Best Ice Cream in Lake George: Rate Your Cone

The best ice cream in Lake George is a matter of opinion, so settle it yourself: at each shop order a small cone of vanilla, which shows the cream and the texture, then the house flavor. Rate each cone in the Mosey app and answer the Best in town ice cream question.

A resort village built around summer has more places selling cones, sundaes, fudge and candy than it has benches to sit on, and the fun of the trip is choosing. Taste fairly, keep your findings and hand them to the next family that asks.

How do you judge the best ice cream in Lake George?

Use the same test at every shop. Order a small cone of vanilla, then a flavor the shop is known for. Vanilla shows the base: the cream, the sugar and the texture. The house flavor shows the imagination. Eat it before it melts, and note whether the cone is crisp and the scoops are balanced. Compare the cost to the size only after you have compared the taste.

Take a sip of water between stops. Three cones in an afternoon is plenty for most families.

Where are the Lake George ice cream shops?

Along Canada Street and the lakefront, mostly, with a few more on the roads out of the village. The open signs are your best guide. Some shops make their own ice cream, while others scoop a brand, and a good server will say which.

Ask what is made on site, what is seasonal and what people order most.

What about Lake George sweets beyond ice cream?

Candy shops, popcorn, donuts, pastries and cookies fill the street, and a village like this is a good place to eat dessert for lunch. A caramel apple in fall, a warm donut in a cool evening and a bag of salt water taffy for the car ride are all part of the experience. Pick one treat per stop and share it, so you can taste more than you can finish.

Is Lake George fudge worth the line?

Fudge is the village's classic gift, and the good kind is dense, creamy and made in small batches. Ask for a sample, and look at the surface: it should be smooth and slightly glossy, not grainy or dry. Flavors range from chocolate walnut and peanut butter to maple, which is a local touch. A small square is plenty, and a box makes a gift that travels well.

For a regional comparison, the Vermont maple creemees and cheddar guide shows how another lake region eats its sweets.

What are the best Lake George summer treats for children?

The ones that are quick, small and sticky in the right way. A kid-sized cone, a cup of sprinkles and a napkin stack are enough. Bring wipes. Look for a shop with a shady spot to sit and a bathroom nearby. If you have a long day on the water, a cold treat afterward is the reward everyone remembers.

Tags in the app such as Family Friendly and Kid-Friendly are raters' notes, not promises, but they help you pick a shop where a family felt welcome.

What does the app ask in Best in town?

Best in town is a set of quick questions, one at a time, about places near you: coffee, pizza, brunch, burger, bakery, curry, sushi, tacos, ice cream and bar. You pick a place, give stars and move on. It is built for towns with few ratings, which makes it a good fit for a village like this one. Every place you rate helps the next person find somewhere good.

The question for ice cream asks: where is the best ice cream near you? Every answer from a Lake George visitor helps the next one.

What makes one ice cream shop better than another?

Texture, flavor and honesty. A good scoop is dense without being icy, sweet without being cloying and cold enough to hold its shape for the first few licks. Real flavor tastes of the ingredient: vanilla that tastes of vanilla, strawberry that tastes of fruit. Honest means a shop that tells you what is made on site, and does not pretend.

Service counts too. A friendly server who lets you taste before you choose has done half the job. The size of the line matters less than the speed of the line, and a crowd of locals is a better sign than a crowd of tourists. Judge for yourself, and write it down.

How do you rate a cone or a square of fudge?

Rate the shop, then name the dish. Only the place and the stars are required. Add the flavor in your words and say what you would tell a friend: "salted caramel, creamy, no line at four". Add a photo if the cone survived. Tag the friends you shared it with, and they can add their own rating of the same treat.

If you have rated three places of a kind, the app can turn them into a list. Untick any you do not want.

Where next in Lake George?

See the village restaurants guide for a proper meal, or the trip with friends page for a way to settle the question with a group. The US food guides cover other summer towns.

For the rest of the state, start at the Food in New York State page.

After the last scoop, open the Mosey app, answer the ice cream question for the shop you liked best and rate the flavor you would order again.