Best Summertime Ice Cream Stops

You scream, I scream, we all scream because I couldn't avoid this old cliche! Cliches aside, ice cream is just good - especially in the summertime. So scoot on over here, friend, summer ain't over yet. We should have just enough time to visit the best ice cream shops in the city.

Bobtail has been making homemade ice cream long enough to become a Chicago staple. The fact that so many restaurants use them as their go-to dessert proves their cred. Their locations are convenient too. If you're at the one in South Lakeview, you can visit it after a day at the beach in Lincoln Park. If you're downtown, enjoying the dizzying skyscrapers and gigantic parks in the loop, you can stop by their Buckingham Fountain location (522 S. Lakeshore Drive).

Heavenly is a nice, little neighborhood dessert stop just around the corner from the Logan Theatre. Stop on in while exploring the ever-changing neighborhood of Logan Square (Logan Square is cool now, right?) and try some of their ice cream or gelato. Even better, they cater to vegans with Chicago Soydairy's Temptation Vegan Ice Cream. While I am not a vegan, and therefore do not care very much about this, I can sympathize with those who just might.

More than just an ice cream shop, Margie's serves up a gigantic selection of candies, most of which are homemade. This is actually a problem. Say you show up for ice cream, but end up drooling all over their truffles. You can't very well eat truffles AND ice cream. You'll get a stomach ache! So go to Margie's Candies, but beware, you're going to have some tough decisions to make.

You might have to wait in a line to get a rainbow cone, but it'll be worth it. Unique is an apt word to describe the combination of flavors at this ice cream stop. Those of you who are just a Vanilla or Chocolate kinda guy/gal might want to expand your horizons, and not just to Neapolitan.

I was going to talk about Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, but then I remembered they originated in Wisconsin, so I changed my mind. Not gonna do it.

Just kidding! I love Wisconsin. It's the dairy state, they gotta be good at making ice cream, right? Well if Chocolate Shoppe is proof of that, then yes, they're amazing at making ice cream. Their website tells it like it is: "nutritional information: you want nutrition, eat carrots." For tasty, sweet ice cream made with the best milk products, you'll want to go to Chocolate Shoppe. There is no substitute.

Ice Cream, get it while you can, people. This is Chicago, it may be sunny now, but it'll be frozen out soon. Stuck in snow drifts, saving our parking spots with lawn chairs, the last thing we'll want come winter is ice cream. Here's five places that'll put a smile on your face, so get to them before the next blizzard.

Mason Johnson, Local CBS Chicago