Cream At the Top

A must stop for ice cream if passing through Kings Ferry. Small sizes are larger than normal servings. Crowds come here, but the service is fast. Plenty of benches to sit and feel like you have your own private section. Well worth the 40 minute drive.

Cream at the Top is a small ice cream stand just north of the NY-​34B/​NY-​90 intersection in King Ferry, NY. It’s an unassuming place that has been around for at least 10 years and probably more.
It’s not much to look at. A gravel lot with a trailer and step up wooden deck, a port-​a-​potty, and about 8 sitting places (Picnic tables and wooden chairs). The sign on the trailer is faded, and they have a mobile electric sign at the entrance displaying their hours.
But you don’t go here for the looks. You go here for the ice cream. And they have a lot of that.
They have over 30 different flavors in hard ice cream from the mundane to the exotic, and they change over the season. Where else are you going to find raspberry cheesecake next to chocolate peanutbutter cup? You can get the usual: soft & hard cones, sundaes, and milkshakes. But it’s the only place in the area that has spanish sundaes, boston milkshakes, and flurries using any of the ice cream flavors they have. stock. The portions are large for the price, and service is good depending on how many people are there.
While Cream at the Top is a bit out of the way, the drive there from any of the nearest cities (Ithaca, Cortland, and Auburn) is scenic and passes quickly. The view of the fields from the shop is nice and you can see several miles over farmland and tree lines. It’s one of my destination places from work to home, and I’ve never been disappointed when I’ve gotten there.
Note that they close for the season by Labor Day, and open usually around Memorial Day (Sometimes sooner). Hours are from 3:30−9pm M-​F and 11 – 9:00pm on Saturday and Sunday. They are a cash only business so keep the plastic in the wallet.