Charleston has many places for students and the community to cool off with ice cream during hot summer days.

Ice cream is conveniently located in the dining halls and university food courts including Taylor, Thomas and the Martin Luther King University Union.

However, for off campus ice cream, Dairy Queen, 20 State St., offers a variety of tasty treats such as a waffle bowl sundae, blizzard, banana split and other unique dairy designs.

McDonalds, located at 12 W. Lincoln Ave., also serves ice cream, sundaes, shakes and smoothies. The restaurant offers 50 cent vanilla ice cream cones for anyone looking to budget their money. In addition, McDonalds also offers a nondairy choice with their new fruit shakes.

For anyone interested in a fun twist to ice cream, the Original Burger King in Mattoon serves ice cream cones with small candies on the ice cream to appear as eyes.

Buying and sampling ice cream in these places can make summer more relaxing, but creating homemade ice cream treats can also be something to try.

Donald Baker, a volunteer at the Lincoln Log Cabin, 400 S. Lincoln Highway Road, made ice cream from an ice cream maker.

Baker said he does not make ice cream for a living, but he knows the basic technique and ingredients to add to ice cream.

He said the ice cream-making process involves combining cream mix with ice and salt.

Baker also said people who usually make ice cream use whip cream, eggs, sugar and milk.

He said he used to make homemade ice cream when he grew up on a farm 60 years ago.

Other ice cream and frozen dessert choices in Mattoon include Steak ‘n Shake at 1400 Broadway Ave. and Sonic at 601 Lake Land Blvd.

Dairy Delights, 815 W Jackson St. in Sullivan, is an ice cream parlor.

Tyler Lane, employee of Dairy Delights, said the parlor offers 24 different flavors including butter pecan, black cherry, German chocolate, coffee and pineapple.

He said the most popular flavor is the chocolate-vanilla combination.

For a trip back in time, the Candy Kitchen in Greenup, 123 W. Cumberland in Greenup, has provided old-fashioned homemade ice cream since 1924.

Flavors of ice cream served include cherry vanilla, coffee and birthday cake.

Alesha Bailey can be reached 581-7942 or [email protected].