Summer means long days, outdoor barbeques, sweltering heat and, of course, ice cream and custard. When it comes to having options for these desserts, the Milwaukee area does not disappoint.

Even outside of the national chains such as Dairy Queen and Culver's, Milwaukeeans have a plethora of shops to satisfy their ice cream and custard jones. Here are just a few of many city highlights (and for the record, check out custardlist.com to stay up-to-date on the latest flavors at your favorite local custard stand.)

Babe's Ice Cream & Dessert
2264 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., (414) 482-4000
Nestled next to Stone Creek Coffee in the lively neighborhood of Bay View, the family-owned Babe offers an assortment of flavors for those looking for ice cream (not custard.)

Baskin-Robbins
4164 N. Oakland Ave., (414) 964-3330
1417 N. Wauwatosa Ave., (414) 453-0330
8820 N. Port Washington Rd., (414) 352-1020
Baskin-Robbins is actually the world's largest ice cream franchise -- with more than 5,400 outlets in 35 countries -- yet it still feels like a friendly, classic favorite. Famous for offering 31 innovative flavors, Baskin-Robbins now claims a flavor library that's approaching 1,000. They've also got a full range of frozen ice cream treats such as ice cream cones, cakes, sundaes, shakes and Blasts.

Bella's Fat Cat
2974 N. Oakland Ave. (414) 431-8480
2737 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. (414) 747-9746
This pseudo-1950s diner's menu features a special daily custard (some July highlights include the very Milwaukee Sprecher Root Beer Float and the scrumptious-sounding Granny's Apple Crumble Pie). Wash your custard down with one of their burgers or turkey burgers!

Cold Stone Creamery
2907 N. Oakland Ave., (414) 963-8810
2500 N. Mayfair Rd., (414) 257-9045
2935 S. 108th St., (414) 604-2441
An independently owned franchise, Cold Stone was developed in 1988 to offer combinations of customized ice cream creations. The uniqueness of the product is that the ice cream is homemade and mixed up right in the store on a frozen granite stone. The choices of candy combinations are seemingly endless, but the good news is that it's hard to go wrong.

Cream City Custard
1440 S. 84th St., (414) 774-4000
Adding to Milwaukee's repertoire of classic burger-and-custard stops, Cream City does it simple and does it right. They've got enough tempting flavors to resist any repeats in a month, as well as a few sandwich surprises on the menu.

Gilles Frozen Custard Drive In
7515 W. Bluemound Rd., (414) 453-4875
Steeped in history, Gilles is Milwaukee's oldest custard stand (it's been around since 1938). It's come along way since, considering there were only three things on the menu at its inception -- hot dogs, root beer and vanilla custard. Thankfully, the menu has expanded to include a rotating custard flavor of the day, custard and soda floats, shakes, malts and sundaes. Gilles even delivers, too, but that would obliterate any chance of seeing Bud Selig, who is a frequent, and long-time, Gilles customer.

I Can't Believe It's Yogurt
3215 Golf Rd., Delafield, (262) 646-7677
In case ice cream or custard doesn't agree with you, there's always yogurt. (And for the record: custard is a "dessert made of eggs, sugar and milk that is baked boiled or frozen," ice cream is "a frozen food containing cream or milk and butterfat, sugar, flavoring and sometimes eggs," and yogurt "is a custard-like food with a tart flavor, prepared from milk curdled by bacteria." Thank you kindly, dictionary.com, for clearing that up.)

Kitt's Frozen Custard
7000 W. Capitol Dr., (414) 461-1400
This is an old school Milwaukee favorite. Although there is no longer service to your car, you can still order and enjoy your custard treats in the car, just like the golden days. They also do traditional burgers, jumbo onion rings and have a fish fry.

Kopp's Frozen Custard Stand
7631 W. Layton Ave., (414) 282-4080
18880 W. Bluemound Rd., Brookfield, (262) 789-1393
5373 N. Port Washington Rd., Glendale, (414) 961-3288
Kopp's -- a Milwaukee staple -- is always a top of the list for those in need of custard. Mainstays chocolate and vanilla are supplemented by two different flavors each day, some as familiar as Rocky Road and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and some as unfamiliar as Spumoni (a mixture of pistachio nut, burgundy cherry and chocolate almond custards) and Turtle Sundae (caramel custard with chocolate and cameral swirls, topped with pecans). Incidentally, back in 2005, Kopp's was the winner of OMC "Milwaukee Challenge" for having the best custard in town.

Leon's Frozen Custard Drive In
3131 S. 27th St., (414) 383-1784
In business for more than 60 years and still going strong, Leon's is that venerable roadside diner etched into everyone's childhood memories.

Lixx Frozen Custard
2597 N. Downer Ave., (414) 332-3338
Tucked away on a corner next to the Downer movie theatre, Lixx has the look and feel of a retro mom and pop shop. Lixx offers an assortment of appetizing ice creams, frozen yogurts and custards.

Maggie Moo's Ice Cream & Treatery
15060 W. Greenfield Ave., Suite 100, Brookfield,
(262) 821-6249
Maggie's is a national franchise that has ice cream and jsut about any ice-cream related treat you can imagine: flavor mix-ins, smoothies, shakes, ice creak cakes, ice cream-filled cupcakes, truffle cakes, sundaes...need we go on?

Murf's Frozen Custard & Jumbo Burgers
12505 W. Burleigh Rd., Waukesha, (262) 547-7944
This is a secret getaway for people in the Wauwatosa / Brookfield area. It's located close to two chains -- Culver's and Steak 'n Shake -- but Murf's is worth a look. The hot dogs and chicken sandwiches are excellent and the burgers rival those from a very popular and much-better known outfit that starts with a "K." This is about custard, though, and Murf's doesn't disappoint. It's creamy and delicious. They offer vanilla, chocolate and a rotating flavor of the day. Bring your favorite custard conisseurs or guests from out of state and they won't be disappointed.

Oscar's Frozen Custard
2362 S. 108th St., (414) 327-5220
21165 Hwy. 18, Waukesha, (262) 798-9707
Like Kopp's and most of the other Milwaukee custard stands, Oscar's features a daily rotation of flavors in addition to the traditional mainstays of chocolate and vanilla. Malts, shakes, and sundaes are also on the menu in a variety of different flavors (the sundae of the month for August is chocolate truffle.)

Omega Frozen Custard
4695 S. 108th St., (414) 425-3790
Located on Hwy 100, Omega touts its creaminess as one of the major attributes of its custard. Both the sweet vanilla and the more tart chocolate are exceptionally smooth going down.

Pizza Shuttle
1827 N. Farwell Ave., (414) 289-9993
Do not underestimate the dessert menu at this East Side late-night grubbing institutiuon. Pizza Shuttle delivers custard, sundaes, malts and shakes and offers just about every topping imaginable.

Robert's Frozen Custard
6005 W. Appleton Ave., (414) 444-4230
N112 W16040 Mequon Rd., Germantown, (262) 250-1683
Robert's replaced Kopp's in this North Side location in the late-'80s, but should not be immediately compared. Also similar in style, Robert's holds it own when it comes to the taste of its custard and '50s-style jumbo burgers. Very classic.

Scoopz
3621 W. North Ave., (414) 431-0446
A relative newcomer to the frozen treat scene, Scoopz serves up custard, shakes and fountain treats in addition to burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, chicken and fish sandwiches, fries, onion rings and a kids menu.

The Burger Joint
1233 E. Brady St., (414) 727-1224
It's located in the fomer Bella's Fat Cat spot, so you stil find custard here, as well as burgers, fries and wings.

For the gelato enthusiast, there are two Milwaukee-area locations serving artisanal versions of the cold Italian treat: Golosi Gelateria and Cafe, 162 E. Wisconsin Ave., in Oconomowoc, and Divino Gelato, 227 W. Main St., in Waukesha.