Farm ice cream & creameries in Delaware worth the trip
Ice cream is its own kind of family outing, especially when it's made where the cows are. These are the Delaware creameries we actually drive to — a working Hockessin dairy and the University of Delaware's student-run scoop shop close to home, plus the farm creameries down in beach country worth a longer trip on a hot day. Hours shift hard by season (several close for winter), so check before you go.
1. Woodside Farm Creamery
Hockessin
The classic local one: a working family dairy in Hockessin making ice cream on site from their own Jersey cows. Picnic tables, room to run, and a genuinely lovely opening-day-each-spring feel. Seasonal — closed in winter, with the longest hours in peak summer.
2. UDairy Creamery
Newark
University of Delaware students make this on site from UD's own herd, so it's a real 'cow to the cone' story kids get — and it's cheap. The easiest scoop stop in Newark, served year-round (though see the renovation note below before you pick a location).
Good to know
- • Heads up (2026): UDairy's flagship at 535 S. College Ave in Newark is temporarily closed for renovation and is scooping out of the Fred Rust Ice Arena (daily 11 AM–10 PM); the separate UDairy Creamery Café at 83 E. Main St keeps its own hours. They expect the renovated flagship back by late August — confirm the current location before you drive over. source
- • Worth the drive at the beach: Hopkins Farm Creamery, an on-farm creamery in Lewes (18186 Dairy Farm Rd) with 25+ flavors made fresh on the farm. Open Mon–Thu 12–8 and Fri–Sun 12–9, with hours that shift seasonally — a perfect after-the-beach stop. source
- • Also down south: Vanderwende Farm Creamery makes small-batch ice cream on its Bridgeville dairy farm (4003 Seashore Hwy, open daily 11–6) and runs seasonal scoop shops in Dewey Beach, Fenwick Island, Greenwood, and Georgetown from Memorial Day to Labor Day. An easy one to fold into a beach week. source
Questions parents ask
Where can kids get farm-made ice cream near Wilmington?
Woodside Farm Creamery in Hockessin makes it on site from their own Jersey cows (seasonal, spring through fall), and UDairy Creamery in Newark is made by University of Delaware students from the school's own herd and is open year-round. Both are easy, low-key family stops.
What's the deal with UDairy Creamery right now?
As of mid-2026 the flagship on S. College Ave in Newark is closed for renovation and scooping out of the Fred Rust Ice Arena instead, with the Main Street café open on its own schedule. They expect the renovated flagship back by late August — check UD's site for the current location before you go.
Is there good farm ice cream near the Delaware beaches?
Yes — Hopkins Farm Creamery in Lewes is made fresh on the farm, and Vanderwende Farm Creamery (Bridgeville, with summer scoop shops in Dewey Beach, Fenwick Island, and more) makes its own on the dairy. Both are worth working into a beach day.
Get the good ones before they fill up
Free, one email a week — the weekend's best picks for New Castle County families, tailored to your kids' ages.
More guides
Checked against each place’s current info.
Admission and hours come straight from each place’s guide. Last reviewed June 17, 2026. Confirm anything dated on the source before you go.