Lapp Valley Farms

Not that this place is exactly a hidden «find» by any means as evidenced by the lines you’ll see if you come here on Saturdays when it’s warm out, but Lapp Valley is the kind of place which makes travelling the back roads worth it.
A few thoughts of mine before I go any further:
* Contrary to other Unilocal reviews, no, this place is not in Intercourse. It’s in New Holland.
* Contrary to other Unilocal reviews, no, this place is not open from sunrise to sunset. It’s open very clearly from 8am-​sunset Monday-​Friday and 8am-​6pm on Saturday. (Please use some brain power and don’t ask about Sundays.)
* Don’t be an asshole and come plowing down the narrow driveway that leads to the parking area. There are dogs, cats, peacocks, other patrons and members of Lapp family all of whom are meandering around so you never truly know who or what is going to pop out next.
The thing which is neat here is that you are more or less allowed to walk around and look at whatever you want. Bulldogs here, cats there, watching the cows getting milked, walking over to pet/​see some of the smaller cows up close are all encouraged.
What they offer inside the main building is some of best ice cream you will have anywhere. No added artificial crap that hyper extends shelf life or that makes the flavor artificially more pronounced than it should be. Nope, this is just simple, smooth and clean tasting. We went on a Wednesday so the crowd was fairly light yet they were sold out of a few things. Not the ice cream as they had maybe 16 or so flavors to choose from (black raspberry-​peanut butter something or other-​vanilla for us) along with plenty of their own milk but there were out of their eggs and out of their own homemade butter. If we lived closer I probably would have picked up a few dairy items to take home and maybe next time I’ll come more prepared.
Overall this is as good as it gets in terms of getting excellent flavor straight from the source and it’s well worth a visit to the middle of nowhere to get it.

I live is St. Louis, Mo. When I travel east, no matter how far out of the way it may be, I stop and get ice cream and chocolate milk. My entire family loves it. Their ice cream is creamy and the chocolate milk is thick and smooth. You can see the cows that produce the milk that makes this deliciousness.

Thank goodness someone told us about this farm. The ice cream is made right there & from the cows just outside the door. So creamy & no hormones. Or artificial favors. The real thing! Really nice ladies & the farmer will answer any questions. Life on the farm is cows need to be milked twice a day,
A must if visiting Intercourse Pa

I was really excited to check out Lapp Valley Farms while on a recent trip to the Lancaster County area. I’ve read that their Dairy Store is a local and a tourist favorite for farm fresh ice cream and other dairy offerings (eggs, milk, etc.), derived from Jersey cows. They have other stores in the area (like at the Green Dragon Market and at the Kitchen Kettle), but I wanted to check out the farm itself! A specific selection of flavors are offered on a daily basis, and I was able to try out their Butter Brickle and the Mint Chocolate Chip. Butter Brickle was a little too sweet for me; the latter, however, was pretty okay, not being overly minty and had little bits of dark chocolate chunks throughout. I appreciated that they used actual little pieces of dark chocolate rather than the pre-​formed chips! I wanted to try out their ‘homemade’ waffle cones, so I had a scoop in one of those — it was okay, and those who are cone fans will enjoy them — the staff are pretty good in replacing for another cone when they break the cone while putting the scoop in (they’re quite fragile!). While the staff seemed to be moving the line along to serve those with a scoop/​cone/​sample, the customers weren’t adhering in keeping their places in line for payment — some were cutting others off — rude! They also had tubs of ice cream for sale, and some were enjoying their frozen treat on the wrap-​around porch. You can also check out the Jersey cows on the premise in the back.
+Dairy Store offering ice cream
+homemade waffle cones
+beware of customers who cut the line! :O

Excellent ice cream and excellent milk. A really nice place to visit. You can go pet the cows or the Bulldogs they have. Can’t wait to go back in 2 weeks.

This place is amazing. Perfect setting and the ice cream is phenomenal. This prices are dirt cheap and the service is friendly. It doesn’t get any better. A must if you’re in the area.

Drove thru on our way back from Philly two weeks ago and found this place on Unilocal.The ice cream was delicious (my husband loved the raspberry). Cones made fresh in front of you– how can you go wrong?
We were lucky enough to see bulldog puppies while we were there. Got to pet the calves and saw a peacock. It was a worthwhile pit stop. We got some of the farmers cheese to go which was quite good as well.

Very cozy and pastoral farm where you can get fresh ice cream and other dairy products. Can’t say I could get the best ice cream, but it was delicious enough. The cashiers were nice and polite. I will go back sometime.

Went here twice while visiting Lancaster with family and friends. Very pleasant employees and FANTASTIC ice cream.
The employees were very nice and welcoming. The store was very clean with plenty of standing room for lines of ice cream hungry folks. There were large, round picnic tables just out the door to sit while enjoying both ice cream and the view of the surrounding homes and farmland.
Don’t let the limited flavor selection scare you away from this place. I tried three flavored and all three were extremely rich without having that «burn your throat» feeling. A very creamy cream without being too heavy. It’s perfect. I tried the cookies and cream, chocolate chip cookie dough, and coffee flavors. I suggest getting a scoop of cookie dough with a scoop of coffee.
I love waffles which made the waffles cones a must. When you visit you’ll more than likely see the cones being made right on site, which is an added bonus.
Not only do you get great ice cream but you also get to enjoy snoring bull dogs on the porch and calves in the nearby «barn.» You can definitely tell that the cows are well taken care of by their visible health as well as the cleanliness of their living conditions. This makes me feel better about supporting this business and eating their products.
Great ice cream, very pleasant employees, and clean.

We went to Lancaster for the day and wanted to try some ice cream in the area before leaving. After asking around and some Unilocaling, the consensus seemed to be Lapp Valley Farm!
So we took a scenic drive to Lapp Valley Farm on a mission to try some delish Amish ice cream. When I entered, I could smell the homemade waffle cones that were being made right behind the counter. It was really hard trying to decide what flavor to get because they all sounded so good. I ended up getting the chocolate chip cookie dough which was delicious! I also tried the peanut butter swirl, which was full of smooth, melt-​in-​your-​mouth peanut butter!
As a fun tidbit, the ice cream at Lapp Valley Farm has 20% more protein than the usual ice cream. There is also a little animal area with cows, calves, and bull dogs. There were supposed to be kittens and peacocks too, but we didn’t see them out when we were there.

I am a forever fan. My friend insisted that I stop here during my first visit to Lancaster, and I am so very glad that I listened to her. All of the other reviews are spot on when they say best ice cream on the planet… that is 100% true. I’ve never had creamier, fresher, more flavorful ice cream, in my whole life… and believe me, I have been around the ice cream block. If you like peanut butter, YOU HAVE, to get the peanut butter twirl… it will change your life. It’s also incredibly priced. 2 scoops of freshly made, heavenly creamy goodness on a homemade waffle cone for under $ 4…suck it Baskin Robbins! Lapp Farms also sells their ice cream by the pint and gallon, as well as milk and cheeses! We are talking cow to mouth here people… it’s legit. Also, there are peacocks running amuck and baby cows to be petted… have you ever pet a baby cow? It’s pretty much the sweetest thing ever… next to their ice cream. One note though — they don’t accept credit cards, cash only, but there is an ATM on site.

Beautiful working farm in in the middle of Lancaster country. Their ice cream is out of the world, so creamy and smooth, made with milk from the cows on the farm. There is also a drive thru window for ice cream if you don’t want to explore the farm, but DO explore the farm if you have time. Its great for all ages. You’ll see peacock, bull dogs, baby calves, and daily cow milking at 10am and 4pm daily. It lasts an hr, but you can leave whenever you want. Perfect for a summer afternoon visit with friends and family.

We were passing through Amish country looking for something authentic and stopped in at Lapp’s. We love ice cream and this is some of the best we’ve ever had. Creamy and tasty, the waffle cones were fresh off the griddle. Our group enjoyed chocolate, mint chip, cookie dough, butter pecan, maple walnut & strawberry. It was delicious and worth the turn off the beaten path into beautiful country side. While we enjoyed our ice cream on the back porch, there was a constant stream of locals driving thru for ice cream, fresh milk & cheese.

One of the best ice creams I have ever had. Make sure to get a homemade waffle cone too!
Straight from the cow to the cone!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for THIS ice cream. This is some of the creamiest, most flavorful and amazing ice cream I have ever had the pleasure of eating. The flavors are out of this world! The portion is huge so beware if you are calorie counting. But seriously don’t. Get two scoops or THREE! This place is the real deal. Ice cream like it was meant to be. It doesn’t get any more fresher or homemade than here. Most tourists are familiar with the ice cream from their kitchen kettle outpost. But come to the farm for its charm. You can see the lovely cows that work hard for your ice cream. If you are in luck, you can also see some calves and pet them. This farm is a charming dairy barn with the worlds best ice cream. There is plenty of outside seating and even a drive thru window! There are other dairy items for sale as well. Oh and did I mention the heavenly aroma as you enter? That tantalizing aroma that brings back a little bit of childhood? That my friend, is freshly made waffle
Cones to order. It doesn’t get any better than that!

I came here with my girlfriend for ice cream, and this off the beaten path. The place was tiny and crowded, but we got our ice cream quickly. I got the Maple Walnut, and It was awesome! You can tell that it was fresh ice cream due to the dairy farm right next to it. Just make sure to not go in booty shorts from the sign… they will frown upon it.

We went there after a wonderful recommendation from a lovely Amish storekeeper. My husband and I enjoyed the delicious ice cream and the scenery was beautiful. The store was very neat and clean as well as the barn yard. We enjoyed some interaction from the farm animals. When we come back again, we will definitely come again.

Came here today with the in-​laws who kept telling us how good the ice cream is. They were not kidding. It started with the incredible smell of the freshly made waffle cones as we were walking up to the front door. I can’t remember the last time I went someplace where they actually make the waffle cones in store.
Ice cream has an incredible creaminess to it with just the right fat content to be smooth and creamy down to the last bite, while not feeling «heavy» after you’re done. I went with a double on a waffle cone with a scoop of Chocolate on the bottom and Butter Brickle on top. Heaven. Wife had the Peanut Butter Twist (or twirl), incredible. The in-​laws had Coconut and Chocolate Almond. Just incredible all around. Even better is the beautiful wooden porch on the side where you can sit and enjoy the scenery while you eat your ice cream. After finishing, we made our way down to see the baby calfs and they were just adorable. If you happen to be there at 4:30 or 5:30 you can watch the milking process with the cows.
Bring a cooler with you and you can take home a pint, half or full gallon of ice cream with you. I wish we did, would have been great tonight. Wonderful ice cream heaven in Lancaster.

This is an interesting area to visit and most importantly the creamiest and down to the last lick of ice cream I’ve ever had. The diet went out the door when I got two scoops of heaven filled with chocolately goodness.
This is a farm and the strong odor of cattle comes rushing through the nostrils, but after few minutes it’s fairly tolerable. There is a section where they milk the cows once or twice a day and we were able to catch it right on time. They have a seating area and it’s an experience watching the cattle being herd in a single file and they quietly just stare into our eyes as we’re enjoying the ice cream. You can take photos, but getting too close is forbidden. So, if you can hack the strong smell, definitely come see how the milk is extracted with modern technology.
There are random cats, bulldogs and peacocks wandering around the farm. So while stuffing our faces with fresh waffles cones and triple scoops of ice cream, we were wandering around with them too.
Okay, back to the ice cream. It’s creamy, not overdone with sugar and the flavors are so good. This is home made ice cream with the freshest ingredients, so how much better can it get? This place is so NOT over-​hyped and it’s genuinely down-​home good.

Wow… now that’s a delicious Ice Cream.
Maybe it’s the fact that your actually on the farm, and can watch the cows being milked between the hours of 4:30 — 5:30 pm. Or maybe it’s Just the fact that this ice cream is natural and delicious. Either way it’s really great Ice Cream! Another great part of the Lapp establishment is the hand made waffle cones.
Overall I really liked this Ice Cream, and as others have said the chocolate milk is amazing as well!
No trip to Lancaster County is complete without exploring the back roads, and making a stop at Lapp Valley Farms.