Nom-Tana: Valley Drug and Variety Soda Fountain

Gone are the days of poodle skirts and leather jackets, but old-fashioned soda fountains and ice cream parlors aren’t a complete relic of the past. In fact, you can visit one, just 30 miles south of Missoula in Stevensville.

Soda fountains experienced their heyday in the 1950s when people used to flock to its two greatest features: air conditioning and sweet treats. Back then soda was made by combining the syrup and carbonated water, which were dispensed separately. These shops were usually connected to the town drug store, which is the case with Valley Drug. Today, soda drinks are more commercially available in bottles, cans, and through self-serve soda dispensers. Ice cream is also easily accessible to consumers, and more people have air conditioning in their homes. All of these factors led to decline of the popularity of soda fountains.

Whether you’re feeling nostalgic about the past or you just need a place to get away from the heat, we suggest visiting the soda fountain in Valley Drug and Variety, Stevensville’s downtown pharmacy. It serves Wilcoxson’s ice cream, a Montana brand, as well as a variety of floats, malts, milkshakes, sundaes, espresso drinks, and other sweet treats. The shop cycles through about 8-10 flavors of ice cream, including Graham Slam, which tastes like graham crackers with chocolate pieces to Montana Moose Moss, which is a mint and chocolate fudge combo. Staples like huckleberry don’t rotate.

Ice cream comes in three sizes: a city scoop is one generous scoop of ice cream, a country scoop is two. Or you could get a baby scoop — which is the right size for small children and only fifty cents!

You’ll love the vintage decor, although you should know that indoor seating is discouraged because of Covid-19. Take your ice cream on the go and browse the adorable shops, galleries, and antique stores.

Valley Drug and Variety is located at 301 Main Street in Stevensville. It is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.