Ice cream season in Tennessee does not end when the pools close. Cooler days actually make a cone easier to enjoy, since nothing drips down your hand before you finish it.
This list covers seven shops across the state that keep scooping well into autumn, from working dairy farms to a famous factory tour to a downtown Knoxville favorite. Pull on a flannel, pick a stop, and plan a weekend drive around a waffle cone.
1. Nash Family Creamery, Chapel Hill, TN
Few ice cream shops can point to the cows behind the cone. At Nash Family Creamery, the ice cream and cheese start with milk from the family’s own dairy herd.
The shop sits along US-41A North in Chapel Hill, with a country setting and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Waffle cones are made fresh, and the ice cream is made on site.
Flavors run from salted caramel swirl and banana cream to birthday cake, coffee, and blueberry cheesecake. Scoops come generous, so a single may be plenty.
If you want something savory first, the menu also features gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches made with that farm cheese. Coffee is on hand too, which suits a chilly afternoon.
Hours run Tuesday through Thursday from 11 AM to 8 PM, Friday and Saturday until 9 PM, and Sunday until 7 PM. It closes Mondays, and weekday visits are the calmest choice.
2. Little Lou’s Creamery at Horse Creek Farms- Dairy, Chuckey, TN
Here is a fun fact to share in the car: Horse Creek Farms in Greene County calls itself the oldest farm and the oldest dairy in Tennessee. It is still a working dairy, milking Guernsey, Jersey, Holstein, and Brown Swiss cows.
Little Lou’s Creamery is the farm’s newer ice cream and sandwich shop. Waffle cones and milkshakes are popular picks, and pricing is easy to remember at about $4 for one scoop and $6 for two.
The farm also offers seasonal produce, events through the year, and group tours for both large and small groups. That makes it a smart fall outing for homeschool co-ops or families who want to see where dairy actually comes from.
Dogs are allowed, and parking is free. Plan around the schedule: Thursday through Saturday from noon to 8 PM and Sunday from 1 to 7 PM, with Monday through Wednesday closed.
3. Mayfield Dairy, Athens, TN
A factory tour that ends with a big scoop of ice cream is a hard deal to beat. Mayfield Dairy’s visitor center in Athens has offered exactly that for years.
The tour explains how milk is processed into ice cream and includes a look at the milk jug production line. Nostalgic displays and signs cover the dairy’s history and the size of the operation.
Admission is low, around five dollars, and includes a cone or cup with a choice of flavors. The scoops are famously oversized.
I would save this one for a school day off or a rainy fall afternoon, since much of it happens indoors. Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM and Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM.
It closes Wednesdays and Sundays, and parking is free.
4. Cruze Farm Ice Cream – Downtown Knoxville, Knoxville, TN
Spot the red-and-white storefront on South Gay Street and you have found Cruze Farm. The colorful shop is one of the easiest ice cream stops in downtown Knoxville.
Cruze Farm is known for freshly churned soft serve made in small batches from its East Tennessee farm dairy. Order it in a cup, waffle cone, cake cone, or as a shake.
Seasonal flavors rotate through, and the menu covers hot fudge sundaes and cookies and cream milkshakes. Espresso and hot chocolate make it a good match for cool fall nights.
It keeps late hours every day, opening at noon most days and 11 AM on Saturday, then closing at 10 PM or 10:30 PM. Weekday afternoons are quieter than weekend evenings, which fill up fast after dinner downtown.
5. SWEETWATER CREAMERY LLC, Sweetwater, TN
Blackberry cobbler in a cone sounds like a fall dessert mashup, and Sweetwater Creamery makes it happen. Mudslide is another flavor that stands out on the board.
The vintage parlor on Morris Street East has a farm-themed look and plenty of seating. The homemade ice cream is dense and creamy, served in fresh waffle cones that come out hot.
Portions run large. Even a small scoop is hearty, so order with that in mind.
Free Wi-Fi and coffee make it an easy pause on an Interstate 75 road trip between Knoxville and Chattanooga. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 AM to 8 PM and Sunday from 12:15 to 5 PM, closed Mondays.
6. The Apple Valley Creamery, Sevierville, TN
Smoky Mountain trips in October tend to start early, and so does this creamery. The Apple Valley Creamery opens at 9 AM every day.
The shop serves house-made ice cream in a wide range of flavors. Banana pudding and butter pecan are two favorites, and samples come generous.
House-baked pastries and cookies share the case, along with apple cobbler. That apple theme fits the season nicely.
It sits on Apple Valley Road in Sevierville, convenient for anyone heading toward Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg. Parking is free.
Hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 AM to 6 PM and Sunday until 5:30 PM. Prices lean a bit higher, so this works best as a planned treat.
7. The Creamery Fork of the South, Franklin, TN
Finding this shop takes a little attention. The Creamery sits inside Fork of the South Under the Smokestack, behind the main building at 230 Franklin Road in Franklin.
All the ice cream is made in house. The homemade waffle cones get just as much attention as the scoops.
Milkshakes are the other big draw, thick and handcrafted with quality ingredients. Coffee is available for anyone who wants something warm alongside.
The shop stays open daily, Monday through Thursday from 11 AM to 7 PM, Friday until 8 PM, Saturday from 9 AM to 8 PM, and Sunday until 7 PM. It pairs well with a fall stroll around Franklin.
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