Ottawa, the first day of spring 2026 is here, and whether you're braving the lingering chill or soaking up the season's first real warmth, there's one ritual that signals the true start of the warm-weather season: the return of ice cream culture.
This week, Torontonians are losing their minds over the reopening of Tom's Dairy Freeze, a legendary Etobicoke soft-serve institution that's been scooping swirls on The Queensway since 1969. After closing up for the winter on November 23, 2025, the retro spot swung its doors back open on Friday, March 20, drawing the kinds of lines that only nostalgia and a perfectly swirled cone can inspire.
A Toronto Tradition That Hits Close to Home
There's something deeply universal about the seasonal reopening of a beloved ice cream shop. Like geese honking overhead or cherry blossoms budding in Commissioners Park, that first soft-serve of the season feels like a rite of passage, a collective exhale after months of grey skies and heavy coats.
For Torontonians, Tom's Dairy Freeze is that anchor. But Ottawa has its own version of that magic, scattered across neighbourhoods from the Glebe to Westboro to Orleans.
Ottawa's Own Frozen Favourites
If the Tom's Dairy Freeze reopening has you craving something cold and swirly, Ottawa's ice cream scene is ready for you.
Dairy Queen locations across the city have been humming along, but it's the independent spots that really capture that same nostalgic energy. Places like Moo Shu Ice Cream in Westboro, known for creative small-batch flavours, and Sweet Serenity in the Glebe area offer that same sense of community ritual, familiar faces, long menus debated at the counter, and that unmistakable first-lick satisfaction.
For soft-serve purists, several seasonal stands and dairy bars in the Ottawa Valley and just outside the city start waking up around this time of year too, offering that classic roadside experience that's genuinely hard to beat.
Spring Has Sprung, Go Get a Cone
The arrival of spring doesn't always mean warm weather in Ottawa, anyone who's been caught in a March snowstorm knows that all too well. But that's kind of the point. Part of the charm of the first ice cream run of the season is doing it defiantly, maybe while still wearing your winter jacket.
So take a cue from the crowds lining up at Tom's Dairy Freeze in Toronto this weekend. Find your Ottawa equivalent, grab a cone, and let it be the official start of your spring.
The geese are already here. The Rideau Canal has thawed. The rest is just details.
Source: blogTO, Toronto's Most Iconic Ice Cream Shop Is Officially Open for the Season
