Not only is Sunday July 17th National Ice Cream Day, but July is National Ice Cream Month. It gets awfully hot in Florida in summer and what better way to stay cool than by eating lots of ice cream. Did you know back in 1984, President Ronald Regan proclaimed the third Sunday in July as National Ice Cream Day?
He loved ice cream that much and knew that most Americans, both children and adults alike, love the creamy treat too. Americans eat more ice cream than anywhere else in the world, on average we eat 23 gallons a year.
There are a number of ice cream parlors in the tri-county area of the Treasure Coast, and I’ve personally visited many of them. What surprised me during my research for writing this article, was there almost no social media posts or website mentions about the holiday. I really wanted to include any specials these places have for the holiday. Hopefully they will post their specials on social media on Sunday.
The Vero Beach Book Center is doing something special for the holiday. On Sunday 7/17 between 11am and 1pm, they will be serving free ice cream while supplies last. Stop by, browse their selection of great summer reads or children’s books and enjoy a scoop. Located at 392 21st St, Vero Beach.
For this article, I’ll try to list as many of the places that serve ice cream, frozen custard, ices, and frozen yogurt. Here we go.
Indian River County:
Pop’s Ice Cream 13600 US Highway 1 Roseland, Plaza Suite 8, Sebastian. This cute shop has 44 flavors to choose from. If you need sugar-free ice cream, they have that too. They also have adult ice cream which contains alcohol. In addition to sundaes, they make milk shakes, root beer floats, and ice cream pies. Pops is Veteran owned and they offer discounts to first responders and Veterans.
Paradise Ice Cream 482 US-1 #4, Sebastian. This ice cream parlor is located behind The Italian Cousin restaurant and in walking distance to Riverview Park. Get your ice cream to go and then walk down to the water and enjoy the view.
Simply Sweets 8905 US-1, Sebastian. They serve Hershey’s ice cream and a plethora of sweet confections including candy, cookies, cake pops, cupcakes, fudge, caramels, chocolates and more. Blink and you can easily miss them as they are a bit set back from US 1, but they are just north of Wabasso school. Simply Sweets has something for everyone who enjoy all types of sweet treats.
Yami’s Ice Cream Shop 102 N Broadway St, Fellsmere. When I first started going to this shop, they were on 14th Avenue in Vero Beach. Now they are in the quaint downtown section of Fellsmere down the street from the historic Marsh Landing restaurant. While it may be hard to resist the pies at Marsh Landing, after eating there, walk down to Yami’s for their homemade ice cream. For a long time, they did not take debit or credit cards, but now they do. Yami’s serves scoopable ice cream, but they are known for their popsicles and that’s my favorite way to enjoy their ice cream. They have so many different flavors to choose from, as well as fruit bars and juices. If you’ve never had horchata, give that a try. It is a sweet drink made from white rice and cinnamon. So delicious!
Cravings 3149 Ocean Dr, Vero Beach. This awesome place is going on 40 years in operation and is a beachside favorite. Cravings is a bakery, sandwich, and ice cream shop rolled in one. They also make delicious coffee, soups, and salads too. They have wonderful sundaes and the best ice cream sandwiches with homemade cookies.
Countryside Citrus 3300 Ocean Dr, Vero Beach. Steps away from the beach. They made this list because you can get their fresh squeezed frozen orange juice combined with soft serve ice cream that is so delicious there is always a line out the door during season.
Kilwin’s 3001 Ocean Dr, Vero Beach. While they may be known for their gourmet chocolates, they also sell ice cream and coffee at this location. I love their peanut butter cups but also enjoy cooling off with ice cream while sitting outside next to the fountain. Afterward, stroll across the street to Humiston Park.
Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard. 1355 US Highway 1 Mall Center Suite #9, Vero Beach. Years ago, they were in the Miracle Mile section of Vero, but now in that spot is a Hampton Inn & Suites. Rita’s is tucked away in the shopping plaza on US 1 and 12th Street, but they are so popular the loyal crowd has followed. Their frozen custard is so creamy and rich. Their ices are wonderful too. One of their most popular desserts is the custard/Italian ice combo, the gelati. They fill a cup starting with custard, then add the Italian ice and top it off with a generous amount of custard. If you’ve never had it, give it a try.
Steel ‘n Roll 1820 58th Ave #103, Vero Beach. This is a fun and noisy place, but it is cool to watch them roll the ice cream of your choice. They mix cream, fruit, chocolate, and sauces and spread them out on frozen stainless steel and mix, chop, spread and roll until it hardens and put it in a cup. The result is a super cold ice cream that melts into such decadent creaminess in your mouth.
Abbott’s Frozen Custard 4140 20th St, Vero Beach. Located on State Road 60 just east of 43rd Ave, this is another terrific frozen custard shop. The options are endless: soft serve, scoopable, milkshakes, cakes, pies, flurries, ice cream sandwiches, sundaes, and splits. Lots of flavors to choose from.
Saint Lucie County:
Joy’s Ice Cream with two locations 4959 US-1, Fort Pierce and 3433 SW Darwin Blvd. Port St. Lucie. These quaint parlors are family owned and operated with over 40 flavors to choose from. They make their own ice cream on the premises and have so many ways to enjoy your favorite flavor: cones, cups, sundaes, shakes, ice cream sodas, cakes, and more.
Cream Republic 1122 Colonnades Dr, Fort Pierce. Before heading to the beach, stop in and pick up a sweet treat. They handcraft their ice cream in small batches to ensure the highest quality and creaminess. Their Italian ices are not to be forgotten. How about some boozy ice cream? They’ve got that too! Cream Republic says they are “the sweetest shop on South beach”. There’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?
Hershey Ice Cream Café 825 Seaway Dr # 1, Fort Pierce. Along with Hershey’s ice cream, this place also serves açai bowls with fresh fruit, sorbet, milkshakes, smoothies, and coffee. Healthy or decadent, they have something for everyone. This is another place to stop before or after going to the beach.
Soft Swirl 5198 Turnpike Feeder Rd, Fort Pierce. Tucked away in a small plaza in Lakewood Park, this is an adorably sweet spot (pun intended). Cones, cups, sundaes, banana splits, root beer floats and more. It has a cozy, neighborhood vibe.
Pistachio’s Ice Cream 295 SE Port St Lucie Blvd, Port St. Lucie. A gorgeous array of decadent and rich gelato. Enjoy it in cups, cones, sundaes, and Xtreme shakes with piles of candies.
ShakeNcow 3211 SW Port St Lucie Blvd. They have homemade ice cream in so many flavors, soft serve, milk shakes, non-dairy options, waffles cones, and even dog pup cups! Need a caffeine pick-me-up? They’ve got coffee and cake by the slice too.
Twistee Treat with two locations: 7820 U.S. 1 Port St. Lucie and 3639 Southeast Cove Road
Stuart. These soft-serve ice cream stores are in the shape of a soft-serve ice cream cone. Absolutely adorable and whimsical. Family owned and operated by native Floridians, they love serving the freshest ice cream on the Treasure Coast. Enjoy cones, cups, a variety of specialty sundaes, root beer floats, shakes, and more.
Whits Frozen Custard 1284 SW Gatlin Blvd, Port St. Lucie and 237 SW Monterey Rd. Stuart. Creamy custard at its best. Cup, cone, or waffle cone. Get a Whitser, which is custard with toppings you add for a unique, customized creation. Super thick, not a milkshake. But if you want a milkshake, they can do that too. They also serve food – hot dogs, pulled pork or chicken sandwiches.
Cool Beanz located in Tradition at 11200 SW Village Pkwy Suite 103. They bill themselves as an ice cream, bakery, and coffee shop, so there is something for everyone. They are right in front of the hospital, so don’t forget to stop in before visiting someone, and get them a sweet treat. There is so much to choose from: ice cream, non-dairy sorbet, sherbet, frozen yogurt, ice cream cakes, malts, shakes, cookies, cannolis, cupcakes, and more. They have over 50 flavors and vegan and gluten-free options as well.
ROK & WTR Frozen Treat 828 SE Becker Rd, Port St. Lucie. This is an Italian ice shop with a mission. With each frozen treat sale, a portion of the profits goes to community development projects in the US and around the world. There are so many flavors to choose from, so keep coming back to do good while keeping yourself cool. If you want to learn more about their mission, check out Go.Build.Love.
Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt 10789 SW Tradition Square, Port St. Lucie. If you love frozen yogurt, this self-serve parlor is for you. You’ll never get bored because they have over 1,000 flavor combinations. Their yogurt contains active probiotic cultures, which is good for your digestive tract. They also have gluten-free, vegan, no-sugar added and dairy-free options too. They are in the middle of the square, so enjoy walking around and shopping at the nearby stores.
Sugar’d Up Dessert Studio 5309 NW East Torino Pkwy Unit P, Port St. Lucie. If you love cookies and ice cream sandwiches made with freshly baked cookies, this is your spot. They also have a large selection of shakes as well as ice cream. The name is so apropos! They have a trivia game. Visit them on Sunday, answer the trivia question correctly and get a free scoop and a surprise gift.
Small Cakes 2084 NW Courtyard Cir, Port St. Lucie. This shop is tucked away in a shopping plaza behind Texas Roadhouse, but it is well worth putting it into your GPS. It started out as a gourmet cupcake bakery, and they serve amazing homemade style large cupcakes. Bring an assortment to a party and you’ll be the life of that party. They have added ice cream to the menu, which you can have by the cup or cone or make it into a smash with baked treats or an ice cream sandwich.
Martin County:
Shark Shack Sweets 2916 SW Mapp Rd, Palm City. If you like both soft serve and scoopable ice cream, they’ve got it. Cups, cones, sundaes, milk shakes – any way you like it! Dole whip is available there too and lots more.
Barista Creamery 2285 SW Martin Hwy, Palm City. If you like coffee, cupcakes and ice cream and are in Martin County, then you’ll want to stop in here. They have hot coffee, chai, and cold brew. Their ice cream is rolled with lots of toppings to add. Love milkshakes? They’ve got them.
Signature Sweets Chocolate & Ice Cream 12 SW Osceola St, Stuart. This place is in the heart of the shopping section of Stuart, not too far away from Confusion Corner. Darn those roundabouts! It’s such a quaint shop with so many options, it’ll make your head spin. You can do all your gift shopping here and grab yourself an ice cream. Here’s the list: ice cream, yogurt, gelato, non-pareils, candy apples, chocolates, fudge, chocolate covered pretzels, peanut brittle, and more.
Beach House Ice Cream 6198 SE Federal Hwy, Stuart. This is an ice cream parlor with a relaxed vibe that serves sweet treats in creative flavors such as banana pudding, peanut butter and jelly, unicorn poop, and much more. They also have Italian ice and boozy ice cream.
Twisted Craft & Creamery 4745 SE Desoto Ave, Stuart. This is the coolest place ever! It’s a bar and an ice cream place rolled in one overlooking the water. Enjoy a frosty glass of beer or chilled wine with your ice cream or pastry. They also serve smoothies. It is a place to gather with friends and relax.
There you have it. A list of ice cream shops that both my friends and I like. I’ve been to most of the places on the list and will cover them all as I love roaming around the Treasure Coast. This area, while quiet compared to South Florida, has a lot to do and is a nice place to live.
What is your favorite ice cream place to visit and cool off during the hot summer? Share in the comments below.
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