Scoop, There It Is! Montgomery County Ice Cream Shops Featured on PETA’s ‘Nice Cream Trail’

For Immediate Release:
June 30, 2026

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

In a compassionate spin on Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail, PETA is launching its “Nice Cream Trail,” highlighting 10 shops across the state serving up delicious vegan ice cream, and three of the shops—La Gelatteria, Mimi’s Handmade Ice Cream, and Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream & Treats—are located in Montgomery County. And to make it even sweeter, the first Maryland resident to complete the trail by visiting all 10 participating shops through August will win the cherry on top: a vegan ice cream party with PETA’s famous “iScream” truck for themselves and up to 50 guests.

• Located at 10414 Detrick Ave, in Kensington, La Gelatteria rotates its delicious dairy-free gelato flavors seasonally, with options this summer including Dark Chocolate with Almond Milk, Salted Caramel, and Toasted Coconut. The cafe is open Sunday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Creamy, dairy-free flavors at Mimi’s Handmade Ice Cream—located at 12274 Rockville Pike, in Rockville—include Coffee Oreo, Chocolate, and Ube, as well as sorbets such as Mango, Raspberry, Lemon, and more. Visitors are encouraged to check the shop’s website for current hours before visiting.
• Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream & Treats offers an assortment of flavorful dairy-free ice creams and sorbets, including Cherry Hibiscus, Chocolate Without the Moo, and Rainbow Sorbet. The shop has two locations in Bethesda (5241 River Road and 10219 Old Georgetown Road), one in Rockville (14929 Shady Grove Road, Suite I), and one in Chevy Chase (8551 Connecticut Ave. B202). The Bethesda and Rockville locations are open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the Chevy Chase location is open daily from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.

“Maryland is home to a plethora of parlors serving up delicious dairy-free desserts that are as kind to cows as they are to taste buds,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA’s ‘Nice Cream Trail’ gives ice cream lovers the scoop on where to beat the heat with vegan sweets, and we encourage everyone to support these forward-thinking local businesses.”

PETA’s vegan “iScream” truck has crisscrossed the country, satisfying sweet tooths far and wide by giving away thousands of decadent dairy-free delights, all while bringing attention to the cruel separation of mother cows from their beloved calves in the dairy industry. PETA notes that with an abundance of dairy-free ice creams available today—including decadent vegan flavors from Oatly, Breyer’s, Ben & Jerry’s, and more—it’s never been easier to opt for delicious desserts that let calves stay with their mothers. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help anyone looking to make the switch.

Other stops on the trail include The Charmery (Baltimore and Columbia), Coffee Talk Cafe (Towson), The Crazy Mason (Ellicott City), Moo Moo Cows (Baltimore), North Market Pop Shop (Frederick), Pitango Gelato (Baltimore), and Swirls of Frederick (Frederick). Participating shops will display a window sign and distribute trail maps showing all the sweet stops.

To enter to win an iScream truck party, Maryland residents must visit all 10 Nice Cream Trail shops through August 18, submit photos of their receipts and a brief review of the ice cream they sampled (at least 50 words), and send their submissions to [email protected]. The first eligible entrant to send PETA a winning submission will be selected.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.