There’s a reason homemade ice cream just hits different at Silver Dollar City.
With more than 10,000 gallons handmade each season, every scoop still carries a little bit of the old Ozarks with it. While most flavors become guest favorites, one playfully became known as the “worst of all time.” More on that sweet snafu in a minute.
In the park’s early decades, craftsmen and cooks weren’t hidden behind kitchen doors. Guests could watch candy pulled by hand, bread baked fresh and blacksmiths shape iron right before their eyes. Ice cream fit naturally into that storytelling. It wasn’t just dessert. It was a living piece of Ozarks tradition.
At Hannah’s Ice Cream Parlor on Town Square, that tradition is still turning.
Master ice cream maker Zan Bath-Reese has been making Silver Dollar City’s hand-churned ice cream for 22 years, carefully tweaking recipes until they are just right. She starts with a base of milk, cream, sugar and eggs before adding real ingredients like berries, candies and homemade mix-ins.
Over the years, Zan has created about 55 flavors of her own, from German chocolate cake to even barbecue! Then came the infamous red onion-and-cucumber flavor she still laughs about today.
“One time, there was a bogus sign in the park advertising onion and cucumber ice cream. I knew someone would ask for it, so I went to the kitchen and found those ingredients. I added red onions and cucumbers to the vanilla base. It was horrible.”
Zan Bath-Reese | Master Ice Cream Maker
Still, one 80-year-old guest kept ordering it.
“I eventually had that sign taken down so no one else would ask for it,” she laughed.
Today, every batch is made four gallons at a time in an 1880s-style churn built right on-site. Four churns allow Zan and the team to make four batches at once, with each bucket requiring three 15-pound tubs of ice.
Hannah’s Ice Cream Parlor has been part of Silver Dollar City since 1964. For years, the ice cream was made elsewhere in the park and brought over to the shop. Since 2004, Zan has made it right inside Hannah’s, where guests can still watch the sweet process play out.
“One of my original job descriptions required me to taste every batch,” Zan joked. “What a terrible job.”
She still samples every single run. For her, the sweetest part is not just the flavor. It’s the memories attached to it.
“It means so much to me when guests come in and enjoy our treats. You can’t be mad and unhappy while eating ice cream. I like knowing I get to make their days better.”
Over the years, those memories have become part of Hannah’s itself.
Tucked beneath the demo desk are three binders known as the “Hannah Books.” In the early 2000s, kids and families could help add ingredients, pour cream into the churn or add ice, then pose for a photo. Families received one copy, and another was placed in the book.
All these years later, guests still come back asking to find their photo.
“Our Hannah Books are true time capsules,” Zan said. “It’s really special.”
And maybe that is why a scoop at Hannah’s still matters. It is sweet, cold and creamy, sure. But it is also a memory worth repeating for generations of guests.
“And honestly, after all these years, I still love hearing that first reaction after someone takes a bite,” Zan said. “That little smile never gets old.”
While Zan says ice cream is popular all season long, there’s something special about a cold treat on hot Ozarks summer afternoons. Be sure to stop by for a taste of Zan’s pride and joy on your next visit. Silver Dollar City has big savings for families this summer, including an Unlimited Summer Ticket and 2 days for the price of one.
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