Top 4 Ice Cream Places in Sanford and Lake Mary

What better thing to do is there to spend a hot Florida afternoon eating a delicious treat of ice cream? I have picked my top ice cream places of the area below. What are your favorite ice cream shops in the Sanford area?

The Sweet Shoppe Lake Mary

1. The Sweet Shoppe, Lake Mary

This is without a doubt my favorite “sweet spot” of the area. Try some of their tasty gelato and melt away… Serving sizes are just right and there are lots of yummy choices. I stuck to my all time favorite chocolate (no matter what variation of chocolate, it’s always a winner for me). The Sweet Shoppe also offers frozen yogurt and milk shakes. There’s even food for those with a “salty tooth”, like popcorn, sandwiches and pretzels.

This unique ice cream shop also has a great little sitting area outside and is located in beautiful Lake Mary downtown at 124 N. 4th Street. The location is super nice because you are right across from the park where you can walk after your visit at the Sweet Shoppe.

The Sweet Shoppe
124 N. 4th Street, Suite 1500
Lake Mary, FL 32746
407-878-5805
http://www.thesweetshoppe.biz

Hours: Mon-Thurs: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm | Fri-Sat: 11:00 am – 10:00 pm | Sun: 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Versinis Italian Ice Cream

UPDATE: There is a new number 2 on my list: Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt in Lake Mary!

Simply delicious and fun, Menchie’s is my favorite Frozen Yogurt shop!

I love the fact that you can sit outside here anytime of the year since it’s a covered outside area. The frozen yogurt is so yummy and there is cheesecake topping! Get yourself the Menchie’s Card and get a 10% discount by collecting points/smiles. Add the cutest design to it the fact that this is a super kids friendly place and you got yourself a frozen yogurt eater favorite 😉

Menchie’s – 3005 Lake Mary Blvd. – Unit 113 Lake Mary, FL 32746
407.878.2811
Mon-Thurs: 11:30am-10:30pm | Fri-Sat: 11:30am-11:30pm | Sunday: Closed

Click here to read the full post about Menchies Lake Mary and view more pictures

2. Versinis Italian Ice Cream, Lake Mary

We just recently discovered this fine ice cream spot in Downtown Lake Mary via Urbanspoon. I had a fabulous swirl of Mango gelato with vanilla soft serve. What a treat! The perfect combo of refreshing fruit and creamy 🙂 This must have been Lake Mary’s best kept secret or so. How come I never heard of Versinis before? Well now I want to make sure everyone else finds out about this shop filled with heavenly, daily fresh made ice cream and gelato.

On top of that the staff was wonderful and let us sample almost all of their gelato flavor without us even asking! I love that they also have Nutella. That will be my next pick, without a doubt!

Also great is the little sitting area with benches, tables and umbrellas right next to the place. Amazing how such a simple concept can be such a winner!

Versinis Italian Ice Cream
185 North Country Club Road
Lake Mary, FL 32746
(407) 322-4789

Hours: Mon-Thu & Sun 12 pm – 10 pm – Fri-Sat 12 pm – 11 pm

3. High Five Frozen Yogurt, Lake Mary

Another new favorite in the Sanford area is High Five Frozen Yogurt, Lake Mary’s latest ice cream place. Absolutely love, love, love the concept (same as Yogurtland and Menchies, coming soon to Colonial Town Park in Lake Mary). Basically you buy ice cream by the ounce (as much or little as you want) and then finish it off with yummy toppings. Your cup gets weighed at register, et voila! So this concept beats my criticism about Coldstone: here you can determine how much, at a fair price and with as many toppings as you wish… I just wish they had real cheesecake topping like Yogurtland and I have to say, you can taste that the ice cream is fat free (which can of course also be a good thing!). I guess I just like to get the “full treat” when I’m out for ice cream/frozen yogurt (might as well, right?). Also, be careful how you mix: I have come to the conclusion that fruity ice cream doesn’t go too well with the creamier treats. I save that combo for the toppings: Chocolate ice cream topped of with strawberries or raspberries 😉

High Five Frozen Yogurt
7025 CR 46A (H.E. Thomas Jr. Pkwy.), Suite 1101
Lake Mary, FL 32746
(407) 878-2784

Hours: Sun-Thur 11:00am – 10:00pm | Fri & Sat 11:00am – 11:00pm

Mama Loca's Sanford FL

4. Mama Loca’s in Downtown Sanford

This quaint and unique little ice cream (and more) shop offers delicious home made ice cream. The ice cream is made fresh at the store and you can taste that! Even though there is no outside seating area, the inside offers enough space to enjoy your treat.

The shop also offers crafts and unique gifts and can be booked for parties and events. Check out their web site for more information, including the flavor of the day. Mama Loca’s is located on 226 East First Street in Historic Downtown Sanford (right across from the Willow Tree Cafe).

Mama Loca’s
226 East First St.
Sanford, Fl 32771
407-321-1838
http://www.mamalocas.com

Summer Hours (call to verify!): Tues-Thurs: 11:00 – 9:00 | Friday 11-10pm | Sat: 10:00 AM- 10:00 PM | Sun: 12:00 PM-9:00PM | Closed Mondays (like most businesses downtown Sanford)

Runner Uppers:

Bruster's Ice Cream Lake Mary

Bruster’s Ice Cream, Lake Mary

Despite its location (“parking lot feel”) I am still a big fan of Bruster’s Ice Cream. Very rich flavors make it hard for me to resist.. and even though servings are big I always seem to be able to finish 😉

Coldstone Creamery at Colonial Town Park

An old time classic! We used to go to Coldstone a lot (pre-Sweet Shoppe times). The location is great (right next to the AmStar movie theater at Colonial Town Park), however I wish there were more seating inside and outside. There seems to be so much space (outside), yet there are only 3-4 tables (so we mostly had to “borrow” from Subway’s next door). Of course, I still like the ice cream here but I think it is a bit too pricey (especially if you like to mix in lots of toppings) and even the smallest serving somehow is just always too much…

Sal’s Italian Ice Cream in Sanford and Lake Mary

Definitely a runner upper to Versini’s Italian Ice Cream. They also make fresh gelato but I thought it just didn’t have as much flavor as Versinis and was a bit too watery for my taste. Keep in mind though that I am being very tough right now in order to come up with my top 4 spots. That doesn’t mean I won’t go back and enjoy ice cream at Sal’s! It is still a great place with two locations in the area, one in Sanford on 17-92 (Drive Through and seating outside only) and one in Lake Mary on Lake Mary Boulvard in the TJ Maxx Shopping Plaza (inside seating available). Prices are very reasonable, so definitely check it out and let me know what you think.