Ice Cream in Calcasieu – Celebrate National Ice Cream Month

by Matt Dye

Hop in your DeLorean and travel from the 1950s to the 1980s at Boombox Frozen Pops & Ice Cream, located at 2825 Country Club Road next to CC’s Coffee. Started as a two-man gourmet popsicle stand, Boombox has been delivering signature ice cream flavors with names based on 80s hits since 2014. The establishment has a vibe you can feel when you walk in, with a faux wall of cassette tapes and Max Headroom on the monitor. You can play it safe with No Cream Compares 2 U (Cookies & Cream) or try one of the more unique creations in Bacon the Law or My Heart Goes Bam Bam, aka vanilla with Fruity Pebbles.

Open Sunday – Thursday 2:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 12:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Just down the road at 2735 Country Club Road, tucked behind the Goodwill parking lot, is Lulu’s Specialty Snocones & More. Pulling in, you might be discouraged by the line, but don’t be as Lulu’s is drive-thru only and very efficient at what they do. You’ll find some of the most decadent ice cream concoctions in these parts. Reese’s Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Butterbeer Potion . . . these specialties are overloaded with flavor. The two cheesecake varieties come with a slice of cheesecake! There are also snocones and a variety of ballpark-type food options.

Open Tuesday-Friday 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Closed Mondays.

Last but not least, K’s Frozen Delights & More at 1842 Ruth St. in Sulphur has ice cream any way you want it. Their menu has everything from cones to milkshakes, but they’ll also roll up that ice cream on a cold slab or twist it up with some treats like you might find if you were stuck in a blizzard. And that’s before you get to their stuffed snow cones. They also serve a wide range of diner foods.

Open Monday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., Sunday noon – 6:00 p.m.

Head south on Gulf Highway to Brown’s Shopping Center, and tucked in through a Subway entrance is a trip back in time at Giggles Ice Cream & Gourmet Coffee. Designed after a 1950s ice cream parlor, Giggles has more than a few unique flavors such as “C” is for Cookie and Garbage Can, which is vanilla ice cream with 7 different candy bar chunks. With a variety of coffees, pastries, and lunch specials, Giggles is a great place to take the family.

Open daily from 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Over in Sulphur at 2405 Maplewood Drive is a kid favorite – PT’s Snowballs & Ice Cream. While better known for their snowballs, PT’s does serve up Blue Bell goodness in large serving sizes and affordable prices; so much so that a single scoop cone can easily do the job. They also boast a two-port drive-thru to make getting in and out even faster, as well as a varied collection of coffee drinks to help kickstart your day.

Conveniently open Monday – Friday, 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. Closed Sundays.

Recently opened at 3825 Ryan Street is Ant Trail Ice Cream & Munchies. Featuring a fun picnic like décor and homemade ice cream, Ant Trail has some super creamy treats. While there’s traditional flavors like Vanilla and Strawberry, they also have nontraditional varieties such as Nutella, Cajeta, and Angel Kiss. You can also get many of these same flavors as popsicles. In addition, you’ll also find treats with a Latinx flavor, such as a Choco Banana and Churros with Caramel, as well as several fruit juices.

Open daily 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

It’s going to be a long summer, which means there’s time to get out there and try all these places for yourself. Be sure to ask for extra napkins!