Dare I say summer is drawing to a close. Kids of all ages are heading back to school, vacations are winding down, and this weekend is Labor Day, the final fling of summer 2014! With that I thought I'd put together a few fun facts about our favorite summer treat:

According to the Huffington Post, these are the top 13 ice cream flavors of summer 2014 (brands included):

1. Ample Hills' The Munchies
2. Ample Hills' Snap Mallow Pop
3. Jeni's Brambleberry Crisp
4. Ample Hills' Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
5. Graeter's Elena's Blueberry Pie
6. Jeni's Pistachio and Honey
7. McConnell's Eureka Lemon and Marion Berries
8. Snoqualmie's Ginger
9. Ben & Jerry's Hazed and Confused
10. Steve's NOLA Coffee and Doughnuts
11. Van Leeuwen Earl Grey Tea
12. Snoqualimie's Cascade Mountain Blackberry
13. McConnell's Churros Con Leche

After reading this, I definitely need more of summer to taste all of these super flavors! Not to mention a couple of plane tickets! Jeni's is in our neck of the woods, so this might become my Labor Day weekend visit. For some very tempting photos and detailed descriptions, check out the Huff Post.

Okay, so I'm all about those crazy mixed up flavors in the list above, but studies show that Vanilla is the most popular flavor ordered at ice cream shops around the country! And whipped cream is the most commonly ordered ice cream topping! 

According to USA Today, these are the best ice cream shops around the country:

1. Beaches and Cream Soda Shop, Disney Beach Club Resort, Lake Buena Vista, FL
2. Ample Hills Creamery, Brooklyn, NY
3. Margies Candies, Chicago, IL (this is in our very own Ken Babiez' childhood neighborhood - another Labor Day weekend visit for us - woohoo!)
4. Bi-Rite Creamery, San Francisco, CA
5. Sprinkles, Beverly Hills, CA
6. Sweet Republic, Scottsdale, AZ
7. Creole Creamery, New Orleans, LA
8. Farfar's Danish Ice Cream Shop, Duxbury, MA
9. Lickity Split Restaurant, New Holland, PA

So, chuck the Skinny Cow this weekend. I'm going to Jeni's and Margie's. If you've experienced any of the flavors or locations in our lists, let us know what you thought!