Le Mars, Iowa – Ice Cream Capital of the World
Who would have guessed that a small town in Iowa could make such a great boast? Dubbed “The Ice Cream Capital of the World” in 1994, Le Mars, Iowa unknowingly began its march to ice cream fame when Fred H. Wells began his dairy delivery service in 1913. Once a bustling and fashionable town, Le Mars, with a population now of only about 10,000, maintains its place in the ice cream hall of fame.
Nevertheless, as long as we were driving relatively close on our recent journey along I-29 from Kansas to Manitoba, Canada, we had to pay the Ice Cream Capital of the World a visit.
The beautiful Wells Visitor Center & Ice Cream Parlor greets guests, and bright lights invite customers to sample the ice cream offerings before making a final selection. Several of the desserts were unlike anything we’d ever seen before!
The Monster Peanut Butter Cup Extreme Sundae, for example. 🙂 The tasty treats were definitely worth a slight detour on our trip (we rate this ice cream a 5 out of 5 for flavor, variety, and cool specialties!), and we happily did our part to consume a small fraction of the 150 million gallons of Blue Bunny ice cream that Wells Enterprises makes every year!
