Walt’s Ice Cream in Joliet historically opens on March 1 – and this year is no different.

Mike Dillon, who co-owns Walt’s with siblings Bill Dillon and Victoria Dillon, said they served about 500 orders on Sunday.

“This was our best opening day ever,” Mike Dillon said. “It wasn’t warm, but it was sunny out ... we had five or six cars in the parking lot before we even opened. People wanted to be the first customers of the year.”

Temperatures had dropped into the 20s by 5:30 p.m., but that didn’t deter ice cream enthusiasts.

“Business was steady all day, right until closing,” Bill Dillon said.

Julie Dieter of Joliet came out after sunset with her children Peyton, 8, and Jackson, 5.

“We always try to come out for opening day,” Dieter said.

Their orders included a turtle sundae (for Dieter), cotton candy ice cream with cherry dip (for Peyton) and vanilla ice cream with a cherry dip face (for Jackson).

Jeff and Nancy Crampton of Joliet ordered far more than that, all in cups: watermelon sherbet, two orders of yellow cake batter ice cream (two scoops each) and two orders of chocolate chip cookie dough and coconut (three scoops each).

Nancy Crampton said this was the couple’s first opening day. Jeff Crampton said they typically open Saturdays and Sundays during ice cream season.

“Don’t let him fool you,” Nancy Crampton said with a laugh. “He sometimes also has it for lunch during the week.”

Jeff Crampton said the sherbet was for his father Raymond Crampton of Joliet, who has cancer, receives hospice care and hasn’t eaten in days.

“When he heard we were coming here, he asked for watermelon sherbet,” Jeff Crampton said.

Mike Dillon said customers do occasionally buy ice cream to take to loved ones in hospice or the hospital.

“It’s really touching for us to be part of their lives – that we’re something they think about – in a much more serious time," Mike Dillon said.

Walt’s beta-tested 10 new flavors in 2025, Mike Dillon said. Two of them sold well and became part of the 2026 menu: black cherry and monster cookie. Walt’s also dropped blue moon.

“We’re actually up to 36 flavors,” Mike Dillon said.

His favorite? Butter pecan, which he claims is the best butter pecan he’s ever eaten. Bill Dillon prefers the yellow cake batter.

“It’s got a really nice chocolate ribbon running through it,” Bill Dillon said. “It hits the spot for me.”

Walt’s Ice Cream is open from noon to 10 p.m. Mondays through Sundays, through late October. Walt’s is located at 1314 W. Jefferson St. in Joliet.

Get a Frosty Tip

Frosty Tips in Joliet also opened on Sunday.

Frosty Tips dates back to 1949, created by Eldon Stroup on West Jefferson Street in Joliet. The Stroup family operated Frosty Tips for 24 years.

In 1973, Chris Dragatsis bought the store and property. The following year, a second store opened in the Shorewood Plaza at 700 W. Jefferson St., Frosty Tips’ current location.

Frosty Tips offers soft and hard-serve ice cream, slushes, pops and blitzes that incorporate a customer’s choice of candy or cookie dough pieces.

Another longtime favorite ice cream venue is Minooka Creamery. The Minooka Creamery is expected to open Friday, according to the Creamery Facebook page.