Top 10 Ice Cream Spots in Emerald Isle

Craving something sweet in the Emerald Isle area? Well, you’re in luck! There are a ton of Ice cream and dessert spots to choose from in Emerald Isle. Here are 10 Ice Cream spots in Emerald Isle that are our favorites!

1. The Sweet Spot

The Sweet Spot is known for its variety of ice cream flavors, milkshakes, and fun colorful rocking chairs lining it’s entryway. Perfect Emerald Isle Ice cream spot for the entire family. Check out the latest video from the Town of Emerald Isle for inside scoop!

2. Turtley Sweet

Turtley Sweet is located in Emerald Plantation and is an ice cream, candy, and toy store! They serve 24 flavors of Hershey’s Premium Ice Cream along with specialty sundaes, milkshakes, and smoothies. They also have over 80 bulk flavors of candy, 70 flavors of fresh saltwater taffy, bulk premium chocolates, and nostalgic wrapped candies and sodas! Last but not least, Turtley Sweet has a fun and well-stocked store with unique gifts and toys. 

3. TLC’s Polish Water Ice

If you haven’t heard of Polish Water Ice, you have to try this unique dessert! Polish Water Ice is not the same as Italian Water Ice.  Polish Water Ice is a creamy soft-serve water ice treat that is 100% fat-free, 100% cholesterol-free, 100% dairy-free and 100% delicious.

With its great taste, comes Polish Water Ice’s uniqueness. Rather than serving a stored product, Polish Water Ice is made fresh while you wait.  It couldn’t be any fresher!

4. Highway 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries

If you haven’t tried a custard shake from Highway 55 paired with a delicious hamburger & fries, have you even been to Emerald Isle?! This is a perfect place to cool off after a hot morning on the beach. The custard can also be paired with toppings such as oreo, bananas, or cookie dough. 

5. Ben & Jerry’s Emerald Isle

Can’t go wrong with Ben & Jerry’s! They also have options during COVID for to-go orders including their $7 pints or eating your ice-cream outdoors. Some favorite flavors are the Very Berry Sorbet with a Waffle cone dipped in chocolate! 

6. Nourish Juice Bar + Cafe

A chef-driven spin on your everyday Juice Bar. At Nourish they wanted to bring an elevated juice bar to the Island with fresh eats to go along with it. If you’re looking for a healthier dessert option Nourish has smoothies, smoothie bowls, yogurt bowls, juices, and more! 

7. Village Ice Cream and Candies

This is one of our favorites to visit in Emerald Isle with tons of ice cream flavor options, including Pistachio, and an adjoining beach shop for any souvenirs you want to bring back. During COVID, the staff are wearing masks. The biggest plus for us is the fact that they make their waffle cones and waffles in-house, which are delicious! 

8. Dairy Queen Emerald Isle

Soft-serve ice cream & signature shakes top the menu at this classic burger & fries fast-food chain. Our personal favorites are the classic Blizzards that Dairy Queen offers! Right now they are offering takeout options only at this location. 

9. Sunset Slush of Emerald Isle

This tiny Italian ice shop is located right on Bogue Inlet Pier! Stop by to grab some Italian ice and bring it out to the ocean to grab some sun. Fun flavors happen around the holidays like their 4th of July “Rainbow USA” and they offer refillable koozie cups.

10. Scoops Ice Cream

Probably one of the cutest Ice creams stops on our list with a perfect VW van photo op right out front. Scoops are relatively new to the Salter Path area near Emerald Isle but if your vacation rental is nearby this may be a better option on this side of the island! They are also one of our only local shops that are serving soft-serve ice cream in lots of fun flavors. 

We love all of the options that the Emerald Isle area gives us for cold treats. So if you haven’t tried these Emerald Isle Ice Cream shops yet, stop by for a serving and a smile! 

Love,

PDL Beach Properties

Top 11 Things to do in Emerald Isle NC

You may think it’s all fun and games in Emerald Isle NC…

and YOU’D BE RIGHT!

Our curated list comes from years of experience and adventure all along the gorgeous Crystal Coast of North Carolina. Emerald Isle is a town on Bogue Banks Island, part of North Carolina’s Crystal Coast that is full of adventure, relaxation, and beautiful sunsets. Check out our list of the Top 11 Things to Do in Emerald Isle NC!

  1. The most obvious…THE BEACH! Come to Emerald Isle NC to get your summer tan on and enjoy the crystal clear waters of North Carolina. You can bring the family for a beach day with your umbrellas and chairs & build sandcastles along the wide stretch of beach. Listening to rolling waves while reading a good book or sleeping under a huge sun hat sound good right about now!

2. Next up, the ocean! Emerald Isle is a hub for watersports! Anything from Surfing to skimboarding to water skiing. We have it all! The Western and Eastern Ocean Regional Accesses are public entry points to the beach for this watersports hub. You can even rent canoes, paddleboards, and kayaks along the Intercoastal Waterway to avoid any huge waves and stay close to shore. This is ideal for those kids and teens who secretly want to be surfers! Who doesn’t?

3. We told you about the watersports but we forgot to mention one of the biggest tourist attractions…Deep-Sea Fishing! The Bogue Inlet Pier is a popular fishing spot, with views of the Atlantic Ocean. Many of the boats like to charter from Morehead City and Swansboro, NC.

4. If you love to see fish and other sea creatures from a safe distance, the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is for you!! Our aquarium is by far one of our must-see attractions, if you can only manage a few of these suggestions, let it be the NC Aquarium.

5. Emerald Isle Woods Park has a disc golf course and a dock, plus shoreline and forest trails, including part of the North Carolina Birding Trail. This is a great place for the entire family to find something they will enjoy!

6. The Salty Pirate Water Park is full of water slides that are both big and small, and is perfect for a day trip! Check out that “pirate ship”!!

7. Shopping!! Who doesn’t love a beautiful boutique filled with buried treasures? You will find so many fun places to find those one-of-a-kind souvenirs to bring home to family and friends.

8. Golfing and Putt-putt galore! One of our favorites is Lost Treasure Putt-Putt Golf & Raceway on Salter Path Rd. Bring the whole family and challenge each other to get that hole in one on the last hole to win a secret prize!

9. For our History buffs out there, Emerald Isle is very close to historic Beaufort NC. Learn about the beautiful historic homes and visit the town!

10. Fine Dining and Fun dining with delicious Seafood restaurants and fun beach-style atmospheres. Some of our personal favorites: Caribsea, Crab Claw Oceanfront Restaurant, Michaelangelo’s Pizza and Subs, Jackie’s American Grille, The Trading Post, and The Village Market.

11. Throughout the year Emerald Isle NC is also host to many events like Fairs & Festivals. Here is a list of the upcoming Emerald Isle NC events in 2018:

Emerald Isle Beach Music Festival – September 29, 2018

NC Seafood Festival in Morehead City – October 5-7, 2018

Emerald Isle Flavor Festival – October 20, 2018

Swansboro Christmas Flotilla – November 23, 2018

Crystal Coast Oyster Festival – November 24, 2018

Emerald Isle Christmas Parade – November 24, 2018

Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus at the 2013 Emerald Isle Christmas parade on a candy cane float

Beaufort Art Walk and Candlelight Homes Tour – December 8, 2018

In the words of our Property Manager at PDL Beach Properties, “There is always an adventure that awaits and a relaxing paradise when you visit Emerald Isle.” If you are in search of an amazing vacation rental in Emerald Isle NC, reach out to us by using our contact form online, emailing us at joycejones@pdlbeachproperties.com, or calling (919) 753-5751. We can’t wait to help you plan a truly memorable Emerald Isle Vacation with Places Designed for Leisure!