Serving Up Soft Serve: This Ice Cream Shop in Iowa Won Me Over

I spent the younger part of my childhood in Iowa City, where my dad happened to be good friends with the owner of a Dairy Queen store. Needless to say, I saw a lot of soft serve in my early years. When I was in fifth grade, however, my father and stepmother moved to Decorah, and I lost my soft serve hookup. But I discovered The Whippy Dip: an ice cream stand that's been putting smiles on the faces of residents and visitors since 1954. Today, when I think of ice cream in the Hawkeye State—especially soft serve—The Whippy Dip in Decorah, Iowa, is what swirls into my mind.

Upon arriving in Decorah, the first thing I noticed about The Whippy Dip was a constant rotation of puns the sign. The mastermind behind these weekly witticisms was Lois "Loey" Christenson, who, along with her husband, Pastor Paul of First Lutheran Church, operated the venerable shop. I laughed at the puns and quickly came to love the soft serve. While I lived and attended school in Decorah, The Whippy Dip became a fixture of my summers—in fact, the seasonal opening of the shop was the surest sign that summer was just around the corner—and I still visit when I return.

The Christensons eventually sold The Whippy Dip to Greg and Rosie Carolan, who have owned it for the last four decades. The signs are a little less punny (though often witty), but the soft serve is as cool, creamy, and delicious as ever. Nothing about the soft serve itself is super fancy. The flavors are still, as always, chocolate, vanilla, or twist.

I'm a purist and almost always order vanilla on a cake cone. They have sugar cones, but for me, soft serve has no business being inside one. If I'm feeling posh or celebrating a life achievement, I may order a twist or even go so far as to have my vanilla cone dipped in butterscotch, but that's about it. As far as I'm concerned, The Whippy Dip's vanilla soft serve needs no embellishment.

Of course, plenty of other folks, like my kids, disagree with me, which is why the shop offers dozens of sundae, shake, malt, slush, and "Tornado" (i.e., blended in) flavors. If you're not feeling ice cream or want to lay a base before dessert, the shop also serves up sandwiches, hot dogs, and tacos to its hungrier customers.

No matter what you order, though, it's clear The Whippy Dip is doing something right. After more than 70 years in business, folks keep lining up for what this Decorah institution is serving—even if it's just a plain vanilla cone.

The Whippy Dip is open seasonally, usually from late March to early October, depending on the weather. Opening and closing announcements are posted on the sign, but if you're like me and live out of town, you can always visit The Whippy Dip on Facebook to get the scoop. (I like to know if I can grab a cone when I visit my hometown of Decorah).

Do you have a favorite place for soft serve in Iowa? We'd love to hear all about it.