Is there anything better than a cold, creamy scoop of ice cream on a blazing Arizona summer day? We think not — which is why we’ve rounded up the best ice cream spots across the East Valley just in time for National Ice Cream Day! ????
This annual celebration, made official by President Reagan back in 1984, is the perfect excuse to treat yourself (as if we needed one). This year, it falls on Sunday, July 20, so gather your family, grab a spoon, and let’s make it a sweet adventure!
GIVEAWAY➡️➡️➡️: DM us the code word ‘CONE’ to win a $50 gift card to Handel’s Ice Cream to celebrate.
More fun at Handel’s East Valley Queen Creek & Tempe locations on July 20th:
- BOGO cones/dishes all day long
- 10 AM – 12 PM Build Your Own Sundae Bar
- 12 PM – 2 PM Handel’s Olympics (yes, including a blindfolded banana split challenge!
- 2 PM – 4 PM Free waffle cone upgrades with dish purchases
- 4 PM – 6 PM Face painter and balloon twister
- Tons of family fun and photo ops all day, plus giveaways, and a mascot visit!
FREEBIE: On July 20th, Air Guitar is giving away FREE cones to kids (while supplies last). Details here.
Keep reading for all the scoops — literally and figuratively!
XO,
Lindsey
1. Handel’s has a few different locations like Gilbert, Tempe, and Queen Creek. They have over 100 flavors and are so so so YUM. It’s one of our favorite spots. They also offer Handel pops, think cake pops but with ice cream, perfect for little ones.
2. Sweet Retreat, located on Main St next to the Mesa Temple. Their Blue Goggles Ice Cream is amazing and from our experience they serve pretty generous scoops.
3. Peterson’s, located in downtown Gilbert on Gilbert Road amongst the numerous dining options found in the area. It is a cute old-fashioned shop. Make a little date out of it with one or all of your kids! Dinner and ice cream anyone?!
4. Novel Ice Cream, located in downtown Mesa just south of Main St and Macdonald. It is tucked away in a little pavilion, next to a barber shop. You can get an ice cream sandwich 
with two donuts as the outer layer.
5. 
Air Guitar in Gilbert. A cotton candy, ice cream burrito? What!? Yep, this upscale convenience shop located near Epicenter in Gilbert wraps ice cream scoops into three layers of cotton candy as a “tortilla” and creates the ultimate sweet treat.
6. Slickables in Tempe on Mill and 7th Street. This place is for the ice cream sandwich lovers. You pick any two cookies from their available selection, of which they have many, including your favorites like snickerdoodle and peanut butter. Then you pick your ice cream and they build it into your own ice cream sandwich!
7. Bruster’s Real Ice Cream in Chandler. This family owned shop makes their ice creams daily in store, and even offers monthly ice cream tours for families and kids 40 inches or shorter get a FREE mini cone any time!
8. 
Sweet Republic, which has locations in Tempe, Scottsdale, and Phoenix. You won’t see this one on Mill Ave though. Instead, head west to North Scottsdale Road, right by Tempe Beach Park. Order it any way you like it whether that’s with cones, cups, sundaes, milkshakes, or floats. Be sure to check the online menu as their flavors at each store are updated there to keep you informed on what’s going on that day.
9. The Screamery has locations in Chandler, Phoenix, and Tucson as well. Think bar food, but for ice cream. You can order ice cream nachos, a flight of ice cream (six flavors to share or keep to yourself) and a Farmhouse which is eight scoops of ice cream on top of a warm cookie, brownie and buttercake with unlimited toppings.
10. Jake’s Sweet Shoppe located in Chandler and Mesa (inside Jake’s Unlimited.) Known for their over-the-top dessert experiences. They serve everything: shakes, floats, scoops, sundaes, sandwiches, and they even have Cotton Candy Unicorn Tacos.
