Crossroads Ice Cream & Coffee: Mill Spring's Best-Kept Secret
There's a spot up on the hill on Highway 9 in Mill Spring that locals know about and visitors stumble onto and immediately wish they'd found sooner. It's called Crossroads Ice Cream & Coffee — and if you haven't been yet, this is your sign.
I'm always looking for the kinds of places that make Polk County feel like home — the spots that aren't on every tourist list yet, where the service is warm, the food is real, and the vibe is just... good. Crossroads checks every single one of those boxes.
So What Exactly Is Crossroads?
Crossroads is a family-owned ice cream and coffee shop located at 82 NC-9 in Mill Spring — right near the intersection of Highway 9 and Highway 108, one of the busiest crossroads (hence the name!) in Polk County.
But here's the thing — it's way more than ice cream. Let me break it down:
32 Flavors of Hershey's Ice Cream (Yes, 32)
We're talking 32 flavors of Hershey's ice cream, including unique picks like Graham Central Station and Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffle. And the waffle cones? Made in-house. Daily. Fresh.
They also have non-dairy options (sorbet and more), so nobody gets left out. Hot fudge cake and brownies round out the dessert menu for those days when you need something a little extra.
A Full Coffee Shop — Not an Afterthought
Crossroads is a full-service coffee shop with espresso drinks, seasonal specials, and new creations their team is always experimenting with. (A Fudge Latte has been known to appear on the specials board — just saying.)
Follow them on Facebook or Instagram to catch the daily specials before you make the drive.
Breakfast, Lunch, AND Dinner? Yep.
This is where Crossroads really surprises people. You can roll in for a breakfast biscuit or biscuits and gravy in the morning, grab a burger or hot dog at lunch, and come back for Hunt Brothers Pizza at dinner. They've got:
• Breakfast pizzas, breakfast biscuits, biscuits & gravy, grits
• Burgers and hot dogs
• Hunt Brothers Pizza — build your own 12" pie, wings, wing bites, and individual hot slices to go
Basically, it's the kind of place you can stop at any time of day and find something that hits the spot.
The Vibe: Peaceful, Family-Friendly, Mountain Views Included
Crossroads has a covered outdoor pavilion — which means you can enjoy your ice cream or coffee outside without worrying about the mountain weather changing on you mid-scoop. Customers consistently rave about the friendly staff, the fast service, and the peaceful atmosphere.
It's genuinely the kind of place where you pull in for a quick coffee and end up staying a while.
Why I Love Spotlighting Places Like This
Part of what I do through Smithwick Communications is tell the story of Polk County — not the polished tourism version, but the real one. The family-owned spots. The places that have regulars. The businesses that become part of the fabric of a community.
Crossroads is exactly that. It's up on a hill, at a crossroads, in a small mountain town — and it's feeding people breakfast, handing them the most interesting ice cream flavor they've had in years, and sending them off with a good cup of coffee. That's community.
Go Check Them Out
📍 82 NC-9, Mill Spring, NC 28756
🍦 Follow them on Facebook: Crossroads Ice Cream & Coffee
📸 Instagram: @crossroadsicecreamcoffee
If you've been to Crossroads, drop a comment and tell me your go-to order — mine’s the iced chai.
— Cara Smithwick, Smithwick Communications | Digital Marketing & Community Connector, Polk County NC
