A Family Day at Looking Glass Creamery for Ice Cream, Goats, and Local Cheese

There’s no better way to soak up summer than with a scoop of ice cream and a handful of fresh-picked sunflowers, and that’s exactly how we spent National Ice Cream Day at Looking Glass Creamery in Columbus, NC.

We timed our visit for the final day of their Sunflower DAZE u-pick event and made our way to the farm on 115 Harmon Dairy Lane, just off Hwy 9. The deal was simple: make any purchase at the creamery and enjoy free access to pick sunflowers in their blooming, no-spray field. 

First Impressions of Looking Glass Creamery

As we wound our way up the quiet country road, a directional sign pointed us toward the Creamery and Farm Store. The property immediately impressed with its wide-open fields, mountain views in the distance, and goats sunbathing near the patio. A thoughtful bonus: free cold water available on the porch for thirsty visitors venturing into the fields.

Inside the store, a kind and knowledgeable staffer walked us through the menu, which included:

• Grilled cheeses with gourmet flair (the bacon jam version caught our eye)
• Charcuterie boards that showcase the creamery’s house-made cheeses
• Ice cream in rotating, creative flavors like Key Lime Pie (with real pie crust!), Chocolate Pear, Rum Raisin, Bubble Gum, Salted Caramel, Ginger Miso Honey (soy based), and more

If you’re craving their Blueberry Basil, order it early. It was sold out by the time we arrived in the afternoon.

What We Tried

We chose the Key Lime Pie and Chocolate Pear ice creams. Both were refreshing, full of flavor, and just the right amount of indulgent. The Key Lime had a tart creaminess and surprise bites of buttery crust, while the Chocolate Pear was smooth and subtly sweet. We enjoyed our scoops out on the scenic back patio, surrounded by buzzing bees, fluttering butterflies, and a very relaxed goat crew nearby.

Sunflower Stroll

After finishing our treats, we followed a path down to the sunflower field. Visitors are invited to bring clippers and buckets to cut their own blooms from the six-acre field dedicated to sunflowers and seasonal crops. Sunflowers are from late June through mid-July.

While the main path offers plenty of easy picking, we recommend pants if you’re venturing off into the more overgrown parts of the field. Either way, it’s a sun-filled experience with sunflowers as far as the eye can see.

It’s such a thoughtful and generous gesture from the owners to offer this free experience to guests. It’s even more meaningful knowing the flowers are grown without sprays. A beautiful, bee and pollinator-friendly field, and you can tell they absolutely love it!

Looking Glass Creamery: Timeline

Looking Glass Creamery isn’t just a charming day-trip destination; it’s a vibrant, working farm devoted to long-term sustainability. 

1947 – The Harmon family begins operating a dairy farm in Columbus, North Carolina.
1980s– The farm updates with modern milking equipment and continues evolving.
2009– The Perkins family starts Looking Glass Creamery in Fairview, NC. They maked small-batch cheese using just 50 gallons of milk per week.
2013– The Harmon family places their farmland under a permanent conservation easement to protect it from future development.
Looking Glass begins purchasing milk from Harmon Dairy to expand their cheesemaking operation.
2017– The Perkins family purchases Harmon Dairy, uniting the two operations. Plans are made to move cheesemaking to the Columbus farm.
2018– Cheesemaking officially transitions to the Columbus location, becoming a true farmstead creamery using milk from their own cows.
2019– The Farm Store opens at the Columbus location, offering cheese, ice cream, and made-to-order food.
2020– Hard apple cider production is added. Spent apple mash is fed back to the cows as a sustainable feed source.
2021– New product lines of pickles and preserves are introduced.
A demonstration garden is added for guests to explore during visits.
2022–Present – They continue expanding sustainable practices like rotational grazing, composting, and raising grass-fed beef on-site.

Mark your Calendar: Upcoming Events at Looking Glass Creamery

Looking Glass Creamery is also part of some fantastic regional events that highlight local farms and small-scale producers:

• ASAP Farm Tour 2025 | September 20–21, 2025
  
• Carolina Mountain Cheese Fest | September 28, 2025 at Oak & Grist Distilling in Black Mountain

Both are great ways to learn, taste, and support Western North Carolina’s vibrant food community.

Final Scoop

Just 30 minutes from Spartanburg and under an hour from Greenville, Looking Glass Creamery is an ideal destination for a family day trip. With hand-crafted ice cream, sustainable farming, scenic views, and friendly animals, it’s the kind of place where summer memories are made.

Beyond the ice cream and views, Looking Glass is a true farmstead creamery. This means their cheeses are made on-site using milk from their own cows. From fresh spreads to aged wheels, everything is crafted with care. Cheeses are meant to be enjoyed on a board or brought home to savor.

We’ll definitely be back! Next time earlier in the day to try and get my hands on a Blueberry Basil scoop, a bacon jam grilled cheese, and maybe even a root beer float or charcuterie board on the patio.

Hours: Thursday through Saturday from 11 AM to 5 PM
Sundays from noon to 5 PM.
Note: If you’re planning to enjoy a grilled cheese or cheese board, be sure to arrive before 4:30 PM. That’s when they stop taking food orders.

Looking Glass Creamery
115 Harmon Dairy Lane, Columbus, NC

Have you visited Looking Glass Creamery? What was your favorite thing? Let us know!

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