Sweet! Iconic Jacksonville ice cream shop named one of 15 best in Florida for 2023

Teresa Stepzinski, Florida Times-Union
Updated ·3 min read
A strawberry and vanilla swirl soft serve cone from San Marco Dreamette, 1905 Hendricks Ave. in Jacksonville.
A strawberry and vanilla swirl soft serve cone from San Marco Dreamette, 1905 Hendricks Ave. in Jacksonville.

A Jacksonville ice cream landmark for 75 years has earned national recognition for its sweet, creamy soft serve dipped cones, sundaes and shakes.

Dreamette, with eight locally owned and operated ice cream stands in the Jacksonville area, has been named one of the 15 Best Ice Cream Shops in Florida for 2023 just in time for National Ice Cream Day on Sunday.

Founded in 1948, Dreamette is the only Northeast Florida ice cream shop on the list compiled by Trips to Discover, a travel resource boasting more than 1.6 million monthly readers.

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Trips to Discover describes Dreamette as "a local favorite in Jacksonville [that] serves up some of the best soft-serve ice cream in the area."

"Offering a variety of ice cream flavors in addition to milkshakes, dipped cones, and sundaes, you’ll be spoiled for choice in your frozen dessert choices. Sundae toppings include fun treats like hot fudge, caramel, and candy favorites like Snickers, Reeses, and M&M’s, while Pineapple Dole Whip is always a hit. Your sweet tooth will delight in the possibilities at this popular establishment," the listing said.

Soft-serve ice cream — vanilla, chocolate and strawberry along with chocolate or strawberry twists — are the foundation of Dreamette's sweet treats.

Dreamette has been serving its signature soft serve ice cream in dipped cones, shakes and sundaes at its original Murray Hill ice cream stand since 1948.
Dreamette has been serving its signature soft serve ice cream in dipped cones, shakes and sundaes at its original Murray Hill ice cream stand since 1948.

Best known is the iconic original Dreamette at 3646 Post St. in Murray Hill. But others have opened over the years throughout Jacksonville as well as the Beaches, Clay and St. Johns counties, including:

  • San Marco Dreamette: 1905 Hendricks Ave. near historic San Marco Square in Jacksonville

  • Dreamette Ice Cream Springfield: 1401 N. Main St., Jacksonville

  • Dreamette Ice Cream Middleburg: 2620 Blanding Blvd. No. 1 in Middleburg

  • Dreamette Aberdeen: 3735 Longleaf Pine Parkway, Suite 208 in Saint Johns

  • Dreamette Green Cove Springs: 1305 N. Orange Ave. in Green Cove Springs

  • Dreamette Plus Java: 1177 Park Ave. No. 1 in Orange Park

  • Dreamette Atlantic Beach: 61 Sailfish Drive E, in Atlantic Beach

Regardless of the temperature, Dreamette — recognizable by its blue and white signature colors — attracts a line of customers to its walk-up window in Murray Hill and other locations.

Many come for the towering soft-serve cones or banana splits while others opt for milkshakes, which include the traditional chocolate, peach and strawberry as well as more adventurous flavors which have included watermelon, grape and cinnamon toast crunch.

More scoops of fun: Iconic ice cream parlors to check out from Sanibel to St. Augustine

Also making the Trips to Discover list were:

  • Sloan's: 700 S. Rosemary Ave. No. 138 in West Palm Beach

  • Jaxson's Ice Cream Parlor: 128 S. Federal Highway in Dania Beach

  • Super Scoops: 11025 Gulf Blvd in Treasure Island

  • Wall's Old Fashioned Ice Cream: 8075 S.W. 67th Ave. in Miami

  • Harborwalk Scoops and Bites: 150 Laishley Court, Unit 1111 in Punta Gorda

  • Azucar Ice Cream Little Havana: 11429 S. Dixie Hiway in Miami

  • Sea Maids Creamery: 4230 N. Florida Ave. in Tampa

  • Strachan's Ice Cream & Desserts: 310 Main St. in Dunedin

  • The Soda Fountain: 2525 Edgewater Drive in Orlando

  • Bocas House: 1793 Bell Tower Lane in Weston

  • The Candy Kitchen: 13711 Gulf Blvd. in Madeira Beach

  • Royal Scoop: 829 Vanderbilt Beach Road in Naples

Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on Twitter @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville's Dreamette named among best ice cream shops in Florida