. He can't tell if he's vibrating from the sugar rush or the caffeine.

🗺 Reader Jessica Y. even provided a road map to branch out beyond Nashville for ice cream by visiting the Tennessee Ice Cream Trail.

Home sales in the Nashville area decreased significantly last month, with closings down 8% compared to June 2021, according to an analysis from Greater Nashville Realtors.

Why it matters: Experts say the slowdown could offer some breathing room for frustrated buyers under tremendous pressure to pounce on listings with quick offers before they disappear.

• "Buyers have more time to find the right property and may be able to negotiate for more items like property repairs and closing costs," Greater Nashville Realtors president Steve Jolly said in a statement.

Between the lines: The drop in closings also reflects the impact of rising interest rates and home costs.

The big picture: Brad Copeland, the president-elect of Greater Nashville Realtors, tells Axios the market seems to be "normalizing a little bit" after a red-hot period.

• He's already seen houses staying on the market longer. And some sellers who priced aggressively at the peak are now beginning to offer discounts.

Yes, but: Area home costs are still rising even as sales slow. The median price for a single-family home hit $495,070 in June, up from $415,000 a year ago.

Zoom in: While residential sales are down, long-term figures show the demand for condos has increased.

• Copeland says that trend is driven by buyers who are looking for better values after they were priced out of single-family homes.
• "We do expect to see that continue because we believe prices are going to remain firm," Copeland says.

❗Metro Health reported Nashville's first known case of monkeypox on Thursday. (WPLN)

🏥 Federal officials are proposing significant changes to TennCare's block grant program. (Tennessean)

🎧 A pediatric neurosurgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center appeared on "Fresh Air," where he discussed life-and-death conversations, assault weapons and a post-Roe landscape. (NPR)

Nashville Mayor John Cooper is bulking up his press shop with the hiring of Chris Echegaray as head speech writer and the promotion of Brandon Marshall to deputy communications director.

• Marshall has worked in the mayor's office since 2019, previously serving as digital director and LGBTQ liaison.
• Echegaray previously worked for Metro Nashville Public Schools. He's a former reporter at the Tennessean and the Tampa Tribune.

Why it matters: Marshall and Echegaray join the communications staff led by TJ Ducklo, who started in April.

• The new team comes ahead of the highly anticipated announcement of a deal with the Titans to build a new stadium. That project will generate significant media coverage and must be approved by the Metro Council, making the communications strategy vitally important.

Yes, but: While the communications team is adding, the economic development team is subtracting.

• Courtney Pogue, the top economic development official, resigned last week.
• He previously expressed frustration about the Nashville government's "lack of focus on small business, entrepreneurship and workforce development" when compared to attracting bigger employers.

🚫 A new career is unstoppable with our Local Job Board.

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Civil rights activist Diane Nash's work took her from the steps of the Metro Courthouse to the White House, where she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom yesterday.