Nelson's Ice Cream

Amazing ice cream!!! For an amazing price! Not to mention the phenomenal customer service! We drove all the way up from Kansas and this was one of the number one things we wanted to do on our bucket list. I very much recommend getting the lumberjack! Best bang for your buck for sure! So much ice cream!!!

Great portion sizes and more flavors than you can count. This place seems to take you back in time. You'll see a big line if you go later in the evening, but don't worry, it goes at a decent pace. Plus, the interior of the place is energetic and seems to bring the kid out of everyone. There is seating outside and even a outdoor sink for the inevitable messy hands you will have.

Massive servings, tons of flavors, and fun vibes. Cash only. Excited to keep coming back. Their 100 year special flavor and strawberry chocolate chunk were fantastic

**CASH ONLY** - ATM inside premises**
Not Wheelchair accessible/ No drive through.
Flavors galore, about 50 of them! No exaggeration either, and then the decision of what size you want and what flavor to try. Oh boy, I got the "child" size (see picture - flipped in a 20 oz cup), which was well on its way to being sharable between two people if you so choose. I settled on the Black Cherry and Blueberry Cheesecake. The line was out the door by about 8 people but moved quickly as their were 5 employees inside helping take orders and check out.
Small on-site parking for 12 cars. The bathroom is a portable potty back by the dumpsters in the parking lot.

Not only are there a billion different ice cream flavors to choose from, the serving sizes are outrageous, the employees are incredibly kind, and it is just a fun atmosphere all around. When two of us ordered a single, we were questioned about sharing because the sizes are so huge. I put a picture to show kid size, small, medium, and large. No one in this world could ever complete a large on their own. I was there about 3:30 in the afternoon on a very hot day and there was no line. You will know that you aren't always going to be this lucky at other times in the day. The line can be very long, but moves fairly quickly. There was one vegan ice cream flavor and two vegan sorbets to choose from for those that are lactose free or are looking for vegan options.

First off, this is a cash-only shop....but don’t worry much about it because it is not that expensive. There was a line when we got there and probably waited about ten minutes to get in. Once we were inside it was a tight place so not much room to move around. They had a big board with so many flavors and was hard to decide what to get. The young lady asked what group was next and it was us six. She gave us samples and didn’t rush us considering how busy they were. We ordered the child size cups of ice cream and the portions were huge (see pictures) and all for $4. Left a big tip for them. They allow you two flavors per order, but with so much ice cream, my kids had a hard time reaching the second flavor as it was at the bottom of the cup and flavor on top was melting. We all enjoyed it very much. We had Rum Cherry, PB Chocolate, Rocky Road, Chocolate Chip, Butter Pecan and Chocolate. The only drawbacks were, big portions on hot day made it hard to enjoy as it was melting fast and the only seating they have is on tables outside with no shade. We noticed other patrons enjoying their treat under shaded trees but not many of those available. We didn’t know until after that we could have told them to limit the portion during serving. They have a sink outside to help wash off and to drink water.

This ice cream shop blew my mind 🤯 I make a point to visit ice cream shops whenever I travel. Nelson's goes above and beyond. Their flavor list cannot be beat. So hard to choose. I saw how large the child size was and I guess my eyes wanted more than my stomach could hold. I shoild have shared. At least I could get two flavors. The praline pecan was unbelievable! Even though the line was long, it went fast. Cash only!

Always a good treat to enjoy many flavors here at Nelson’s. They have about 50 flavors. Recently my wife biked 3 hours from Minneapolis just to get some ice cream here for a treat! The coffee shop next to Nelson’s is never open when I stop by but would like to try it sometime. Listed is some quick pros and cons

Pros
- Amazing price for a child size ice cream where you can choose two flavors
- Line moves quickly
- 50+ flavors
- Large outdoor sink to quickly clean off
- Outdoor seating can be Dog friendly
- Free cups to share that large ice cream

Cons
- Not enough tables
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Cash only
- No drinks in fridge
- No drive thru
- Porta potty

8/2021 Wow, the sizes are out standing. Flavors are extensive a must try
Edit update:7/16/2022 Recently had Nelson’s catering my sons graduation party. The lady dishing for us was great and knowledgeable, and the staff that setup the ice cream was great. Our guests loved having ice cream at a grad party

This is how to do ice cream like you mean it. Don't go on a full stomach because you're going to need somewhere to put the giantnormous portions!

Huge portion of ice cream at an amazing price. I actually fumbled the ball and ordered two cups before I realized the size of one! One cup actually fills two physical cups. Glad I only ordered two for my family because we couldn't even come close to finishing it. Great selection of flavors and the kids working there are helpful and pleasant. I went on a 92° day so everything was melting on me outside but it was still a great experience. The picture I attached is missing the huge cup my toddler was eating out of.

Staff was friendly and sweet. Gave me way more ice cream than I would ever need. Lots of gluten free options and some dairy free as well. Cash only.

It's lik a hidden treasure, such a good find!✨
It has a small town vibe love that!
I tryd the lemon bar ice cream an it was SOOOO delicious I'm defenetly coming back again.
And the workers are really friendly.
This place is great!^^

Love this place. Have to go if in Stillwater. Today is their 100th year's!!!. I can only eat the kids' size cup.

What is this crazy monster of an ice cream! I went in to get a small cone since the temps were in the upper 90's, and what I came out with was a not so "small" ice cream in a cup. I don't know what a large looks like but I'm thinking it's just a gallon bucket with a spoon stuck into it.
I don't know how many flavors they had, but I think you'd find something of your liking. It was very busy, but they also had several people working the counter so the line moved rather fast.
Thank you for the great treat that cooled me off during my hike out of town!

If you want great ice cream (more than any human should consume in one sitting), then head off to Nelson's! They are simply the best and a must stop during the summer!

Nelson's ice cream was fantastic! This is a child size believe it or not. Lol. Definitely reccomend.

Having Nelson’s at our wedding was one of the best decisions! Abby was so easy to work with and very communicative! The ice cream was delicious and thankfully served in a smaller volume than at the store to prevent spills. Our guests raved about the ice cream! I highly recommend for any wedding or company event. It is so easy to have the cooler arrive with quantity 6 3 gallon tubs of ice cream of your choice. We also had a small volume of their dairy free sorbet.

I went in with my kids to grab a couple small bowls of ice cream. Well let me just tell you small does not exist in their world. We all ordered kids size and probably could have shared 1 between the four of us. The selection could keep your there for hours but don't worry you can try as many as you want before making your selection. Good luck is all I can say because choosing between 70+ flavors and then trying to eat all of it will leave you in a ice cream coma. By far the best hands down nobody holds a candle to this place. Thank you for being the ice cream capital of the world!

We stopped after a baseball game. This place has been around for years! They are still in the original building. As with lots of things in Stillwater, it has lots of history. It's a small shop with little parking, and the line was out the door but WELL WORTH IT! CASH ONLY, I'm lucky I had some on me. Very tasty. large portions. There's a nice little patio to sit and enjoy your treat. Definitely a stop you have to make while here.