This North Carolina Farm Makes Blueberry Basil Ice Cream And Has Alpacas Waiting Outside
A farm visit becomes much harder to categorize when dessert involves herbs and the alpacas are waiting outside.
That is exactly the appeal here.
Instead of treating soft serve like an afterthought, this North Carolina stop turns it into part of the show. Frozen fruit gets blended straight into vanilla, and the blueberry basil flavor sounds questionable right up until curiosity wins.
Then the animals complicate the schedule.
What was supposed to be a quick treat suddenly stretches longer because somebody has discovered the feed bins and an alpaca has decided to supervise.
The whole place feels cheerfully unserious in the best way.
No grand production. No expensive admission.
Just a working farm that somehow figured out how to make an ordinary afternoon feel far more memorable than expected.
And if the basil ice cream ends up being the thing everyone talks about on the drive home?
Honestly, that may be the biggest plot twist of all.
Start With The Blueberry Basil Ice Cream Before Curiosity Gets The Better Of You
Blueberry and basil sound like an odd couple until the first spoonful, and then the whole thing makes sense. One visitor admitted they never would have thought to pair the two, but wrote that it simply works.
The magic comes from how the ice cream is built. Holl & Stone serves New Zealand-style soft serve, sometimes called real fruit ice cream, where frozen fruit gets blended straight into creamy vanilla right in front of you.
The basil comes from herbs grown on the farm, which gives the whole cup a fresh, garden-like finish.
Order it on a cone if you want the full experience. Regulars swear by it.
Here is a helpful tip: the New Zealand-style feature has been known to sell out later in the day, especially on busy weekends.
The farm has since added a hand-scooped menu with about ten flavors plus a rotating soft serve feature, but arriving earlier gives you the best shot at that famous blueberry basil.
You Can Meet The Alpacas Waiting Just Outside The Farm Shop
Fluffy faces peek over the fence the moment they notice someone walking their way. Alpacas at Holl & Stone have figured out that visitors usually arrive carrying snacks, and they take treat acceptance very seriously.
Meeting them costs nothing at all. During regular business hours, guests can walk right up and hang out with alpacas, llamas, goats, and chickens without paying an admission fee.
Hay bins sit around the property, and the feed inside is free, so kids can grab a handful and offer it through the fence.
One grandparent described their granddaughter as giddy while feeding hay to the goats, and honestly, adults get pretty giddy too.
A couple of house rules keep everyone comfortable. Leashed dogs are welcome in the Farm Market area but are not allowed near the alpacas and llamas, so plan your route if you bring a pup along.
There is also a free-roaming rooster who tends to make quite an impression on first-time guests.
Try A Flavor Combination You Probably Would Never Find At A Grocery Store
Strawberry mint. Strawberry Biscoff. Pineapple. Reading the board at Holl & Stone feels a little like flipping through someone’s creative recipe notebook.
Beyond the famous blueberry basil, the ice cream lineup mixes surprising pairings with familiar favorites. Mint chocolate chip is there for the traditionalists, and plain blueberry or strawberry works fine if you want the fruit without the herb twist.
The farm also makes alpaca-shaped pops, which are basically impossible for a kid to walk past without asking.
What makes these combinations different is the method. Instead of scooping a pre-made tub, staff blend frozen fruit into vanilla soft serve on the spot, so the fruit flavor stays bright rather than tasting processed.
Bring a friend and split two different orders if you cannot decide. That way you get to compare the herb-forward options against the sweeter ones without committing to just one cup.
Grocery store freezers rarely take risks like this, which is exactly why the drive out to Garner feels worth it.
Take Your Cone Outside And Turn Dessert Into A Farm Visit
One guest called the place a plethora of patios, and that description stuck for good reason. Covered tables, umbrellas, large picnic tables, fire pit seating, and an upper mezzanine overlooking Lake Benson give you plenty of spots to settle in with your cone.
The farm sits between White Deer Park and Lake Benson Park at 920 Buffaloe Road, so the views come built in. A shipping container was converted into a farm bar serving coffee, and the deck above it has couches and big dining tables.
Fire pits are free to use, and the market sells s’mores kits if you want to stretch the visit into the evening.
Practical heads-up from repeat visitors: shade was limited early on, though the owners added more tented seating and umbrellas after guests spoke up. A hat still helps on hot afternoons.
Cornhole sits out for anyone who wants a game while their ice cream settles.
Browse Local Goods While You Decide What To Bring Home
Shoppers have a habit of walking into the Holl & Stone farm market for a quick look and leaving with something they never knew they needed. That is part of the fun.
Shelves hold artisanal pottery, unique jewelry, home goods, books, jars of jam and honey, sauces, and fresh herbs. There is fresh produce too, some of it grown hydroponically right on the farm, plus hand-picked garden items.
The alpaca fiber products deserve their own mention. One visitor found small stuffed alpaca dolls and keychains made with real alpaca hair and described them as soft and fluffy, which is a pretty good souvenir after meeting the animals themselves.
A plant nursery rounds things out with seasonal plants and pots for gardeners of every skill level, and prices cover a wide range so browsing does not feel out of reach.
Keep an eye on the calendar as well, since the farm hosts maker’s markets where local artisans set up and sell their own crafts.
Bring The Kids When You Want Something Sweeter Than A Regular Ice Cream Stop
Ice cream shops are fine. Ice cream plus goats, chickens, alpacas, a llama, fire pits, and s’mores is a whole different kind of afternoon.
Families have called Holl & Stone the perfect spot, and the reason shows up quickly. Kids can feed animals for free while adults grab coffee, and claim a shaded table.
Nobody pays to walk in, and parking does not cost anything either.
Rotating food trucks visit on weekends, including wood-fired pizza and taco trucks, so lunch can happen right alongside dessert.
Two nearby parks make it easy to build a longer outing. White Deer Park has a splash pad, and Lake Benson Park sits close by with trails and a veterans memorial.
One reviewer mentioned a playground about eight to ten minutes on foot.
Weekends do get crowded, and parking fills up fast, so arriving earlier in the day usually makes the whole trip smoother for everyone in the car.
Come Back To See Which Seasonal Flavors Show Up Next
Nothing at Holl & Stone stays exactly the same from one month to the next, which is a big part of why people return.
The ice cream menu shifts with the seasons, and the farm now runs about ten hand-scooped flavors plus a rotating New Zealand-style soft serve feature. That change came directly from customer feedback about long waits during those wildly busy opening weekends.
Seasonal produce moves through the market too, and the plant nursery fills with different flowers and greenery as the calendar turns. Food trucks rotate on Saturdays and Sundays, so even the lunch options change.
Fall gets special mention from regulars. Cooler air, fire pits crackling, s’mores, and thinner crowds make it a more relaxed version of the same farm.
Hours are worth writing down before you go. Holl & Stone opens Friday through Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM and stays closed Monday through Thursday, so plan around that weekend window.
Leave With A New Favorite Flavor And A Few Alpaca Photos
Most people show up for the ice cream and drive home talking about the alpacas. Or the other way around.
Either result counts as a win.
With a 4.9-star rating across nearly 200 reviews, Holl & Stone has clearly figured out something special. Guests describe it as a hidden gem, a new favorite weekend spot, and a place that makes you want to slow down rather than rush through.
Photo opportunities pile up fast. Alpacas lean in for pictures, the rolling landscape near Lake Benson makes a soft backdrop, and the market’s flowers and pottery are surprisingly photogenic.
The farm has hosted weddings too, with families praising the staff for jumping in during rainy days and building greenery arbors on the spot.
Before you leave, save a moment for one last stroll past the animal pens. Grab a handful of hay, snap a photo, and you will already be planning the next trip out to this North Carolina place in Garner.
