After a day in the sun, who doesn’t want a cold and sweet treat? Whether you have been walking up and down King Street or spending a day on the water, Charleston has great ice cream shops to help you cool down and satisfy your sweet tooth! Here is the Charleston Guru round-up of Top Ice Cream Shops in Charleston. There is something for everyone: creamy custard, dairy-free ice cream, milkshakes, ice-cream sandwiches, and gelato.
Charleston’s Top Ice Cream Shops
BeardCat’s Sweet Shop
BeardCat’s Sweet Shop is on the beautiful Sullivan’s Island below The Obstinate Daughter. This shop takes pride in creating specialty gelato flavors that make you want to return to see what they have created. They will even make entire cakes and mix them right into the gelato. At BeardCat’s, you an also find ice cream sandwiches, ice cream cakes, house-made rice crispy treats, and frozen cookie dough and biscuits to take home with you.
Neighborhood: Sullivan’s Island
Republic Ice Cream
After your next day at the beach on Sullivan’s Island, be sure to stop by Republic Ice Cream for a tasty cold treat. Republic serves scoops and pints of ice cream at their Sullivan’s Island and Downtown Charleston locations.
Neighborhoods: Downtown Charleston and Sullivan’s Island
Ye Ole Fashioned Cafe and Ice Cream Parlor
Ye Ole Fashioned has been serving the Lowcountry since 1972. This tasty local favorite opened its first store in West Ashley and has seven locations around Charleston. Ye Ole Fashioned is known for its decedent sundaes, all topped with whipped cream, pecans, and a cherry on top! They also serve 36 ice-cream flavors, including dairy-free options, milkshakes, sorbet freezes, and lunch menu items like sandwiches, salads, soups, burgers, and hot dogs.
Neighborhoods: West Ashley, Mount Pleasant, North Charleston, Summerville, Goose Creek
Off Track
Off-Track has been a hit in Charleston since day one, serving up scoops, customized ice cream sandwiches, milkshakes, sundaes, soda floats, coffee, and tea. This destination creates ice cream made with all-natural and local ingredients when possible, and you can taste the difference. Off Track also consistently has new seasonal flavors alongside their traditional and vegan options. The next time you are strolling down King Street, be sure to turn onto Beaufain Street and try out some of the best ice cream in Downtown Charleston.
Neighborhood: Downtown Charleston | Harleston Village
Turbo Cone
Enjoy soft-serve ice cream after a long beach day at Turbo Cone. Turbo Cone offers classic soft-serve ice cream flavors plus two dairy-free ice cream options each day. At Turbo Cone, you can also find milkshakes and malts, hurricones, floats, slushies, and Icebergs.
Neighborhood: Avondale
Park Circle Creamery
Venture to Park Circle Creamery for locally-made, handcrafted ice cream in the heart of North Charleston. Park Circle Creamery offers 16+ ice cream flavors and is on a mission to continue to improve its ice cream as they continue to study the science of ice cream. You can enjoy Park Circle Creamery in North Charleston and Summerville.
Neighborhoods: Park Circle and Summerville
Life Raft Treats – Food Truck and Pop Up
What’s better than seeing an ice cream truck on a hot day? Locally-owned Life Raft Treats creates unique and tasty ice cream and treats made to look like other food items—fried chicken, peaches, bananas, you name it—and serves them out of their ice cream truck or through other retailers around town. This creative outlet uses locally-farmed dairy, eggs, and produce to create these picture-worthy treats. You can find Life Raft Treats at restaurants, including Chubby Fish, Renzo, and Terrace Theater, plus stores like Caviar and Banana, Whole Foods, and Handy and Hot. Follow along on social media to see when and where a Life Raft Treats truck might pop up in Charleston.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream is a popular ice cream chain that started in Ohio, and now there are two locations in the Lowcountry. Jeni’s offers seasonal ice cream flavors that they serve in bowls or waffle cones, and they also sell ice cream pints in their shops.
Neighborhood: Downtown Charleston and Mount Pleasant
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