Ice cream is a funny thing. Unlike crabcakes and pizza (where most people generally agree on who is best), ice cream is incredibly subjective. You might like one shop because you grew up going there. I might like another because they have a flavor I can't find anywhere else.
For this reason, we'd never attempt to rank Howard County's ice cream shops. But we will attempt to describe them in the hope of helping you find the right one for you. And the good news: no matter which village or corner of the county you're in, a cone is never more than about 15 minutes away.
P.S. We're listing these roughly by area – Columbia first, then Ellicott City, then the outskirts.
Long story short
In Columbia: The Charmery (Merriweather District), The Meadows Original Frozen Custard (Hickory Ridge), and Pete's Snowballs (Old Montgomery Rd). In Ellicott City: The Crazy Mason (Main St), Soft Stuff, Kyoto Matcha, Park Ridge Creamery, and Ky Ky's Hawaiian Ice. Plus Cindy's Soft Serve in Elkridge and Decadent Dessert Bar in Maple Lawn.
Last updated: July 2026
📍 The Charmery – Baltimore-born, Columbia-approved
The Charmery expanded from Baltimore to the Merriweather District in 2021, and it's been a post-dinner-stroll staple ever since. The flavors lean creative and proudly Maryland: Maryland Mud, Malty Vanilla Chip, and an Old Bay Caramel. Old Bay works on everything.
Address: 6000 Merriweather Dr, Suite B185, Columbia, MD 21044
Website: thecharmery.com
Will be your favorite if. . .
You order the weirdest flavor on the board on principle, and you like your ice cream with a side of people-watching.
📍 The Meadows Original Frozen Custard – The custard converts' clubhouse
If you've never had frozen custard, this Hickory Ridge shop is your sign. It's smoother and richer than regular ice cream, and the menu is genuinely original – handmade apple dumplings, thick shakes, and the legendary Turtle: vanilla custard, caramel, pecans, and hot fudge.
Address: 6470 Freetown Rd #205, Columbia, MD 21044
Will be your favorite if. . .
You think regular ice cream is fine but you've always suspected there's something better out there. There is. It's called a Turtle.
📍 Pete's Snowballs – Maryland summer, distilled
Ok ok ok this isn't ice cream. Sue me (JK please don't). Snowballs are Maryland's official unofficial summer food, and Pete's does them right. Greek-American owned, they press their own olives and make their own honey that works its way into the flavors. Go classic egg custard with marshmallow, or add ice cream in the middle – a genuinely genius move.
Address: 9220 Old Montgomery Rd, Columbia, MD 21045
Will be your favorite if. . .
You measure summer in snowballs consumed, not weeks until school, and you have strong opinions about marshmallow topping (the correct opinion: yes).
📍 The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar – Old Ellicott City's showstopper
Extravagant milkshakes topped with entire donuts, cookies, waffle wedges, slices of cake, or cotton candy – served in a mason jar you keep as a souvenir. It's over the top by design.
Address: 8225 Main St, Ellicott City, MD 21043
Website: thecrazymason.com
Will be your favorite if. . .
Your camera roll is 40% food photos and you believe dessert should be an event.
📍 Soft Stuff Ice Cream – The flavor burst specialists
A Route 40 institution. The soft serve is always solid, but the signature move is the flavor burst: a tall cone of creamy vanilla ribboned with one of eight flavor options (the mocha cappuccino has a devoted following). Pretty AND tasty.
Address: 10039 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21042
Will be your favorite if. . .
You're loyal to soft serve but bored of the chocolate-vanilla-twist trinity.
📍 Kyoto Matcha – Tea-flavored treats
Not your typical scoop shop. Kyoto Matcha is known for its matcha soft serve – in a cone, a cup, or a full parfait – plus Japanese-style crepe cakes and refreshing iced teas and slushes. Smooth, photogenic, and different from everything else on this list.
Address: 10045 Baltimore National Pike, Suite A6, Ellicott City, MD 21042
Will be your favorite if. . .
Your ideal sweetness level is "subtle" and your ideal aesthetic is "serene."
📍 Park Ridge Creamery – Taharka Brothers, close to home
This Ellicott City spot scoops Taharka Brothers ice cream, made nearby in Baltimore – which means seriously good hard-scoop without the drive. A frequent answer when HoCo locals argue about the county's best scoop.
Address: 3741 Hamilton St, Ellicott City, MD 21043
Will be your favorite if. . .
You care where your ice cream is made and "local" is your favorite flavor.
📍 Ky Ky's Hawaiian Ice – The tropical option
Colorful shaved ice and soft serve in the same shopping area as HoCo BrewHive. When it's 97 degrees and humid, nothing beats it.
Address: 4892 MD-104, Ellicott City, MD 21043
Will be your favorite if. . .
You'd rather be on a beach, and you'll take any 10-minute vacation you can get.
📍 Cindy's Soft Serve – The retro roadside stand
Stepping up to Cindy's window in Elkridge feels like a time capsule, in the best way. Classic soft serve, sundaes, and snowballs with that old-school roadside stand charm. A vanilla cone dipped in chocolate here is summer in a swirl.
Address: 6330 Washington Blvd, Elkridge, MD 21075
Will be your favorite if. . .
You think ice cream tastes better standing in a parking lot at dusk. (You're right.)
More scoops around the county
Decadent Dessert Bar (Maple Lawn) – Family-owned bakery and cafe with small-batch gelato made daily.
EC Diner (10055 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City) – Colossal "extreme" milkshakes topped with entire slices of cake.
Siroo & Juk Story (Ellicott City Koreatown) – Korean shaved ice with strawberry, mango, and red bean toppings.
Rita's Italian Ice (Ellicott City and around the county) – The Gelati is the move.
Cold Stone Creamery (Jessup) – Mix-ins on the frozen granite stone, 30+ years running.
However you celebrate National Ice Cream Day (Sunday, July 19 – yes, it's real), Howard County has you covered.
