Ice Cream and Sweets in Wilson County: A 2026 Local Broker's Roundup

Ice cream and sweets in Wilson County has shifted meaningfully over the past decade. A category once dominated by national chains (Dairy Queen, Baskin-Robbins) now includes artisan ice cream makers who enroll at Penn State's Ice Cream College, frozen-custard specialists with drive-through lines that wrap the block on summer nights, family-owned scoop shops in Gladeville, and cookie-chain storefronts that double as social-media test kitchens. For residents and visitors, ice cream and dessert outings are one of the most reliably family-friendly experiences Wilson County offers — and the independents worth knowing by name are the ones that make the category feel local rather than interchangeable.

This roundup covers ice cream, frozen yogurt, frozen custard, cookies, and specialty sweets across Wilson County.

Table of Contents

• How I Picked These
• Independent Ice Cream Shops
• Frozen Custard
• National and Regional Ice Cream Chains
• Frozen Yogurt
• Cookies and Specialty Desserts
• Bakeries with Dessert Programs
• Ice Cream as Part of a Bigger Outing
• Practical Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions
• A Local's Take

How I Picked These

The operators named below are currently running in Wilson County as of April 2026, verified against Google Maps, business websites, and Facebook listings. I lead with the independents because they're the ones that give the category character; chains get their own section. Seasonal and smaller operators sometimes flex hours with the weather — verify before driving out of your way. Where a business has opened recently (2024 or 2025), I note that explicitly so the newness is part of the picture.

Independent Ice Cream Shops

Two Fat Men Ice Cream Company (Lebanon). Location: 1331 W Main St, Lebanon. The artisan-ice-cream flagship of Wilson County — the owner completed Penn State's Ice Cream Short Course (the industry's credentialed training program), and the ice cream is made from all-natural ingredients (milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, eggs, extracts) with Wilson County strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries sourced from local growers. Serves wholesale across Middle Tennessee (including Lebanon and Mt. Juliet retailers) in addition to its own Lebanon storefront. This is the Wilson County ice cream to try first if you want to understand what the independent scene is actually doing.

Mimi's Ice Cream and Coffee (Mt. Juliet). Location: inside Caney Fork River Valley Grille, Mt. Juliet. Mimi's is family-owned, locally-made ice cream with seasonal flavors (peach, apple-walnut in fall) alongside traditional favorites, and the shop is particularly proud of its homemade waffle cones. The location inside the Caney Fork restaurant is a Mt. Juliet quirk — ice cream as an extension of the restaurant rather than as a separate storefront — and it works well for the after-dinner family stop.

The Glade Scoops & Sweets (Gladeville). Location: Gladeville (east Wilson County, near Stewart's Ferry). A newer family-owned scoop shop (opened in the Gladeville area) serving homemade ice cream and a broader menu of sweets. The Gladeville area has grown residentially faster than its retail — which makes a dedicated ice cream shop there a genuine community anchor. Follow the Facebook page for current flavors; the operator posts new flavors regularly.

Seasonal independents. A few smaller operators open seasonally — typically Memorial Day through Labor Day — at roadside stands or pop-up formats. These turn over year to year; check Google Maps in May for the current summer lineup before planning a specific visit.

Frozen Custard

Andy's Frozen Custard (Mt. Juliet)

Location: 4040 N Mt. Juliet Rd, next to The Paper Mill. Andy's opened its Mt. Juliet location in June 2025 and has become one of the busier frozen-dessert operators in the county almost immediately. Custom treats with vanilla or chocolate frozen custard, 25+ toppings, and a specialty Goo Goo Cluster concrete made for Nashville (caramel, Spanish peanuts, marshmallows, vanilla custard). Drive-through lines can be long on summer weekend evenings; weeknights are lighter. Hours run late — 11 p.m. most nights, 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday — which makes Andy's the best option for the after-movie or after-game dessert stop.

Frozen custard (denser, eggier, and served at slightly warmer temperatures than standard ice cream) is a distinct category from regular ice cream. Andy's is Wilson County's primary custard operator.

National and Regional Ice Cream Chains

• Dairy Queen — multiple Wilson County locations; blizzards and soft-serve
• Baskin-Robbins — 2231 N Mount Juliet Rd among others
• Häagen-Dazs — Providence Marketplace
• Ben & Jerry's — Providence Marketplace area and occasional other locations
• Cold Stone Creamery — select locations
• Menchie's — regional frozen-yogurt and ice cream
• Sonic — drive-through ice cream and shakes, multiple locations
• Cookout — drive-through milkshakes, multiple locations

Chains cover the reliable-convenient use case. For character, the independents above are the pick when they're the same drive away.

Frozen Yogurt

Frozen yogurt (self-serve, toppings bar, pay-by-weight) has had national-chain consolidation since 2018, and Wilson County's storefront mix has changed accordingly. Menchie's is the most consistently-operating regional froyo in the county; Orange Leaf and similar operators have come and gone. For the self-serve-with-toppings format, verify current operators on Google Maps before making a dedicated trip.

Cookies and Specialty Desserts

Crumbl Cookies – Mt. Juliet. Location: 401 S Mt. Juliet Rd, Ste 247 (Providence Marketplace). Mt. Juliet has a Crumbl Cookies storefront — one of the Nashville-area Crumbl locations and a notable one: the Mt. Juliet store is designated among Crumbl's limited testing facilities, which means new weekly cookies sometimes drop here before general release. Hours: Monday–Saturday 8 a.m.–10 p.m., closed Sunday. The rotating weekly-flavor menu (six rotating cookies plus the milk chocolate chip standard) is the main draw.

Other cookie and pastry operators. Independent cookie shops and regional chains rotate into Wilson County periodically. For current cookie shops beyond Crumbl, Google Maps "cookies" in Mt. Juliet and Lebanon gives the latest picture.

Candy and chocolate. Specialty chocolate shops are less common in Wilson County than in Nashville's denser urban districts, but some operators exist. The overall specialty sweets category has grown alongside the county's population.

Donut shops. Wilson County has multiple donut options — Krispy Kreme at nearby locations, Dunkin', and independent donut shops. For doughnut-specific destinations, verify current operators.

Bakeries with Dessert Programs

Several Wilson County bakeries — independent and chain — serve dessert-level items alongside breakfast pastries.

Ice Cream as Part of a Bigger Outing

Park and playground stops:

• Charlie Daniels Park (Mt. Juliet) — pair with Mimi's or Andy's for the after-park scoop.
• Don Fox Community Park (Lebanon) — Two Fat Men is a few minutes' drive.

Post-dinner. Many Wilson County families split dinner and dessert — eating at one restaurant and driving to a dedicated ice cream shop afterward. Providence Marketplace's dining-plus-dessert clustering supports this naturally.

Wilson County Fair. August fair season brings funnel cake, fried ice cream, and traditional fair-style sweets to the James E. Ward Agricultural Center.

Practical Tips

• Hours vary by season. Independent ice cream operators often have reduced winter hours or close entirely in colder months.
• Summer lines can be long. Peak ice cream traffic is summer Friday and Saturday evenings — allow extra time at Andy's specifically.
• Allergy considerations. Most operators offer dairy-free and gluten-free options; verify specifically with each.
• Crumbl weekly menu. The six rotating cookies change Sunday at midnight each week — Crumbl's app posts the next week's lineup in advance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where's the best ice cream in Wilson County? For artisan independent: Two Fat Men Ice Cream Company in Lebanon. For frozen custard: Andy's Frozen Custard in Mt. Juliet. For locally-made ice cream with a restaurant pairing: Mimi's Ice Cream inside Caney Fork Grille in Mt. Juliet. For family-owned scoop shop: The Glade Scoops & Sweets in Gladeville.

Are there independent ice cream shops in Wilson County? Yes. Two Fat Men Ice Cream Company (Lebanon), Mimi's Ice Cream and Coffee (Mt. Juliet), and The Glade Scoops & Sweets (Gladeville) are the main locally-owned operators.

Is there a Crumbl Cookies in Wilson County? Yes — Crumbl Cookies is at 401 S Mt. Juliet Rd #247 in Mt. Juliet (Providence Marketplace). Open Monday–Saturday 8 a.m.–10 p.m., closed Sunday.

Is there an Andy's Frozen Custard in Wilson County? Yes — Andy's opened at 4040 N Mt. Juliet Rd in June 2025, next to The Paper Mill. Late hours (11 p.m. weeknights, 11:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays) make it the go-to after-event dessert stop.

Are Wilson County ice cream shops open year-round? Chain operators (Dairy Queen, Baskin-Robbins, Sonic) are year-round. Andy's is year-round. Two Fat Men and Mimi's operate year-round with possible reduced winter hours. Smaller seasonal operators close from late fall through early spring.

What's the best post-dinner dessert spot? Depends on where dinner is. For Mt. Juliet dinners near Providence, walk to Crumbl or drive to Andy's a few minutes north. For Lebanon Public Square dinners, Two Fat Men on West Main is the closest independent.

A Local's Take

Ice cream and sweets in Wilson County is one of the lower-stakes dining categories. The coverage is strong, the chains cover reliable options, and the independent scene has meaningful names (Two Fat Men, Mimi's, Glade Scoops, Andy's) that give the category a local identity. For families, ice cream stops after dinner, after baseball, after a park visit, or after a swim are part of the normal Wilson County rhythm — and the options support that rhythm.

The practical recommendation for newcomers: during your first month in the county, try Two Fat Men, Andy's, and one of the smaller independents. Find the one that fits your routine and make it a regular stop.

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Written by Jacob Armbrester, Real Estate Broker with Compass. Published 2026-04-18. Last updated 2026-04-18.