These hot summer months in Gainesville may have you searching for a sweet treat to cool down. Fortunately, there are many great ice cream shops to choose from throughout the city. Several of these shops cater to the non-dairy and vegan crowds with the abundance of flavors they carry. Whether or not you fall into those categories, keep reading on to find out where to get the best ice cream in Gainesville.
Sweet Dreams of Gainesville has defined what a local ice cream shop should be since 2004. They never have less than 24 ice cream flavors available, including sugar-free and dairy-free options.
Sweet Dreams is not just all about their ice creams- they also make their waffle cones in-house. Regular event nights like Chocolate Night with 42 varieties of chocolate ice cream only add to the fun!
Karma Cream is committed to making their ice cream with environmentally-responsible products and no artificial ingredients. They rotate a list of 24 different flavors, equally split between dairy options from Blue Marble and vegan choices from Luna and Larry's Coconut Bliss.
Customers can dress up their ice cream by putting it between two of Karma Cream's homemade cookies or topping it with their housemade dark chocolate hot fudge. They also have a variety of vegan-only baked goods like cookies and cupcakes.
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8 Fahrenheit Ice Cream serves up the Thai rolled ice cream that's been a hot trend in recent years. Seeing the ice cream mashed and rolled along with your toppings on a cold metal slab is almost as exciting as eating it!
8 Fahrenheit has 15 different signature creations they can whip up. The Cookie Monster is a favorite with the combination of Oreos and graham crackers with a strawberry garnish.
Zero Degrees is another shop that makes ice cream just like they do in the streetcars across Thailand. They opened this past October and have quickly become a Gainesville area favorite.
Zero Degrees has 14 different ice creams to choose from with unique flavors like Bloody Mary, pina colada, and key lime pie mixed in with the standards. After you've chosen your flavor, pair it with any number of 33 toppings choices that are listed on the board.
Those hankering for some soft-serve ice cream should head over to D'Lites Emporium. Their low-fat ice cream has just 12.5 calories per ounce!
D'Lites rotates daily specialty flavors like thin mint, bananas foster, and butterbeer. They also make shakes and ice cream cakes, so it's a great place to visit if your want a treat on-the-go or a party dessert.
Gainesville has many ice cream shops where you can grab a great sweet snack. Try them all and let us know your favorite by commenting below!
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