I know what it’s like when it’s the middle of the day, it’s hot, and I and the kids need something to cool off. There’s nothing like a cold snow cone, shaved ice, or snoball. And Gulf Shores has them all!
No matter where you’re staying in Gulf Shores there’s a spot close by to get a snow cone for the whole family. And with tons of flavors to choose from everyone comes away with something tasty.
Here are my top 5 places to grab a snowy treat.
New Orleans Original Snoball
Their sign says, “Best Shaved Ice” so it’s gotta be good right? I’ve tried it and I promise it is.
So what is a snoball anyway?
A snoball is a Louisiana confection made with finely shaved ice and flavored sugar syrup. Commonly confused with the snow cone, the ice of a snoball is fine and fluffy; while a snow cone's ice is coarse, crunchy, and granular. Also, in a snow cone the flavored syrup sinks to the bottom of the cup, in a snoball the ice absorbs the syrup.
New Orleans Original Snoball offers the following flavors: banana, blue raspberry, bubble gum, buttercream vanilla, cherry, cotton candy, granny smith apple, grape, ice cream, piña colada, spearmint, strawberry, strawberry cheesecake, tiger’s blood, and wedding cake.
You can also get a stuffed snoball, which is a snoball stuffed with vanilla or chocolate soft-serve ice cream. Or you can get your snoball with cream, a snoball made with flavored syrup mixed with evaporated milk.
They are typically open from March through September but check out their Facebook page before heading over. They are located at 320 E Beach Blvd in Gulf Shores and their hours are from 11 am to 8 pm Sunday through Thursday. They’re open from 11 am to 9 pm on Friday and Saturday.
A couple of years ago I took my kids and some of my nieces and nephews, which was a highlight of our day.
Make sure you have cash or Venmo as they don’t accept credit cards there.
Frost Bites Gulf Shores
Frost Bites opened in Seaside, FL in 1994 and soon became a staple in the Seaside community. In 2004, Frost Bites, the only Airstream in Seaside, was purchased by our partner Mike Gullett. Mike, a father of four, had a vision of helping families make new memories at the beach as well as reliving old ones. That tradition continues today with photo ops, the friendliest of staff, delicious Hawaiian shave ice, fresh lemonade freezes, old-fashioned root beer floats, and frozen custard.
In May 2017, the Lynch family opened Frost Bite’s second location at The Beach Club in Gulf Shores, AL.
Frost Bites offers the following flavors: banana, black cherry, blue bubble gum, blue raspberry, cherry, clear blue raspberry, coconut, cotton candy, grape, green apple, ice cream, kiwi, lemon, lime, mango, orange, passion fruit, peach, pineapple, pink bubble gum, pink lemonade, strawberry, vanilla, and watermelon.
You can also have cream, chocolate, or gummies added to your shaved ice. Or you can get it “stuffed” which is frozen custard on the bottom or you can “make it a piggly wiggly” which is custard on the bottom and cream on the top.
If that’s not enough they also have 28 combination flavors of shaved ice to choose from. Whew, that’s a lot of options! But I know with the whole family sometimes it’s tough to keep everybody happy.
Frost Bites has something for everyone.
They are typically open from May 15th through The Annual Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores. And their hours are 6 pm to 10 pm. They are located in an Airstream at 925 Beach Club Trail. You can’t miss it. It’s decked out with signage and says “Frost Bites” across the top.
The best way to find out any additional information about Frost Bites Gulf Shores is on their Facebook page.
They have a 4.7 out of 5 stars on Facebook.
Here’s one of their reviews. “First off the owners are the absolute sweetest people ever! It made my family and I feel welcomed and like we had known them for a while each night we came. My husband got their floats and said every time “best I’ve ever had”. The ice cream is so creamy. But for me their shaved ice was just amazing, I loved the Hawaiian Delight can’t even explain how good this was. I highly recommend going here. I already can’t wait till we come back next year my family and I will be stopping by every night!”
Frost Bites also has a location in Orange Beach at Alabama Point. Located at 27853 Perdido Beach Blvd. They typically open starting May 1st and their hours are 12 to 6 pm.
Tropical Sno
This snow cone stop is a chain, but with 36 delicious flavors and 100s of combinations how can your family go wrong? Plus, it’s located super close to one of the main beaches.
Tropical Sno offers the following flavors: apple, banana, birthday cake, black cherry, blue Hawaiian, blue raspberry, bubblegum, cherry, cinnamon, coconut, coffee, cola, cotton candy, cranberry, fresh lime, grape, green apple, guava, huckleberry, kiwi, lemon, mango, orange, passion fruit, peach, piña colada, pineapple, pink grapefruit, pink lemonade, red raspberry, root beer, strawberry, tangerine, tiger’s blood, tutti frutti, vanilla, and watermelon.
They have 26 combination flavors as well or you can build your own by choosing up to three of their flavors to mix together.
You can also add a scoop of ice cream or cream on top.
They have a 4.7 out of 5 stars on Google currently with almost 100 reviews.
Here’s one of their reviews. “Great place, huge portions, very nice people, and best snow cone I’ve ever had.”
Their hours are 1 to 9 pm, Monday through Friday. On Saturday they’re open from 12 to 9 pm and Sunday from 12 to 8 pm. They are located at 520 W Beach Blvd in the heart of Gulf Shores.
It’s hard to figure out when they open and close for the season, but I would suggest just typing in “Tropical Sno Gulf Shores” before you head over.
Killer Cones
This place just has a great name and it’s located in a booth directly in front of the big shark mouth store called Souvenir City along Gulf Shore Pkwy as you come into Gulf Shores. You can’t miss it!
Their hours are 12 to 10 pm daily “unless rain attacks”. It looks like they are open between late May and the end of September. The only place online I could find any information on them was here.
Killer Cones offers the following flavors: blue Hawaii, Bahama mama, banana, blue razzberry, coconut, pink cotton candy, sharks blood, orange, peach, pineapple, cherry, pink bubble gum, piña colada, watermelon, green apple, wedding cake, tigers blood, margarita, tutti frutti, strawberry, and grape.
While they might not have as many flavors as other places if you’ve got a lot of little mouths to feed I believe this is the cheapest place you’ll find snow cones in Gulf Shores at $3 (tax included).
If you’re looking for a little something to remember your trip by, take a walk through the shark mouth into Souvenir City. They have air-brushed T-shirts, live hermit crabs in painted shells, homemade fudge, and a whole lot more in the 30,000-square-foot store.
Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard
Rita’s Italian Ice might be the shaved ice place that’s open the longest for the year. They are serving treats from March 1 through October 31st. They are open Sunday through Thursday from 12 to 8 pm, Friday and Saturday from 12 to 9 pm.
They are located at 400 Gulf Shores Pkwy not too far from when you arrive at West Beach Blvd as you’re heading towards the ocean.
While it doesn’t give a lot of information here is their official Gulf Shores website.
Rita’s Italian Ice offers the following flavors (all might not be available in Gulf Shores): apple berry blue, banana, blue raspberry, blueberry, cantaloupe, carnival, cherry lemonade, cherry limeade, cherry, chocolate chip, chocolate, chocolate peanut butter, cotton candy, Dr Pepper, Florida orange, Georgia peach, green apple, guava passionfruit, island fusion, juicy pear, kandi kapow, key lime, lemon, mango orange, mango peach, mango pineapple, mango strawberry, mango, margarita, mojito, ocean splash, peanut butter & jelly, piña colada, pineapple, Rita’s retro citrus blast, Rita’s retro tangerine, root beer, Sour Patch Kids red, strawberry colada, strawberry lemonade, strawberry margarita, strawberry watermelon, strawberry, Swedish Fish, tropical daiquiri, tropical paradice, unicorn, vanilla, watermelon, black cherry, and zombie’s blood.
I’m sure there are more options for snow cones, shaved ice, and snoballs in Gulf Shores. Some booths pop up during the busy season. But these would be the best 6 options in Gulf Shores.
With hundreds of flavors to choose from and even more ways to combine the flavors hopefully you’ll find a place to satisfy that sweet treat craving during your vacation.