A trip to Gloucester’s Short Lane Ice Cream, an old-timey ice cream parlor, is like stepping into a bygone era. The beloved sweet treat shop is housed in a vernacular, stick-style former general store and post office that dates to 1937. Hand-painted lawn signs point the way to original, swinging shop doors and a space defined by wide-plank floors, warm and welcoming; historic tin-tiled ceilings; vintage advertisements; and a second-story mezzanine filled with retro tables and chairs.
Indulge in specialties like lovingly hand-crafted classic milkshakes, a chocolate banana split, tortoni, or key lime custard. Then there’s the seasonally changing lineup of some 30 ice creams. It’s studded with tastebud-enticing flavors like red velvet cake, butter brickle, dreamsicle, and coffee crunch. Best of all, ingredients are sourced from regional farms.
Photos courtesy of Short Lane Ice Cream. This article originally appeared in the Best of Virginia 2026 issue.
