Through the sparse, winding back roads approximately fifteen miles south of Burlington, North Carolina sits Homeland Creamery, one of the most raved about places in the area to get ice cream, milkshakes, and more. It’s your classic mom and pop shop, family owned and operated, and open all year long because well, there’s never a bad time for ice cream. Wanting to test it out ourselves, my friend Leah and I hopped in the car and made our way down highway 62 and through the roads covered in fresh fall foliage, say that ten times fast. Right as you’re about to enter the parking lot, you can look to your directly across the road and see the cows and dairy farm up close and personal. 
When we entered the store, we were greeted by the friendly woman behind the counter and endless flavors to choose from. They had their staple year round flavors as well as seasonal options. Think of every classic flavor ice cream joint should have and it was there: chocolate, vanilla, cookies and cream, peanut butter, chocolate chip, mint chocolate chip, coffee. Their southern charm shined when we were greeted by less traditional flavors: black cherry, lemon crunch, butter pecan, cupcake, and more. Their seasonal flavors put you right into the holiday spirit with apple pie, pumpkin pie, and peppermint.
I wanted to try a fair share of the ice cream but not take up too much of their time so I sampled a bit of their double dark chocolate, coffee, cookies dough, and chocolate reese cup. All of them were unbelievably creamy with a decadently smooth texture. The flavors were distinct and they had enough chunks of cookie, peanut butter cups, etc. to get a taste of each in every bite. I decided to get two scoops for my order, one double dark chocolate and one cookies and cream. The double dark chocolate was rich enough to taste noticeably more intense than regular chocolate without being overpowering. I had not sampled it prior to choosing but the cookies and cream had a different texture than the rest of the ice creams. It tasted as if it had freezer burn and was not as nearly as smooth as the rest of the flavors. I’m not sure if it was a bad batch or how the recipe for that flavor specifically affected the texture. Overall, Homeland Creamery does a great job at creating creamy and delicious ice cream as well as coming up with popular flavors. The home town feel and welcoming atmosphere left us feeling welcomed as we enjoyed every last bite.
Written by: Hayden McConnell