July is the perfect time to enjoy ice cream in Orlando.

Not only does the hot Florida weather lend itself to cool treats, but July is also National Ice Cream Month.

Plus, National Ice Cream Day falls on the third Sund-ae each year. In 2025, that’s Sunday, July 20.

Four hands holding ice cream cones with different colors of scooped ice cream against a bright yellow backdrop.

Whether you prefer soft-serve, gelato, or traditional hand-scooped, there’s a sweet spot for you in Orlando.

And with many businesses catering to guests with dietary restrictions, everyone can scream for ice cream this summer.

Here’s the scoop on Orlando’s top 10 ice cream parlors and creameries.

1. Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream

A scoop of ice cream in a Kelly's Homemade Ice Cream pink and white striped cup with a jar of sprinkles in the background.

Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream started with one location in Orlando’s trendy Audubon Park neighborhood.

Today, their bold and delicious flavors can be found throughout Central Florida in neighborhoods like Winter Park, SODO, and Horizon West.

You can also find them scooping up happiness at a variety of counters in partnership with Foxtail Coffee locations around town.

The creamery offers a rotating lineup of flavors, including carrot cake, rose almond pistachio, cake batter, blondie brownie, and toasted coconut.

Enjoy your ice cream in a sugar or waffle cone, waffle bowl, cup, as a sundae, or blended into a shake.

Not sure what to order? Create a flight of six flavors for a dynamic ice cream experience.

Thanks to Kelly’s pup popsicles, even the family dog can celebrate National Ice Cream Month.

2. Greenery Creamery

A visit to Greenery Creamery is the cherry on top of a day trip to downtown Orlando or Sanford.

Since opening in 2018, this Orlando ice cream shop has taken pride in serving artisan treats made with local and organic ingredients.

There’s something for everyone at Greenery Creamery — the shop offers a range of dairy and plant-based flavors, some of which are gluten free.

Go traditional with vanilla bean or Belgian chocolate made with local Florida cream, or try something new like black ash coconut or blueberry lavender.

Try a fabulous float with soda, nitro cold brew, or kombucha poured on top of vegan soft-serve.

And like at Kelly’s, the family dog can join the frosty fun with a pup cup, served in a bowl with a dog biscuit on the side.

3. Sampaguita Ice Cream

A hand with a white scrunchie holds a cone with purple soft-serve ice cream against scalloped pink chairs and a tropical greenery wallpaper.

Fans of the Netflix show Somebody Feed Phil may recognize Sampaguita from “The Real” Orlando episode in season seven.

This sweet treat haven is a love letter to Filipino culture – and to ice cream.

Their exciting menu features a variety of dairy and vegan flavors, including Keso Guava Cheesecake, Banoffee Pie, and their signature Sampaguita with a hint of jasmine and lychee.

If you can’t choose just one or two flavors, choose the flight and pick six full-size scoops of hard or soft ice cream with up to six toppings, including house made ube sprinkles and hot fudge.

Feeling hungry for more?

Treat yourself to the Halo Halo, a traditional shaved ice Filipino dessert made with layers of coconut pandan jellies, palm nut fruit, corn flakes, shaved ice, jackfruit, and more.

4. Twistee Treat

Two hands, one holding an ice cream cone of cookie-dusted soft-serve and the other holding soft-serve in a Twistee Treat cup in front of a large Twistee Treat building.

Florida-based chain Twistee Treat is a soft-serve lover’s paradise.

Even the company’s buildings are shaped like deliciously topped cones!

Twistee Treat opened its first stand in 1983. Today, they have locations all over Central Florida, including Celebration, Clermont, and Orlando’s SODO neighborhood.

Each location has a variety of classic soft serve flavors like vanilla, German chocolate, mint, and butter pecan.

Enjoy your favorite flavor on its own or in a shake, sundae, or float. Or make your visit even sweeter with a playful waffle cone taco or ice cream sandwich.

The signature Twistee Treat Twirl is a blend of your choice of soft-serve flavors mixed with toppings and candy like OREO cookies, brownies, peanut butter cups, and gummy bears.

5. Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard

For more soft-serve delights, visit Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard.

The beloved Philadelphia brand broke into the Florida market in 2016. Now, it has locations in Lake Buena Vista, Waterford Lakes, and Kissimmee.

As the name implies, Rita’s specialty is Italian ice, also known as “water ice,” in varieties like cherry, root beer, Swedish Fish, cotton candy, and blue raspberry.

Most Italian ice flavors are dairy free.

The chain also sells smooth soft-serve and hand-scooped custard in rotating flavors like vanilla, pistachio, cotton candy, and chocolate cake.

For the full Rita’s experience, order a Gelati, which layers your choice of Italian ice and custard flavors into one cup, or a Gelati Blender, which blends the two together.

6. Abracadabra Ice Cream Factory

A white shaved ice cream drizzled with red sauce and topped with ribbons of whipped cream.

Ice cream is already a magical food. But Kissimmee’s Abracadabra Ice Cream Factory takes sweet sorcery to the next level.

Upon arriving at this ice cream shop near Orlando, you’ll pick a milk base, flavor, and toppings.

Then, watch as Abracadabra’s wizards mix your selections together and flash-freeze your treat in front of you. Low-fat, sugar-free, and lactose-free options are available.

Abracadabra also sells family-friendly entrées like pizza, sandwiches, and wings.

After you’re done eating, take the kids to the on-site bounce house, free for guests 12 and under with your purchase.

7. Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor

The magic continues at Florean Fortescue’s, a Harry Potter-themed creamery in Universal Studios Florida.

In the book series, Harry and friends make a stop at Florean Fortescue’s whenever they go back-to-school shopping in Diagon Alley.

The Universal replica is best known for its fan-favorite butterbeer ice cream, served in a waffle cone or souvenir glass.

Potterheads also have their pick of other soft-serve and hand-scooped flavors.

Many, like clotted cream, Earl Grey, and sticky toffee pudding, are inspired by Harry Potter’s native England.

Strawberry, caramel, and hot fudge sundaes are also available.

Please note you’ll need a Universal Studios Florida park ticket to enjoy Florean Fortescue’s ice cream.

8. Salt & Straw

Three ice cream cones and a red and white cup topped with scoops of various ice cream flavors.

You’ll also find your favorite sweet treat at Walt Disney World Resort.

Oregon-based creamery Salt & Straw opened its first Orlando outpost in 2022.

Conveniently located in Disney Springs, Salt & Straw offers time-tested flavors like double-fold vanilla and chocolate brownie.

You’ll also find experimental options like sourdough and olive oil chocolate, salted grapefruit coconut julep, and pear and blue cheese.

Salt & Straw is also known for collaborating with local businesses to create bold new flavors featuring fresh ingredients.

For instance, its Florida locations serve Panther Coffee chocolate tres leches, an espresso ice cream mixed with coconut-infused añejo rum tres leches cake.

You’ll also find guava and cheese ice cream made in collaboration with Audubon Park’s Salty Donut.

9. The Soda Fountain

A mason jar milkshake topped with a brownie and a full ice cream cone in front of shelves with jars of toppings.

With its classic egg creams, floats, and sundaes, the Soda FountainThe Soda Fountain is the perfect place to relive your childhood.

Then again, it’s also the perfect place to shake things up with a boozy concoction.

The Soda Fountain has two Orlando locations, one in the Conway neighborhood and the other in College Park.

Ice cream connoisseurs of all ages flock there for fun flavors like coconut, toffee, and cherry.

The 21+ crowd can partake in options like a Guinness float or the key lime pie, made with white rum, vanilla ice cream, margarita mix, and pie crumbles.

When you’re on vacation, there’s nothing wrong with eating dessert first. Still, if you’d rather start with a meal, each Soda Fountain location is connected to a hot dog shop.

10. Creek Ice Creamery

On a hot Florida day, ice cream and a refreshing swim are a winning combination. At Rosen Shingle Creek, we know that well.

Our Orlando hotel is home to Creek Ice Creamery, a top-tier ice cream parlor mere footsteps away from our swimming pools.

Our tempting options include cappuccino chip, dulce de leche, and cookie. We also serve gelato varieties like vanilla, mint chocolate chip, and strawberry cheesecake.

Whichever flavor you choose, it will go perfectly in a milkshake, atop a fluffy Belgian waffle, or pressed into an indulgent donut sandwich.