Great Escape: Tantalize Your Taste Buds with a Warm Weather Favorite

Nothing tops off a perfect summer day like a spoonful of sprinkles or almond crunch on your dish of rocky road or waffle cone of butter pecan ice cream. The recipe for a simple great escape may just be a little (or a lot) of vanilla, strawberry or Superman flavored ice cream, gelato or frozen yogurt.

Farmington, Hills know ice cream

is a long-time downtown Farmington ice cream go-to. With 48 flavors on the menu, this ice cream shop is summertime favorite and is usually crowded after movies let out at .

New to the downtown business district, Mentobe Cafe on Grand River offers their own recipe for home-made frozen yogurt. They also have outdoor seating, which is great for people watching, or cozy indoor chairs when the weather's bad.

on Grand River and Dairy Queen locations on and , and a (with Dunkin' Donuts on 8 Mile Rd.) mean tried and true ice cream options are available at numerous locations within Farmington Hills.

Ice Cream, Etc. and Scoops Ice Cream are other Farmington favorites, along with , which may be the most iconic ice cream stop in the area. You'll know you're there when you see the small cow statue out front.

Birmingham has many ice cream stops

Birmingham offers no shortage of locales where you can purchase an iced treat. There are classic fixtures on the Birmingham ice cream scene like t and Dairy Deluxe, where soft serve ice cream is one among a long list of items on the menu, and more recent additions like , where self-serve frozen yogurt is on tap and a toppings bar allows you to garnish your treat with your favorite candies, fruit or sprinkles.

Those looking to mash some M&M into their cake batter-flavored ice cream know is the place to go. Served up in an antique bathtub, all-you-can-eat sundae bar features all your favorite toppings.

on Old Woodward features more than its famous fudge. Its ice cream is also a crowd pleaser with such flavors as Birmingham Mud and Cappuccino Chocolate Chip. Frozen yogurt is also on the menu. Down the road a bit is , a Detroit-area favorite. This ice cream parlor tempts patrons with its famous hot fudge.

West Bloomfield’s ice cream offerings

West Bloomfield boasts its own roster of ice cream establishments including the classic Baskin-Robbins where 31 flavors mean a whole lot of enjoyable decision-making.

Yoz Yogurt has two West Bloomfield locations where shakes, smoothies, flurries and frozen yogurt are the main attractions. Yoz Yogurt is the exclusive carrier of Yoz Yogurt, Yoz Finesse Non-Dairy and Only 8 No Sugar Added yogurts.  

Dairy Queen is always a crowd pleaser with its blizzards, waffle bowl sundaes and parfaits, which can be enjoyed after a hamburger, fries or serving of chicken fingers.

The Old Orchard Plaza is home to Swirlberry, which in turn is home to its own yogurt mixologist who develops new flavors of this fat-free frozen yogurt. Flavors include Tahitian Vanilla, Acai Energy and Original Tart.