I Scream, You Scream...

It’s never too cold for ice cream. Even as winter rapidly approaches us, sometimes all you really need is the comfort of a big scoop of your favorite ice cream flavor. Well, look no further than The Franklin Fountain located at 116 Market Street.

New to the Philly scene, I had never heard of this extraordinary place and just happened to stumble upon it by chance. Well, I’m glad I did because never have my taste buds been so happy. From the moment you step foot into this cozy old school ice cream parlor, you are transported back in time—a time when the only kind of ice cream was the homemade kind. So taken aback by the nostalgic atmosphere, I almost forgot to look at the menu. Almost.

Newcomers beware: if you thought choosing what type of ice cream to get was hard before, the Franklin Fountain takes difficulty to a whole new level. First, you have your basic flavors consisting of some classic favorites such as vanilla bean, rocky road, pistachio and rum raisin. If you’re just looking to grab a cup or a cone they are bound to have a flavor for you. Although I must warn you, their portion sizes are quite generous. However, this place gets even more impressive with their selection of sundaes. From the Franklin Mint, which consists of mint chocolate chip ice cream underneath a layer of homemade marshmallow topping, whipped cream, chocolate syrup and a mint infused cherry to top it off, to The Stock Market Crunch, which is a concoction of rocky road ice cream smothered with peanut butter sauce and then showered with pretzel bites, these sundaes are quite the creations. The most impressive has to be their famous Mt. Vesuvius. Living up to its name, the Mt. Vesuvius starts with an enormous bowl of vanilla (or chocolate) ice cream, is then topped with homemade fudgy brownie pieces, bathed in hot fudge, sprinkled with malt powder and then finished off with whipped cream. And if you haven’t satisfied your sweet tooth after conquering one of these enormous sundaes, have no fear because The Franklin Fountain has an array of homemade pies, fudge, an assortment of candies and, of course, fresh from the fountain sodas. I am almost positive that it is impossible to leave this place disappointed.

While there, I opted to get the seasonal flavor of pumpkin ice cream paired with my personal favorite, coffee. It was like a pumpkin spice latte, but so much better. So, fight the dropping temperatures and head over to The Franklin Fountain. If you hurry you may be able to get their latest featured item, The Caramel Apple Pie Milkshake, which is fresh out of the oven warm apple pie and vanilla ice cream all fused into one mouthwatering dessert. I shouldn’t even have to say more.

-- Xandria James

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