Travel Tips

Daily Scoop: Hot Licks Homemade Ice Cream in Fairbanks, AK

hot licksHot Licks Homemade Ice Cream

Fairbanks, Alaska 

Hot Licks Homemade Ice Cream opened in Fairbanks, Alaska in 1986, and soon became a popular attraction.

Although it was first a cafe and ice cream shop, in 1997, the owners decided to stop serving food and focus exclusively on homemade ice cream.

Just down the road from the University of Alaska, the shop is committed to preserving the unique feel of Alaska; seating is outdoors with terrific views of the mountains, and the flavors reflect the individuality of the state.

The Aurora Borealis, for example, is a vanilla ice cream with hand-picked blueberries and cranberries blended together.

They even offer ice cream made with beer from Alaska’s Silver Gulch Brewing Company, such as the Silver Gulch Forty Below Stout and the Silver Gulch Cranberry.

Beer isn’t the only unique ingredient in the ice cream at Hot Licks. Other flavors include green tea and chai tea, as well as a traditional coffee flavor.

Hot Licks also makes a White Coffee with added cream, and a Coffee Creole, a blend of coffee and molasses.

All ice cream is made on-site, and if the forty or so flavors offered at the shop still aren’t enough, they even even take requests.

Travelers should be aware, however, that Hot Licks is a seasonal operation, open from May-September.

Check out other ice cream shops around the country that you can visit for National Ice Cream Month.

By Jessica Hobbs for PeterGreenberg.com

Photo Credit: Yelp Reviewers Javier C. and Allan N.