{"id":3363,"date":"2026-07-16T19:04:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T19:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363"},"modified":"2026-07-16T19:04:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T19:04:08","slug":"nat-geo-named-this-charlotte-area-shop-no-1-ice-cream-on-the-planet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363","title":{"rendered":"Nat Geo named this Charlotte-area shop No. 1 ice cream on the planet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey Charlotte foodies \u2014 pour yourself something cold, because today\u2019s CharlotteFive newsletter<\/a> is stacked with stops worth adding to your summer list. From an ice cream shop with a global crown to a new-to-NC sushi concept and four mountain resorts worthy of a long weekend, here\u2019s what CharlotteFive is chasing this week. \ud83c\udf66\ud83c\udf63\ud83c\udfd4\ufe0f<\/p>\n

Read more Four years later, it\u2019s NC Republicans pleading for more national party help | Opinion<\/a><\/p>\n

Teen writer Tristan is on a summer mission to find Charlotte\u2019s best ice cream, and his latest stop was a big one: Handel\u2019s Homemade Ice Cream in Steele Creek, the shop National Geographic called the \u201c#1 ice cream on the planet.\u201d Founded in 1945 in Youngstown, Ohio, Handel\u2019s makes its ice cream fresh in every franchise store. There are four locations in our area, and more than 100 flavors rotate through the menu.<\/p>\n

Tristan and his dad tried a waffle cone stuffed with Buckeye ice cream \u2014 a peanut butter base with chocolate swirls and mini peanut butter cups \u2014 plus a brownie sundae big enough to split. His verdict? \u201cFresh-made ice cream in every store, a flavor list deep enough to require patience and portions that don\u2019t skimp.\u201d \ud83d\udccd Find the Steele Creek shop at 4923 Trojan Dr., Suite 150<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc49 Read Tristan\u2019s full review here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sushi fans, mark your calendars, Tanasia writes: Kura Sushi opens Friday, July 17, at StoneCrest at Piper Glen, and it\u2019s the chain\u2019s first-ever restaurant in North Carolina. Doors swing open at 11:30 a.m., and the first 150 seated guests get a commemorative T-shirt. Sushi plates start at $3.75. Pricing varies for other items. \ud83c\udf89<\/p>\n

More than 100 menu items travel through the dining room on a two-tier conveyor belt system \u2014 the primary belt loops sushi past every table, while an express belt delivers touchscreen orders directly to you. Keep an eye out for Mutenmaru, the tiny mascot who pops up on your tablet: drop 15 empty plates into the disposal slot at your table and he\u2019ll reward you with a prize. \ud83d\udccd Find it at 7804 Rea Rd., Suite A<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc49 Get all the opening details from Tanasia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Craving a getaway that\u2019s still drivable? Travel + Leisure readers just named four North Carolina resorts among the best places to stay in the South, writes Simone \u2014 and every single one sits in the mountains. Half-Mile Farm in Highlands landed highest at No. 4, followed by The Inn on Biltmore Estate in Asheville and Old Edwards Inn & Spa in Highlands, both returning to the list for at least the second year in a row. Skyline Lodge in Highlands rounded things out at No. 9.<\/p>\n

The rankings pulled from more than a half-million reader votes cast between Oct. 20 and Feb. 23, with hotels scored on rooms, \u201clocation, service, food\u201d and value. As the magazine put it: \u201cWhat do they all have in common? Exceptional service that turns inquisitive travelers into return guests.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Man who was speeding charged in crash death of 17-year-old Manolo\u2019s Bakery employee<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc49 See the full list here from Simone<\/a>.<\/p>\n

CharlotteFive has a theory worth testing: some of the best pizza in the city is coming out of local breweries, Melissa writes. She recently loved a cheese pizza with garlic and basil at NoDa Brewing Co., and she\u2019s a big fan of Salud\u2019s pizza \u2014 which fellow C5er Evan once called the best in Charlotte<\/a>. Next on her list? The Exchange in Matthews, the pizza shed inside Seaboard Brewing that Tristan and Jamie called their favorite brewery pizza<\/a> yet. \ud83c\udf55<\/p>\n

Got a happy food find in your day? Email charlottefive@charlottefive.com<\/a> \u2014 you might see it in an upcoming newsletter. \u2600\ufe0f<\/p>\n

Charlotte\u2019s twice-yearly restaurant week is almost here, Heidi reports. Start plotting which prix-fixe menus you\u2019re not going to miss, and make your reservations soon<\/a> \u2014 the good tables go fast. \ud83d\udcc5<\/p>\n

A few more reads CharlotteFive is sharing today:<\/p>\n

CharlotteFive drops a free newsletter every weekday with the city\u2019s best eats, openings, closings, hidden gems and things to do. \ud83d\udc49 Sign up here<\/a> \u2014 it\u2019s the fastest way to keep tabs on what\u2019s new in Charlotte.<\/p>\n

You can also follow along with CharlotteFive on social: @cltfive on Instagram<\/a>, @cltfive on Threads<\/a>, @cltfive on TikTok<\/a> and @charlottefive.com on Bluesky<\/a>. \ud83d\udcf1<\/p>\n

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists. To learn more about how The Charlotte Observer is using AI in our newsroom, see our policy here<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

Read more Fort Mill schools agree to settle crossing guard death lawsuit<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Handel's in Steele Creek earned the top ice cream honor from National Geographic. Plus Kura Sushi opens in Ballantyne and four NC resorts rank among the best.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nNat Geo named this Charlotte-area shop No. 1 ice cream on the planet - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nat Geo named this Charlotte-area shop No. 1 ice cream on the planet - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Handel's in Steele Creek earned the top ice cream honor from National Geographic. Plus Kura Sushi opens in Ballantyne and four NC resorts rank among the best.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-16T19:04:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3363#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3363\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"headline\":\"Nat Geo named this Charlotte-area shop No. 1 ice cream on the planet\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-16T19:04:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3363\"},\"wordCount\":772,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3363#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/07c58a4656cc265359c6e99b5b5f4cf3.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3363#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3363\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3363\",\"name\":\"Nat Geo named this Charlotte-area shop No. 1 ice cream on the planet - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3363#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3363#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/07c58a4656cc265359c6e99b5b5f4cf3.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-16T19:04:08+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3363#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3363\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3363#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/07c58a4656cc265359c6e99b5b5f4cf3.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/07c58a4656cc265359c6e99b5b5f4cf3.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3363#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Nat Geo named this Charlotte-area shop No. 1 ice cream on the planet\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Nat Geo named this Charlotte-area shop No. 1 ice cream on the planet - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Nat Geo named this Charlotte-area shop No. 1 ice cream on the planet - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","og_description":"Handel's in Steele Creek earned the top ice cream honor from National Geographic. Plus Kura Sushi opens in Ballantyne and four NC resorts rank among the best.","og_url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363","og_site_name":"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","article_published_time":"2026-07-16T19:04:08+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93"},"headline":"Nat Geo named this Charlotte-area shop No. 1 ice cream on the planet","datePublished":"2026-07-16T19:04:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363"},"wordCount":772,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/07c58a4656cc265359c6e99b5b5f4cf3.jpg","articleSection":["Read today's Edition"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363","url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363","name":"Nat Geo named this Charlotte-area shop No. 1 ice cream on the planet - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/07c58a4656cc265359c6e99b5b5f4cf3.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-16T19:04:08+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/07c58a4656cc265359c6e99b5b5f4cf3.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/07c58a4656cc265359c6e99b5b5f4cf3.jpg","width":1200,"height":675},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3363#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Nat Geo named this Charlotte-area shop No. 1 ice cream on the planet"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/","name":"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com"],"url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}