Scooping sensational ice cream since 1949, this third-generation family-run ice cream shop is beloved by Santa Barbarans for flavors like Eureka lemon with marionberry, double peanut butter chip and year-round peppermint stick. Stop into the scoop shop on State Street for ice cream sandwiches made with cookies baked by full-time pastry chef Jordan Thomas, in flavors like sea salt-topped chocolate chunk, triple-ginger, and Vanilla Gooey Butter Cookies (a play on St. Louis-style gooey Butter Cake). Photo: Joe Schmelzer

Perhaps you’ve spotted the white pints with a black lid and cursive McConnell’s at a grocery store near you?. Well, the fine ice-cream purveyor got its start in Santa Barbara in 1949. Known for their regionally inspired flavors – like Eureka lemon and marionberries, and sea salt cream and cookies – there are now two McConnell’s shops in Santa Barbara, both on State Street.

McConnell’sis a true staple—they’ve been serving up mouthwatering scratch-made ice cream since they first opened on Mission and State Street in 1950. Now with two prime Santa Barbara locations ( downtown and The Funk Zone), McConnell’s continues to honor the Central Coast’s agricultural legacy by using local, grass-grazed milk and fresh produce to create their ultra-creamy concoctions. Choose from favorites like Mint Chip and Cookies and Cream, or try limited-edition specialties like Strawberry Rhubarb and Olive Oil with Salted Almonds.

Nationally known for its superior freshness and flavor, McConnell’s Ice Cream has grown up along with Santa Barbara. “McConnell’s couldn’t exist without Santa Barbara,” said CEO Michael Palmer. “This city is our roots.” In addition to packing untold numbers of pints, the shop on State Street continues to hand deliver the goods in the form of ice cream cups and cones, something that Palmer cites as still his favorite part of the job: “handing an ice cream cone to a kid.

728 State St, Santa BarbaraCategory: DessertAt McConnell's, we're out to produce the finest ice creams in the world, in the most responsible and sustainable way possible. In th eprocess, we hope to enrich and enliven the communities in which we live and work, and leave the world just a little bit "sweeter" than we found it. The finest ice creams, made from scratch: Dense and pure-flavored, with smooth, consistent texture and a rich, velvety mouth feel.

Open since 1949, McConnells keeps it simple by making ice cream from scratch with no added preservatives — and I think you’ll agree the results are very tasty. With inventive flavors like blood orange, chocolate covered strawberries, and Turkish coffee, everyone in your family is sure to find the perfect scoop. McConnell’s State Street location makes a perfect pit stop while you’re out souvenir shopping.

McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams – The 70-year-old, Santa Barbara-based family business churns classic dairy ice cream, but they also make creamy vegan oat milk ice cream flavors. The dairy-free flavors are available by the scoop or pint and include options like Chocolate Fudge & Cookies and Vanilla Bean. See our McConnell’s Dairy-Free Oat Milk Ice Cream page for full ingredient details.

Established in 1949, McConnell’s serves scrumptious ice cream made from natural ingredients. It’s a sweet treat you must not miss when you visit Santa Barbara, although they now have locations in several cities in California. Owned by three generations of three different families, McConnell’s offers numerous flavors, some that incorporate local flavors like Eureka lemon.

McConnell’s mouthwatering pints are now all over the country (and might be in your local grocery store), but they originated in Santa Barbara, and it’s worth hitting one of the numerous shops for a scoop of the mint chip. The ice cream company was founded in 1949 by a husband and wife team, and has been going strong ever since. Make it your dessert destination.

amazing ice Sweet Cream Caramel Brownie. I'm from MN and this is truly the best ice cream I've had yet.". "This ice "cream" is icy and frosty, not creamy. For the outra price I paid I expected extraordinary ice cream tonite. Frankly the store brand at my favorite grocery store is way better! Don't waste your money!". Sweet Cream Caramel Brownie

McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams is a Santa Barbara-based ice cream staple. They remind me of Salt & Straw because of their inventive flavors. Established in 1949, McConnell’s uses local, organic ingredients and makes its ice cream in small batches from scratch, sourcing dairy from regional farms and incorporating fresh, high-quality ingredients.

The flavors were delicious and you can really taste how fresh the fruit used in the flavors are. I would also like to say how wonderful the staff is. I have celiac disease and as soon as the employee heard they offered to go to the back of the store and scoop from a fresh tub to avoid cross contamination.

Lastly, McConnell’s Ice Cream is a must visit in Santa Barbara. There are a few locations around the city, so you pretty much always have one close to you. The ice cream here is stellar, with flavors ranging from lemon and Marionberry to churros con leche.

I’m not sure I could say that (though I believe most ice cream is one deviation away at max, so they all taste the same), but it is dang good. There are three locations in Santa Barbara, with the most popular two on Upper and Lower State Street.

McConnell’s Fine Ice Cream- Found on State Street (the main street in town), McConnell’s serves ice cream made from scratch. A shop birthed in Santa Barbara in 1949, McConnell’s mission is to make life a little “sweeter”. And by that they do!.

A local institution, McConnell’s is THE place for ice cream in Santa Barbara. They make their ice cream from scratch, using organic ingredients and no preservatives. This is one of our must-stops when we are visiting Santa Barbara!

Ice in Paradise is the premier ice skating arena on the central coast. Its a great location for parties of all sizes from small kids birthdays to large corporate events!. We have two sheets of ice for skating or broomball.

Nowadays, I can be seen sporting a cake cone with giant scoops of flavors as ridiculous as they are delicious. I’m talking churros con leche, honey and cornbread cookies, and earl gray tea and shortbread cookies!

Store Hours: Sun-Thurs 12:00 – 9:00 PM, Fri-Sat 12:00 – 10:00 PM. Must-try Flavors: Eureka Lemon & Marionberries, Coffee, Chocolate Covered Strawberries. Cost for a Single Scoop: 1 or 2 flavors $6.25

McConnel’s Ice Cream – Since 1949, this place has been said to have the best ice cream in the world. Authentic and absolutely luscious, I can vouch for that. You’ve simply got to try it.

This family-owned shop has been serving the best ice cream in town since 1949. There's usually a line, but where there's a line, there's something worth waiting for.

Solvang, the Danish-style village, is a popular day trip locale, as is the town of Goleta, thanks to its indoor ice skating rink, aptly named Ice in Paradise.

Greenspan: “At this point, it’s getting ice cream at McConnell’s or Rori’s. We have a two-and-a-half year old. We’re not going out drinking like the old days.