Max's Custard is a seasonal roadside stand at 67 1/2 Auburn Road in Seneca Falls, and the half-address should tell you something about the scale of the operation. This is not a scoop shop with a sit-down counter and a wall of 31 flavors. It is a walk-up window, a short menu board, a line that stretches into the parking lot on hot evenings, and frozen custard that is good enough to justify the drive from wherever you happen to be staying in the Finger Lakes.

Frozen custard is not ice cream — the egg yolk content gives it a denser, creamier texture, and Max's leans into that richness. The rotating daily flavors keep regulars checking in all summer (follow their Facebook page for the lineup), and the standard vanilla and chocolate are strong enough that you do not need a novelty flavor to have a good time. The sundaes are old-school — hot fudge, caramel, the works — and the portions are not stingy.

Max's earned FLX Finest Silver for Best Ice Cream in 2023, competing against year-round shops with larger operations. The seasonal format is part of the charm: Max's is open roughly from spring through early fall, and the first opening day of the season is a minor event for the local community. If you are visiting Seneca Falls to see the Women's Rights National Historical Park or passing through on the way between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, a stop at Max's is the kind of small detour that ends up being the thing you remember most about the drive. Bring cash, expect a wait on weekend evenings, and do not overthink the flavor — the custard itself is the point.