Johnson County is a bustling, vibrant community with a lot to offer. And we here at the Shawnee Mission Post and Blue Valley Post see it as part of our mission to make sure our readers get the most of this great place they call home.
That’s the idea behind our new “Five to Try” series, the inaugural installation of which you’re reading right now!
Each week, we’ll be highlighting some of the great things to do, fun spots to visit and delicious things to taste around Johnson county — be they familiar favorites or hidden gems.
But these recommendations won’t come from us. They’ll come from you.
Each Monday we’re putting out a call asking our readers for suggestions about some of their favorites on a specific topic.
And with the heat of summer still hanging around, we decided to kick things off by asking for your favorite ice cream treats around Johnson County.
Here’s what some of your neighbors suggest:
The fun flavors at Sylas & Maddy’s Homemade Ice Cream (Olathe)
Sylas & Maddy’s has has made a habit of keeping its selection fresh since opening its Olathe shop for more than 20 years ago.
“Wonderful ice cream with a rotating list of about 30 or so great flavors [like] ‘The Dark Side,’ ‘Rock Choc Jayhawk,’ ‘Sweet Cream,’ ‘Yellow Brickle Road’ etc.,” wrote Mary and Harry Bognich. “Some flavors are fairly permanent, others rotate in and out.”
For Alice Capson, the go-to is “Hunka Hunka Chunk,” which mixes banana ice cream with pieces of fudge.
“Delicious!,” Capson wrote the Post. “There are other good flavors, too, but…that’s my favorite.”
Sylas & Maddy’s Olathe location is in the Olathe Station shopping center at 11925 S. Strang Line Road.
It’s open from noon to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from noon to 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Ice cream sandwiches at Blue Chip Cookies & Ice Cream (Leawood)
Cookies are good. Ice cream is good. Put them together, and remarkable things can happen.
Blue Chip Cookies & Ice Cream “offers Create Your Own Ice Cream Sandwiches featuring any of the store’s delicious cookies and over a dozen ice cream flavors,” says Sara Koulen of Leawood. “They’re to die for, honestly.”
The store offers a slew of ice cream flavors, from standbys like vanilla and strawberry to more creative fare like Eskimo kisses (“coconut ice cream kissed with chocolate truffles and warmed by a thick blanket of fudge”), along with a variety of cookie flavors, from peanut butter fudge to “Blue Chip Royal.”
You could spend a lifetime trying out new sandwich combinations.
Blue Chip Cookies & Ice Cream is located in the Leawood Town Center shopping center at 5045 W 117th Street.
It’s open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
The combos at Popculture Gourmet Popcorn & Ice Cream (Overland Park)
This relatively new shop in downtown Overland Park has won some early fans.
Proprietors Justin and Melody Woo chose a storefront on Foster Street as the site for a second shop after the success of the original location in Parkville, Mo.
“[It] is terrific,” says reader Elaine Ferguson. “My husband loves their cherry and blueberry cheesecake flavors. I love anything chocolate! Bonus that they have great popcorn in unheard of flavors!”
Popculture is located in downtown Overland Park at 8004 Foster.
It’s open from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The shop is closed on Mondays.
The gelato at Aunt Jean’s Cup & Cone (Shawnee)
Italy is, like, really far away. So getting real Italian gelato on a regular basis is a pretty impractical proposition for most Johnson Countians.
Luckily, Aunt Jean’s Cup and Cone in Shawnee has the format pretty well figured out — making gelato authentic enough that reader Anthony Broderguy felt inclined to fire off the following trio of emojis: ??? in his recommendation.
Nuf said.
Aunt Jean’s Cup & Cone is located in downtown Shawnee at 11210 Johnson Drive.
It’s open from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; noon to 9 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.
The ice cream and service at Golden Scoop (Overland Park)
Johnson Countians have been raving about the Golden Scoop in Overland Park since it opened in April.
The shop has the goal of not just serving up fantastic ice cream, but also providing meaningful employment to individuals with developmental disabilities.
Dennis Denger said he and his daughter have taken to the strawberry, mint chocolate and cookies and cream flavors.
“All of their ice cream offerings are very delicious along with amazing service, friendly staff and a fun atmosphere,” Denger said.
Reader Andrew Starr is a big fan as well, and recommends the Lucy’s 42, a non-dairy vanilla.
But for reader Mary Rack, it’s the atmosphere that keeps her coming back.
“Visiting the shop at 95th and Nall brings me JOY,” Rack wrote. “The Golden Scoopers [workers] are inspiring. They have decorated their workspace to make it a fun environment. I consider the volunteer mentors to be role models for anyone in a teaching or supervisory position. The employees are eager to help, and proud of their work. I love watching them interact with friends who drop by.”
The Golden Scoop is located in the Nall Hills shopping center at 9540 Nall Ave.
It’s open 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. It’s closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
