Commentary by Alana George, Campus Carrier Asst. Arts & Living Editor

Oh, ice cream. What college student can live without its cool, creamy deliciousness? I know I definitely cannot. And when I’m craving something a little fancier than a pint from Kroger, I have a plethora of options. On Rome’s own Broad Street, three ice cream shops have opened within a block of each other, which gives us plenty of choices to satisfy our collective sweet tooth. And I, being the intrepid reporter that I am, had the difficult task of going to all three places, to see what makes each one unique. It is impossible to rank them; all ice cream is delicious, no matter what form you put it in. So, here are the three ice cream shops on Broad Street, in no particular order, and what you should know before you go. Just maybe don’t go to all three places in one day; it would give you a fairly painful stomach ache.

First up is City Creamery. This place has been open for a while, and it is a perennial favorite of Berry students and their visiting families. Inside, it has the feel of a vintage candy store, and the options will make your head spin. City Creamery has soft-serve in many different flavors, hand-scooped flavors in waffle cones, a few vegan flavors, and new coffee drinks, along with a toppings bar filled with fruit, candy and all sorts of sweet additions. When you go, you need to try their pralines & cream; it is fantastic. I got some chocolate soft-serve with a bunch of toppings, and it was absolutely delicious (I am definitely a chocoholic, which will become more evident as we go along).

Next, I went to Rock-n-Rolls Ice Cream Rolls. When I went in, they had “Moana” playing on the TV, so I automatically knew I would like the place. For those of you like me who have never had rolled ice cream before, here’s how the system works. You choose a base flavor (vanilla or chocolate) and a complimentary flavor (Oreo, Nutella, strawberry, etc.), and after your ice cream is made, you can choose your toppings. This shop is great for kids, because you can watch the employee make your ice cream right there (the part where they roll the ice cream is especially cool). A popular combination is a vanilla base with strawberry and Oreo, or a vanilla base with strawberry and Nutella. I tried a chocolate base with Nutella, and it was a chocolate explosion in my mouth, which is exactly what I love in my ice cream.

Last but not least, some friends and I went to Mountains Old-Fashioned Ice Cream. This little shop has not been open for very long, so it has not gained much traction among Berry students, but from what I tasted, I have no doubt it will be a hit. It has a nice vibe inside; there are little bar areas with some painted brick, so it is reminiscent of a farmhouse. Mountains offers hand-scooped flavors that can be blended into a milkshake, made into sundaes and banana splits, or just eaten in their purest form. Some of their most popular flavors are amaretto cherry, which has chocolate flakes and cherry pieces in it, and Michigan Pothole, which is chocolate ice cream with chocolate fudge cups and chocolate cookie swirls. As you can probably guess, I got some Michigan Pothole, and wow. It was a nuclear bomb in the form of chocolate ice cream; it has everything a chocoholic could ever want. The shop overall was adorable, and I hope this will inspire Berry students to go give it some love.

Working on this project was so much fun (even if I did have to eat ice cream for dinner two nights in a row) and it gave me a great sense of all my options for ice cream on Broad Street. I sincerely hope it will do the same for you, and that you will give each of these places a try. They are all great ice cream shops in their own way, with their own takes on different flavors and their own unique atmosphere. Ice cream, in my view, is the universal bearer of good; you can share it with loved ones as a celebration or eat a whole pint by yourself if you’ve had a bad day. I encourage all of you to go to these places with your friends and make lifelong memories over some delicious scoops.