Must-try frozen treats around the Triangle

With the hottest summer in a decade, one of the best ways to cool down is with a frozen treat. There are so many options in the Triangle, it is impossible to narrow it down to just one. 

Here are some of the best ice cream rolls, sorbet, gelato and traditional ice cream the Triangle has to offer, based on reccomendations from WRAL viewers and staff. 

FRESH is a family-owned, homemade ice cream shop with four locations around the Triangle: Apex, Cary, Holly Springs and Raleigh. They work with local dairy farms to make FRESH ice cream. The store partners with over 50 different local small businesses to create the many unique flavors they offer. 

Their menu features 18 staple, "everyday" ice cream flavors, such as Olde World Chocolate, Banana Pudding, and Cookies and Cream. In addition to everyday flavors, each store has a special monthly flavor available. 

For July, the specialty flavors include: Firecracker (vanilla cake ice cream with red, white and blue M&Ms), Peach, Oatmeal Cookie, Milkway, and Strawberry Lemonade sorbet [DF]. 

Two Roosters started serving ice cream out of an old truck, and now has eight locations across the Triangle. They are known for their rotating monthly flavors, and their 11 forever flavors. Some of WRAL's employee favorites are Blackberry Hibiscus and Coffee Bourbon. 

In July, Two Roosters is featuring the People's Choice Series. Be sure to check out chocolately delights: Death by Chocolate Brownie, Oreo Lovers, Biscoff S'mores, Salty Peanut Butte Fudge. Other July flavors include Watermelon Sour Patch Sorbet and Lemon Bar.

Andia's is a multiple Voters' Choice Award Winner for best ice cream! This family-owned and James Beard fellow-owned ice cream shop has locations in Cary, Raleigh and as part of the Can Opener Food Truck Park in Durham, which is the only location open seven days a week. Andia's is also known for its seasonal and unique ice cream flavors (like lemon basil sorbet and baklava) and sundaes (like the warm doughnut ice cream sundae) and giant milkshakes!  July's featured flavors include Blue Bubblegum, Butter'd Beer (butterscotch with nutty undertones, Harry Potter inspired), Cantelope Sorbet (made from 100% cantelope), Movie Night (sweet and buttery popcorn ice cream with Twix, M&Ms, and fudge throughout), Nutty Bunch (salty peanut butter, chewy brownies and caramel), and Summer Blues (non-dairy, lemon with blueberry and coconut). They also offer a variety of ice cream cakes, and you can even create your own custom photo cake. 

This Durham ice creamery is anything but vanilla. They are anything ON vanilla. Check out Simons Says Dip This. They offer vanilla ice cream on a sugar cone, and 24 flavors to dip your ice cream in to make a unique or classic combination. 

Try the Dulce de Leche cheesecake, dipped with cheesecake, topped with Cinnamon Toast Crunch, a caramel core and drizzled with caramel, or the MVP with fudge core, cookies n' cream dip, and covered with crushed oreos. 

In addition to the dipped cones, they also offer soda floats, stuffed cookies, and freeze-dried candy.

This North Carolina State University ice cream used to only be available to the public once a year at the N.C. State Fair. Now, you can get their ice cream in the freezer section of some Raleigh grocery stores, and you can enjoy ice cream at their shop, the Howling Cow Dairy Education Center and Creamery.

The facility is proudly student operated, located right on the dairy farm that provides the milk for the dairy products they sell in stores. The menu there includes cups, pints and tubs of their own curated flavors, including mocha swirl, wolf tracks and 4-H campfire delight.  

Raleigh Rolls was inspired by travels to Southeast Asia. Located in Raleigh's Morgan Street Food Hall, their 'sundae-esque' take on creative ice cream rolls. Their most popular flavors include Grandma's Nanner Puddin', a mix of banana and vanilla wafers, topped with wafers, sliced banana and topped with whipped cream. 

Make your own flavors offer 16 mix-in ingredients and 10 topping options. They also have their own take on a waffle cone: the waffle taco. Choose any flavor to fill a waffle taco and top with delicious toppings.

Kids love ice cream sandwiches, and Captain Cookie and The Milkman serves up fresh, made-from-scratch cookies and dairy from local creameries. Their ice cream sandwiches are made to order, so you can choose your favorite flavor of ice cream and your favorite type of cookie.

Their edible cookie dough jars come in five different flavors: chocolate chip, sugar, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, and snickerdoodle. Their milkshakes are also available in three flavors: vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. 

The Parlour in Durham will transport you back to a classic diner scene. This pink and white shop makes their ice cream with 18% butterfat and the best quality ingredients. They also make all their pastries and most of their toppings from scratch.

They offer plenty of vegan options, including baked treats. Their flagship downtown Durham shop features housemade baked goods and espresso drinks in addition to their renowned ice cream, as well as ice cream cakes and more. 

Want more ice cream options? Check out our continously updated list of some of the best ice creams to check out in the Triangle!

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice is a vibrant, fun spot in Wake Forest that serves up authentic Italian ice, creamy soft ice cream, and gelato. Owners Ryan and Lauren Henriquez opened the shop with the goal of creating long-lasting memories for future generations and making a positive impact on the community.

LocoPops is best known for where they began: pops! This family-friendly spot, with a wrap-around porch and big backyard, serves Mexican-style, locally made and hand-crafted frozen pops, ice cream, baked goods and coffee. They have tons of flavors from fruity to chocolatey. And if you want a spot to just look around and buy a knick-knack? Their Durham location sources local and national items alongside their ice cream parlour so you can grab a sweet treat and a memento to remember your time at LocoPops.  

Yopop Frozen Yogurt is a great place to go for a healthy snack or a sweet treat. Nothing can be better than eating tasty frozen yogurt, froyo and ice cream. They have various flavors, including blueberry, lychee, chocolate, mango and more. Yopop has locations in Cary and Chapel Hill.  

Though best known among local s for their milk teas, Milk Lab Cafe offers tons of options for fruit teas, lattes, rolled ice cream and more! They use fresh fruit, real juice, fresh milk and the finest grade tea sourced from authentic tea farms. They have multiple locations in Raleigh and Durham.  

Geluna Gelato makes its gelato the artisanal Italian way. The fresh batches use local milk and cream. The shop is located in downtown Cary and offers a taste of its locally-made gelato. The owners of Geluna Gelato studied at Carpigiani Gelato University in Italy before studying with a master gelato maker. They serve many flavors including sea salt caramel, strawberry and cream, and ruby stracciatella pints.

Sunset Slush is made with fresh, all-natural ingredients and is free of artificial flavors, colors and preservatives. The ice is also dairy-free and gluten-free, making it a delicious and healthy treat for everyone to enjoy. Whether you're looking for a classic flavor like lemon or strawberry, or something more unique like watermelon mojito or blueberry cheesecake, Sunset Slush in Garner has an Italian ice for you.  

New Orleans' style shaved ice snow cones are the specialty at Pelican's. We love their flavor combos like Shark Attack (Sour Tsunami and Tiger's Blook with a shark gummy). There are more than 100 flavors to choose from and you can add cream to any flavor. Vanilla snocream is a great option if you are craving an ice cream-like treat. Pelican's has locations in Durham, Knightdale, Wendell, Wake Forest, Raleigh, Clayton and Apex.  

Summer is a time to enjoy the outdoors, but it's important to stay cool even when you're having fun. There are many ways to do this, so find what works best for you and stay safe in the heat.