Visitors flock to the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Le Mars, Iowa. The parlor will be among the meeting places for a six-week course for senior citizens on the city's history.Â
TIM GALLAGHER
Roger and Joan Eudy, of Albemarle, North Carolina, joined their grandchildren, Nora Chmielewski, 10, left, and Isaac Chmielewski, 6, for ice cream treats at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Le Mars, Iowa, in June. Besides seeing their children and grandchildren, Roger and Joan Eudy said Blue Bunny ice cream rates as the best part of the trip west.
TIM GALLAGHER
The Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor at 115 Central Ave., in downtown Le Mars, Iowa, has a gift shop and a visitors center where folks can learn the history of Wells Enterprises, which was founded by Fred H. Wells in 1913. Blue Bunny Ice Cream was named in a Sioux City Journal contest in 1935.
Tim Gallagher, Sioux City Journal
Jean Angell, of Lincoln, Nebraska, takes a bite from her peach sundae at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Le Mars, Iowa, in this June 2016 photo. The sundae also featured fresh raspberry sauce. Rather than travel Interstate 80 to Interstate 35 on her trip the Twin Cities, Angell chose Highways 75 and 60 because they gave her a chance to stop at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor.
Tim Gallagher, Sioux City Journal
A "single scoop" of Blue Bunny Birthday Cake Ice Cream was fitting as the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor celebrated Ice Cream Days in downtown Le Mars in June 2016.
Tim Gallagher, Sioux City Journal
The Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor and Museum in Le Mars, Iowa.
Jim Lee, Sioux City Journal file
Candles contained in miniature milk bottles are popular sellers at the gift store that's part of the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Le Mars, Iowa, the home base for Wells Enterprises.
So say the tens of thousands of visitors who make their way annually to Le Mars, "Ice Cream Capital of the World."
A visitor from Nebraska, for example, pulled into Le Mars on her way to the Twin Cities. A check of Google Maps showed the traveler would have saved time, perhaps up to 40 minutes, by taking Interstate 80 to Interstate 35.
That route, however, didn't feature a stop in Le Mars, where the driver found her favorite: Just Peachy Ice Cream served at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor and Museum, a 6-year-old visitors center devoted to the story and outstanding tastes served by Wells Enterprises, makers of Blue Bunny ice cream and frozen novelties.
The parlor/museum is located within a historic building on Central Avenue in downtown Le Mars, an 1875 2-story brick structure said to be among the oldest business sites in western Iowa, having served as a hardware and farm equipment outlet before becoming an auto dealership.
A centerpiece, or focal point, might be the marble bar, which came from M&M Bakery & Cafe in O'Neill, Nebraska.
A video detailing the story of founder Harry C. Wells and how he founded Wells Dairy with a horse, wagon and milk route in 1913. On display is a contact Wells signed for a milk route on Oct. 24, 1913.
That route gave rise to the largest employer in Le Mars, a maker of Blue Bunny ice cream and frozen novelties, and a force in the frozen treats trade.
The gorgeous parlor, which measures 12,000 square feet, has a grand, open staircase allowing guests to access a second-floor party room that holds up to 130 people.
The Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor isn't simply a magnet for travelers from places like Lincoln, Nebraska, or Sioux City. It has also welcomed dessert lovers from all over the world, even President Barack Obama, who scooped up a dish of mint chip ice cream. His opponent meantime, Republican Mitt Romney, enjoyed a chocolate malt.
Other U.S. leaders who have found their way to this "cool" stop in the "Ice Cream Capital of the World," have included Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie and more.
SIOUX CITY | If you're looking for one of the best views Sioux City has to offer, make your way up to War Eagle Monument at sundown. Remembere…
Visitors flock to the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Le Mars, Iowa. The parlor will be among the meeting places for a six-week course for senior citizens on the city's history.Â
Roger and Joan Eudy, of Albemarle, North Carolina, joined their grandchildren, Nora Chmielewski, 10, left, and Isaac Chmielewski, 6, for ice cream treats at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Le Mars, Iowa, in June. Besides seeing their children and grandchildren, Roger and Joan Eudy said Blue Bunny ice cream rates as the best part of the trip west.
The Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor at 115 Central Ave., in downtown Le Mars, Iowa, has a gift shop and a visitors center where folks can learn the history of Wells Enterprises, which was founded by Fred H. Wells in 1913. Blue Bunny Ice Cream was named in a Sioux City Journal contest in 1935.
Jean Angell, of Lincoln, Nebraska, takes a bite from her peach sundae at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Le Mars, Iowa, in this June 2016 photo. The sundae also featured fresh raspberry sauce. Rather than travel Interstate 80 to Interstate 35 on her trip the Twin Cities, Angell chose Highways 75 and 60 because they gave her a chance to stop at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor.
A "single scoop" of Blue Bunny Birthday Cake Ice Cream was fitting as the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor celebrated Ice Cream Days in downtown Le Mars in June 2016.
Candles contained in miniature milk bottles are popular sellers at the gift store that's part of the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Le Mars, Iowa, the home base for Wells Enterprises.
