The basics: Cold Stone is another national chain of the mix-in-while-you-wait variety, with a typically young and friendly staff that will sing to you if you give them a tip. Lines are almost constant but move quickly.

The smooth, rich ice cream, made on-site, is firmer than that at Maggie Moo's but not hard; it holds the cone shape and the mix-ins well and is not too sweet, a nice touch considering the many sweet mix-ins. Mix-ins are fresh; for example, on the night we visited, the staff used whole brownies to create our chocolate devotion, a decadent mix of chocolate ice cream, chocolate chips, fudge and a fresh, chewy brownie. Cold Stone's "sinless" sweet cream ice cream is delicious and hard to distinguish from the regular ice creams (sinless sorbets also are available).

Tasty tidbit: The recently introduced kids' creations, a large scoop of any ice cream with one mix-in, are at $1.50, a family-friendly move for a store whose richer mixes can run upward of $5.

Ambience: Crowded, friendly, bright. The staff rarely seem stressed out, even when lines are at their longest. Again, eating outside is a good option where available.

Other factors: Can be pricey, but the low-priced kids' options help a lot. Cold Stone doesn't accept checks. Early evening is the best after-work time to go to avoid lines; patrons are arriving right up to closing time (and sometimes after). Wheelchair accessible.

Leatherby's Family Creamery

Location: 1872 W. 5400 South, Kearns (other locations in Midvale and Provo)

Prices: $2.49-$8.29

The basics: This longtime Utah fixture strives to deliver an old-fashioned ice cream parlor experience with well-trained, black-vested servers escorting patrons to their tables, old-fashioned Americana-style decor and a long counter up front.

Leatherby's serves food, but its lasting attraction is the many ice-cream dishes. There are scoops of ice cream, sundaes and classic desserts, such as the banana split of house-made chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream topped with fresh-tasting, also house-made chocolate, strawberry and pineapple sauces, whipped cream and a cherry. There also are more unusual dishes, such as Shane's Chocolate-Chip Swirl, Swiss milk chocolate and Dutch chocolate-chip ice cream layered with luscious chocolate and malted whipped cream. I substituted mint chocolate chip for the chocolate flavor in mine, and it was quite a treat. Caveat: Prices at Leatherby's are, by and large, in line with the most expensive shops in the valley.