Howling Cow Creamery is a Raleigh staple for ice cream for good reason. Made and served by NC State university Students this is a one of a kind ice cream experience in NC. Bring the whole family by for a cone and make some memories along the way.
Howling in Raleigh
Just five miles south of downtown Raleigh lies the Howling Cow Creamery and Education Center. NC State has a significant agricultural campus that surrounds the creamery and provides an amazing backdrop for the the experience. The parking area is sized right but has additional overflow area. The Road leading up to the creamery is one lane each way with fair traffic so be careful not to miss your turn.
Ice Cream With The Cows
The quaint white and red clad building pops out next to the green landscape surrounding it. The front doors open up to the line for ice cream and the merchandise area. They sell most of their products here in pints also.
The ice cream here is a personal favorite. I went to NC state so Howling Cow Ice Cream was a regular part of my diet for 4 years. Wolf Tracks and Camp Fire Delight are my personal go-to’s. The service was very snappy. Less than 30 seconds after I ordered, I had my cup in hand. I was confused when they tried to hand it to me that fast.
If you want to stay in side, there is plenty of space in the indoor seating area for a few small groups. Outside though is where the creamery makes its name. There is a wrap around porch that has rocking chairs and cascading stairs. This overlooks the cows feeding area in the adjacent field. We spent the majority of our time in this area watching the cows and relaxing.
I was a little surprised there was not a way to get up close with the cows. There is a fence to keep the the cows in and a separate fence to keep people out. I would have thought there would be some type of interactive area. Even searching around on their website, I did not find any event that allowed for casual visitors to interact with the cows.
A Little History
The Howling Cow Creamery is the byproduct of the Food Sciences program of NC State University. This ice cream has been made since the 1940’s at the university. The ice cream for many years was only found in the on campus cafeterias for students until the 1970’s when it was first brought to the NC State Fair. It made a big splash so in the 1980’s the program began to sell ice cream in the main on campus library. The Dairy program is one part of the much larger NC State Agricultural program.
The Students Make the Difference
This program has a large impact on the future sustainability of North Carolina’s food supply. Howling cow ice cream show cases the student body’s ingenuity mindset that the university prides itself on. You can now find these sweet flavors throughout campus, in some Harris Teeter Grocery stores and still at their booth at the State Fair.
When we visited there was a note at the front door stating that they were only serving a limited menu because most of their staff were unavailable. Unlike most ice cream shops, this place is run by NC State and also mostly staffed by NC State students. As a result they make accommodations for students.
Some Notes
They have single occupancy bathrooms which I found nice. They also make a very concerted attempt to compost nearly all of the waste from the store. I imagine the university is behind this effort but I appreciate that they are trying.
They are strictly a No Dogs establishment so that is a little sad. I know plenty of people that will only go to places where they can bring their dog also. Their website cites the fact that this is a working dairy farm as the reason for no dogs or other domestic pets being allowed on the premises. With most “No dogs” and “no kids” policies, there is a deeper story as to why the owners think this.
Overall
The Howling Cow Creamery offers a beautiful rural backdrop to the marquis NC State ice cream flavor collection. Refining their taste since the 1940’s it is no wonder that they have some of the best ice cream around. This is a great place to come for any occasion.
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