Nothing brings you back to your childhood like ice cream, especially when it is homemade and smothered in hot fudge and rainbow sprinkles.
This cone of deliciousness can only be found in one of the most historic and sweetest creameries in the nation, The Franklin Fountain.
Extra, extra, read all about it!
Located on a busy street corner in the time-capsuled neighborhood, Old City, The Franklin Fountain is deemed as one of Philadelphia's most-loved ice cream parlors. Being two lovers of ice cream who have developed a serious sweet tooth problem, we made it a priority to visit the ice cream delicacy as soon as we heard about it. Now we can fully admit the antiqued ice cream parlor is a frequent stop of ours when we visit the City of Brotherly Love, no matter what the season is.
The parlor fits right in with the vibes of Old City and is nearly impossible to miss due to a large and antiqued wooden "Franklin Fountain" sign hanging above the parlor door, a noticeably old-school soda shop decor theme, and a never-ending line of hungry customers wrapping around the block. Plus, if you peak through the window, you will see the "fountain clerks" are dressed a bit differently compared to what most people are wearing in today's modern age. Their uniforms involve little white hats, bow ties for the men and large poofy skirts and corsets for the women. Some who visit the parlor are intrigued simply by the fact that people will wait longer than five minutes for ice cream, while others are impressed by the overall "old-timey" design of the shop. When we first visited the parlor, we were completely blown away when we walked through the door. The decor of the shop makes you feel as if you stepped right into the 1800s with wooden ceiling fans run by a pulley system, a brassy vintage cash register and old advertising tins and signs. Once you've fully take in the atmosphere, you have the difficult task of choosing a handmade flavor.
"The Franklin Fountain aims to serve an experience steeped in ideals, drizzled with drollery, and sprinkled with the forgotten flavors of the American past. "
Our favorite flavor is the Hydrox Cookie. This tasty flavor is basically today's version of cookies and cream. It has a vanilla base and is infused with cookie pieces. Believe it or not, there is actually a history to the founding of this flavor. The Franklin Fountain shares that the Hydrox Cookie was created in 1908, four years before Nabisco released the Oreo in 1912. The Hydrox Cookie is not nearly as common as Nabisco's Oreo, but it is still a manufactured and kosher flavor. Other ice cream flavor options include:
Philadelphia Vanilla Bean (the first parlor flavor,)
Peanut Butter
Chocolate Chip
Franklin Mint Chip
Rocky Road
Black Raspberry
Coconut
Pistachio
Butter Pecan
Green Tea
Rum Rasin
Cotton Candy
And many more
All of these flavors are homemade with milk and cream from Lancaster and Berks Counties and are processed by a family-owned dairy established in 1920. Even the fruits, nuts and chocolates infused into the flavors are sourced locally. Basically this place is full of flavor, history and options. From a one scope cone to a stacked sundae, you will never leave the parlor unsatisfied. As you can see from the photo above, we prefer the Hydrox Cookie coasted in rainbow sprinkles and hot fudge. This isn't an option on the menu, but if you ask nicely, the fountain clerks will serve you one up. To read more about the history of The Franklin Fountain and check out additional flavors, click here.
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