One of the best ice cream places I've been to!! Their sizes are crazy! A small is three scoops! They were fast getting our orders out and there were plenty of tables for people to sit at. They have a drive through for easy convenience. When we were there, there was someone playing music which was nice to hear while we enjoyed our ice cream. The fries came out hot and delicious! Highly recommend this place read more

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Love our local ice cream and lunch shack. The food is awesome and they serve also Mooville A2A2 ice cream. The service is amazing and they do a great job. Also love that they have a stage spot for local musicians to show off their stuff. We are there all the time. The decor is well kept and clean. read more

If I could give zero stars, I would. I went to Charlie's Ice Cream expecting a quick treat and ended up waiting 20 minutes for a basic flurry. TWENTY. MINUTES. For soft serve and mix-ins. There were literally 17 people behind the counter, and somehow not a single one could manage to scoop some ice cream and stir in some M&Ms without acting like they were defusing a bomb. When I finally got my flurry, it was aggressively mid. Half-melted, barely stirred, and tasted like it had been assembled by someone who's only read about ice cream in theory. Needless to say, 2/10 read more

Charley's has totally been revamped!!! The old Charley's ice cream that so many of us have grown up with has recently gotten a facelift. Albert Einstein has been long gone, but the old essence has been completely removed to make way for a fresh new look. Now complete with curbside pick up and a drive thru! The outdoor seating extends all the way behind the building and into a beautiful escape to enjoy some quality time with friends and family. The ice cream is piled high into a tiny cup and smothered with toppings. (Turtle Sundae and Peanut Butter + Fudge Sundae pictured) Food is brought right out to your table. Between toasted buns sit two hamburger patties topped with your choice of condiments. The Cheesy Potato Rounds and the Fried Mushrooms aren't super greasy and are sure to hit the spot. read more

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This is a solid ice cream place. A lot of local kids and summer jobs. The quintessential town ice cream shop.

If you're looking for a really good burger, fast friendly service, and an almost impossibly clean outdoor dining experience, Charley's is where you need to be. We chanced upon this hidden gem while making our way from Howard City to Greenville. We raise beef, so we're super picky about quality, and -- I have to admit -- rather hard to please when it comes to All Meats Bovine. Nine times out of ten, when we crave something, that something is a really good pub-style burger. Hubs had the cheeseburger with everything, I had the mushroom swiss, and we shared an order of mushrooms. The burgers were everything we could have expected and more, and the mushrooms were perfection. Service was fast and friendly, the picnic tables and pavilions were spotlessly clean, and prices were fair. In short, if you pass up Charley's in favor of a big-name fast food place, there's something seriously wrong with you. read more

My family comes to this town every summer for many years. Charlie's has been always a staple to our visit. We we told about new ownership prior to heading over there. The place looks fabulous. The food and service are still top top. A brand new deck and benches. Flowers and live music on Tuesday's and Saturday . Can't miss with the ice cream and the food is burgers chicken and dogs. read more

Charley's Dairy Freeze - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Gowen, Michigan

Charleys was always a great place to go with the family and get a cone the size of your face. We went tonight and needless to say we're kinda disappointed. My wife ordered a Hudsonville ice cream flavor on a cone, my sister ordered the same and were both served with it in a cup. When I asked if my wife could get it how she had ordered it the girl was like can I just put the cone on top of the ice cream in the cup. I politely said no that I'd like it how she had ordered it. The girl paused and looked at her other co workers and didn't say a word to me. Now had I not ordered it that way I wouldn't of complained. Not only did that happen. My baby Hudsonville cone was more than my sisters ice cream. Not sure after tonight we will be going back as often as we used to. I will say though that I love all the upgrades they did to the outside sitting area. Very nice! read more

We lovee the big portions and the service is great! Also they have a great seating area that is perfectly shaded and is pretty damn big!! read more

Very friendly staff. Is dog friendly and the portions are very generous. This place is a must try!

My three favorite ice cream stands in west Michigan are Love's Ice Cream in Grand Rapids, Plainwell Ice Cream and Charley's in Gowen. Charley's is a new discovery for me. It's out in the country and has a great Americana vibe to it. Plenty of shaded outdoor seating, plus they have bands that play, plus huge serving sizes and a good food menu. They have Hudsonville hard serve ice cream and soft serve options. In this COVID environment, this is a great place to go because social distancing is easy here because the property is so spread out. read more

Ice cream sizes are so big! Always have to get a small or I can't finish it. Their food is decent and I like their fries with mayonnaise. The line takes FOREVER if you go through the drive-thru. Love going there in the summer sometimes have live music. read more

Food and music was great they forgot a brat but quickly made one and made it right. Servers were very polite as well.

Love this place! Great food and you get your money's worth on the portions. Outside seating is all under awning, so perfect with the shade. The drive is beautiful right near a lake. Bring cash because they do not accept credit cards; however, there is a Dollar General right across the street. They sometimes provide live shows outside. Fun place to get out and enjoy during the summer. read more

6 stars. Went yesterday. Love the food. Love the ice cream. Cool place to go out with friends a chill.

Can't go wrong with anything here. Love dem cheese curds. Friendly people, shaded patio, delicious ice cream and snacks.

A nice stop when out for a drive in the country. They're very busy, so bring a little bit of patience. Large helpings and low prices make this a good stop for the entire family. read more

If they had frozen yogurt here, I would have told you so. And they don't, to the best of my knowledge. However, they do have lots of tasty ice cream, soft-serve & regular, shakes, malts, flurries and special treats. They also serve some foods (o-rings, curly fries, burgers, dogs, shrimp basket, and more). Really cozy outdoor seating, mostly covered though there are some tables to be found in the sun. I got a chocolate dipped twist, the chocolate dip wasn't the best I've had (oddly, that was at McDonald's), but the ice cream was plenty good. Co-workers had warned me in advance that the serving sizes are huge here, so I ordered a baby sized cone, but if you need/want a nice large helping of ice cream this is a nice place to get it. Also, there was live music the night I was here (mid-week), which was nice (bluesy/spiritual-ish sounding stuff). This ice cream place is really close to Lincoln Lake, and there's a big Baptist camp on the lake. Looks like a nice lake, really. read more

Awesome food and they're not skimpy on the ice cream... Large portions! Live entertainment a couple days during wk and great atmosphere to sit and eat... read more

Amazing portions of awesome ice cream. Lots of great stuff on the menu. Haven't had the food, but the ice cream won't disappoint. Would give it five stars but the lines tend to be long---- which wouldn't be so bad if not for the generally terrible local music on their live stage. read more

Hey, this is a really "cool" ice cream place. I love the personallity plus from the workers and lets not forget the yummy food and ice cream. A great place to "chill" and visit with friends while being entertained by various musicians every Tue, and Wed through the summer. Not your typical ice cream parlor. It is roomy and something for every member of your family. Check it out and I guarentee you will return for more. Hurry though summer is almost over. But dont worry, they will be there next year with more of the same good stuff. A big thanks to Brad for inviting us out to entertain with our country, gospel, and classics music. We look forward every year to meeting new people and seeing our old friends too. read more

I have been going to Charley's for the last 25 years. I worked there for 2 summers in high school too. It has recently changed ownership and they have made a couple changes to the food menu and took a lot of the old favorites off like the pulled pork and the baskets too. But they still have burgers/ hot dogs/ fries, etc. But now they take credit cards which is amazing because so many times we wouldn't go because I never carry cash. The serving sizes are humongous. The baby sized cone is the size of a medium everywhere else. They have covered and uncovered seating.l and a large parking area that is either dirt or grass. The one complaints I have is the last 3 times we have gone the hard serve ice cream tasted like it was starting to get freezer burn and wasn't very good. Thankfully it was for my kid who doesn't care but if it were me I would have asked for something else. Maybe they just order too much ice cream too early. Idk but it was pretty gross. And the cheesecake flurries used to be packed with cheesecake now i would say it isn't worth how much they charge. The last one I got didn't have ANY cheesecake pieces in the bottom half of the cup. So that was disappointing. read more

Can't beat Charley's! The sizes are grand and the ice cream is delicious. Craving a bite to eat before the sweet treat? Grab a freshly made burger or some delicious cheese fries. Also have local bands there from time to time! The perfect place to stop in on a hot day. read more

I live at thomas Lake which is about 3/4 milefrom Charleys,it is such a great place to go and listen to music on certain nights and there was camel rides for the kids the certain night we went there and had our dinner,great place to go. Very large servings so I also order a baby cone. Rose Marie Heald read more