Best ice cream in North Carolina

 It's hard to find bad ice cream -- but when it's good, it's so good! We've been taste-testing to find the best locally made ice cream in the area. 

These shops are taking ice cream to a new level of tastiness. Many of these have also been finalists and winners in the WRAL Voters' Choice Awards.

Andia's, which has shops in Cary and Raleigh and a food truck location in Durham, has taken home national honors for its French vanilla ice cream. The shop is also known for its unique ice cream flavors (like lemon basil sorbet and baklava) and sundaes (like the warm doughnut ice cream sundae). They have also won the WRAL Voters' Choice Award for best ice cream.

Where to find Andia's: 

• 10120 Green Level Church Rd, #208, Cary
• 1008 Ryan Road, Cary
• Raleigh Iron Works: 2201 Iron Works Drive, Suite 129, Raleigh
• The Can Opener Food Truck Park: 205 S Gregson Street, Durham, NC 27701

Two Roosters is also known for creative ice cream flavors like margarita, blackberry hibiscus and butterscotch haystack. Of course, their classic flavors are amazing too! They have three Raleigh locations, plus locations in Durham, Wake Forest and Cary. This shop is a multiple WRAL Voters' Choice Award winner for best local ice cream.

Where to find Two Roosters:

• At a game: The Lenovo Center and Durham Bulls games
• Greystone Village: 7713 Lead Mine Road, Raleigh 
• Person Street Plaza: 215 E. Franklin St., Raleigh 
• Lake Boone Trail: 4025 Lake Boone Trail,Raleigh
• Golden Belt Campus: 800 Taylor St., Durham
• The Factory: 1839 S. Main St., Wake Forest 
• Waverly Place: 302 Colonades Way, Cary

Lumpy's features ice cream made with locally-sourced ingredients. It is known for its waffle cones and amazing gingerbread sundae. Lumpy's has been a finalist for the WRAL Voters' Choice Award for best local ice cream.

Where to find Lumpy's: 306 E Wait Ave, Wake Forest

Mama Bird's Cookies + Cream has its flagship location in Holly Springs. An Apex location is also in the works. 

The shop features custard-style ice cream with a rotating selection of flavors featuring scratch-made ingredients. You can also find cookies, cobbler, chocolate-covered bananas, ice cream cookie sandwiches and brownies. Yum!  

Where to find Mama Bird's Ice cream: 304 North Main St., Holly Springs

Sunni Sky's features more than 100 homemade flavors. The cash-only shop is known for its tasty flavors like banana pudding and Rice Krispy Treat as well as one of the spiciest ice creams around. Cold Sweat features some of the hottest peppers in the world -- visitors even need to sign a liability waiver to try it!

Where to find Sunni Sky's: 8617 NC-55 in Angier

We love this Bull City ice cream shop with its unique flavors like Honey Ricotta and Summer Corn with Blueberry Swirl.

Where to find The Parlour: 117 Market St., Durham

Sisters II Ice Cream scoops up happiness with a delightful selection of flavors! They churn out all their ice cream in-house, ensuring fresh taste and quality. While they don't have a constantly rotating selection by the pint like some shops, they do feature seasonal specialties alongside their classic favorites.

Sisters II Ice Cream started with a dream. Deborah Davis longed for a mobile ice cream business. When Kay Wood, co-owner of Sister's Cake "N Cream" trailer, sadly passed away, Rose Allen, the other co-owner, decided to sell. Deborah, wanting to honor Kay's memory and the "Sisters" legacy, bought the trailer. Sisters II Ice Cream was born, symbolizing a new chapter that keeps the spirit of the original business alive.

Where to find Sisters II Ice Cream: 108 S Market St., Benson

Celtic Creamery is a fusion of an Irish and American desire to bring this truly unique ice cream across the Atlantic from Ireland to the USA. They use fresh cream and all-natural ingredients to craft a daily selection of 14 rotating ice cream flavors. Craving something more? Pair your scoop with a hot, made-to-order donut, a decadent sundae, or a classic banana split. They also offer refreshing Celtic blend coffee, milkshakes, and pints to go, so you can enjoy our deliciousness at home.

Where to find Celtic Creamery:257 N.C. Highway 210, Smithfield

Located at Carolina Beach, this ice cream shop serves more than 4,000 flavors of homemade ice cream. They can create so many flavors by using their trademark method known as "The Squigley." It is a real vanilla ice cream base that includes two to three items mixed together into a custom flavor. 

Where to find Squigley's: 208 Lake Park Blvd., Carolina Beach