Chill Out: Explore the Best Ice Cream Spots in Downtown West Palm Beach
August 14th, 2025
Take a stroll down Clematis Street to check out these local favorites.
While the summer heat in South Florida can be relentless, nothing hits the spot quite like ice cream on a sweltering afternoon. It’s the ultimate remedy for those hot days, delivering a perfect blend of creamy texture, rich flavor, and a pure, blissful chill. Whether you’re looking for a classic old-fashioned ice cream parlor, an authentic Italian gelato shop, or an all-you-can-eat frozen yogurt bar, we’ve found three essential spots to cool down.
Sloan’s Ice Cream – 112 S. Clematis Street
Sloan’s Ice Cream opened its first location in Downtown West Palm Beach in 1999, and it’s been a South Florida favorite ever since. The old-fashioned ice cream parlor is located at the end of Clematis Street, just a block from the Intracoastal Waterway. Visiting Sloan’s is like stopping into a Willy Wonka-like wonderland of candy, desserts, and toys. The shelves are lined with novelty items, such as Slinkys and stuffed animals, and you can also buy jellybeans and gummy candy by the pound. But let’s get to why you’re here, the ice cream. There are more than 30 flavors of ice cream, ranging from the popular mint chocolate chunk and fresh strawberry to more unusual flavors like carrot cake and coffee & donuts. You can load up your scoops in a cup or waffle cone and top your delicious treat with peanuts, marshmallows, and chunks of Snickers. Enjoy your treat at the restaurant’s seating under a striped awning or take it to go and stroll down to the waterfront.
Venetian Gelato – 206 Clematis Street
If you’re looking for a cool treat that’s a bit lighter, head to Venetian Gelato. The authentic gelato shop offers a variety of classic, fresh flavors, such as mango and pistachio, along with some refreshing tropical flavors like Key Lime Pie and pina colada. The offerings here aren’t limited to gelato; if you want to soothe your sweet tooth, the shop also offers treats like homemade red velvet and s’mores cookies and freshly prepared waffles with your choice of toppings like honey, Nutella, and, of course, gelato. Venetian Gelato is conveniently located across the street from one of Downtown West Palm Beach’s Italian restaurants, Lynora’s, so you can make it an Italian-themed afternoon by stopping here for a post-meal treat. The gelato shop has plenty of indoor seating, including a window ledge with high-top chairs, which is convenient when the outside temps top 90 degrees.
Peach Wave Frozen Yogurt – 428 Clematis Street
Animal crackers, Fruity Pebbles, and peach rings. These are all toppings that you can choose to customize your frozen yogurt at Peach Wave Frozen Yogurt, a yogurt bar just steps from the City Center parking garage and Brightline station. The frozen yogurt comes in flavors like pineapple, Double Stuff’d Cookies n’ Cream, and Dulce de Leche, and there are over a dozen toppings to make your yogurt creation one of a kind. The yogurt is sold by weight, so you can purchase as much or as little as you like, and the flavors change frequently (which is an invitation to come back often). This is a great place to take kids, who may enjoy the DIY feature of pulling the lever to dispense the frozen yogurt and carefully choosing their own toppings. Peace Wave Frozen Yogurt is an ideal stop after a day in the sun, and the yogurt bar is playfully adorned with hanging surfboards and features a comfortable seating area with orange pillows and ottomans.