These coastal ice cream shops make beach days even sweeter
Photo Credit: Madeline Gray
Editor's Note: This story is based on reporting originally published by Greater Wilmington Business Journal and has been reformatted for readability.
Salt, sand and ice cream can be essential ingredients for the perfect beach vacation, and local ice cream shops have been supplying that experience for decades.
From custom ice cream creations and homemade fudge in Carolina Beach to unique flavors near Holden Beach, these family-owned businesses have created sweet traditions that keep customers coming back.
Key takeaways
- The bigger picture: Family-owned ice cream shops around Carolina Beach and Holden Beach have become longtime favorites for residents and visitors.
- The details: Squigley’s offers thousands of custom flavor possibilities, The Fudgeboat pairs ice cream with nearly 50 flavors of homemade fudge, and Saltwater Shanty serves more than 20 homemade ice cream flavors.
- Why it matters: These businesses have turned a classic beach-day treat into unique experiences that reflect their families and communities.
- The more you know: From patented ice cream machines to house-made toppings, each shop has its own specialties worth trying.
Squigley’s Ice Cream & Treats
Squigley's Ice Cream & Treats opened in Carolina Beach in 1995 after Ann and Joe Coen decided to start an ice cream parlor of their own.
“We were told that ‘Only happy people come to ice cream parlors,’ and that was enough for us to start an ice cream parlor ourselves,” Joe Coen said.
The shop offers 24 flavors of ice cream and thousands of possible combinations through its signature Squigley ice cream machines. The trademarked treat begins with vanilla ice cream before customers select two or three fruits, candies or baked goods to be “Squiggled” into a custom flavor.
Each year, the shop also introduces a new specialty sundae. This season’s Good Dubai combines vanilla ice cream, hot chocolate fudge, pistachio cream, crushed peanuts and whipped cream.
Squigley’s opens each Easter weekend and remains open through Labor Day. Upstairs, The Gift Gallery offers products sourced during the Coens’ off-season travels.
- Address: 208 S. Lake Park Blvd., Carolina Beach
- Hours: Noon-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 1-10 p.m. Sunday
- Phone: (910) 458-8779
The Fudgeboat and Krazy Kones
Along the Carolina Beach Boardwalk, The Fudgeboat and Krazy Kones are part of another family-owned business.
Owners Duke and Tracee Hagestrom, along with Tracee’s mother, Lou — known as the “Fudge Lady” — serve signature ice cream flavors, specialty chocolates and homemade fudge displayed on a 38-foot wooden boat hull.
“We want people to get a really good product, and we are all about really good ingredients,” Duke Hagestrom said.
Special ice cream flavors include Key Lime Pie, Espresso Chip, Frankenstein’s Bride, Hana Banana and salted caramel. The shop also offers soft serve, Hurricanes, fudge shakes, hot fudge sundaes and old-fashioned banana splits.
Nearly 50 flavors of fudge and homemade waffle cones are made in-house daily. Since The Fudgeboat opened in 2004, the family estimates it has produced more than 150,000 pounds of fudge.
- Address: 107 Carolina Beach Ave. N., Carolina Beach
- Hours: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily
- Phone: (910) 458-5823
Saltwater Shanty
Jeff and Leigh Whitfield opened Saltwater Shanty Homemade Ice Cream near Holden Beach in 2018 with a shared vision for an ice cream and garden shop.
Today, Leigh Whitfield operates the gift and garden shop in the front, while the ice cream shop operates from the back. Jeff Whitfield makes more than 20 all-natural homemade flavors, including peach, key lime, sea salt caramel and English toffee.
Signature creations include Winter Bourbon, made with a hint of Knob Creek bourbon, and Sea Turtle, featuring caramel, chocolate fudge swirls and home-roasted pecans. The Peachy Peach sundae is another favorite, with the Whitfields reporting sales of 30 to 50 each night.
The experience extends beyond the ice cream. Customers can gather beneath live oak trees in the inspiration garden while bluegrass plays from the speakers.
“Every year there is a new project, and we do something exciting,” Leigh Whitfield said. “Our outdoor area is magical with pavers and plants.”
- Address: 1027 Sabbath Home Road SW, Supply
- Hours: 1-9 p.m. daily
- Phone: (910) 264-4848
