Five spots in Memphis for sweet icy treats to cool you off this summer

There is no better way to cool down on a hot summer day than with a refreshing, frozen icy treat.

Whether you call them sno-balls, snow cones or water ice, we can all agree that these sweet treats are just downright delicious.

To help you cool down this summer, we have put together a list of five spots in Memphis to find a tasty sweet frozen treat.

Jerry’s Sno Cones

1657 Wells Station Road: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday; closed Sunday

1601 Bonnie Lane, Cordova: 11 a.m.- 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday; closed Sunday

Jerry’s Sno Cones is a Memphis institution. For more than 50 years, Memphians have trekked to the location on Wells Station in the Berclair neighborhood for frozen treats. In 2018, Jerry's opened a second location in Cordova.

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Go traditional and order a classic snow cone — Jerry’s offers dozens of flavors. But I recommend the Snow Cone Supreme. It is a yummy treat that is the best of both worlds — a snow cone topped with creamy soft serve ice cream.

Be forewarned, the lines tend to be long, but don’t let that dissuade you. It moves fairly fast, and these treats are worth the wait. 

Suga Mama’s Snoballs

Two locations: 1717 East Holmes Road and 7041 E Shelby Drive, #117: 1-7 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; noon-7 p.m. Saturday; 1-6 p.m. Sunday

Marci Clark started her New Orleans-style sno-ball business in 2016. Originally run from a food truck, she opened a brick-and-mortar location of Suga Mama's Snoballs in Whitehaven in January 2020. A second location opened in East Memphis in April 2021.

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Suga Mama’s is known for its Southern-inspired signature flavors. Clark's most famous sno-ball is the Banana Pudding flavor. A banana-flavored sno-ball is stuffed with banana pudding ice cream and garnished with cookies and whipped cream just like a classic banana pudding. Suga Mama’s also has sno-balls topped with cheesecake or strawberry shortcakes.

For a more traditional snow cone experience, try flavors like Swamp Thing (Pineapple, Strawberry, Blueberry) or Bob Marley (Mango, Green Apple, Red Raspberry). All sno-balls are also available with ice cream added. 

Miccos Snocones & Shakes

Two locations: 9077 Poplar Ave., Germantown; and 11125 U.S. 70, Suite 115, Arlington: noon-9 p.m. daily

At Miccos Snocones & Shakes, the Michelotti family serves up frozen treats worth every calorie. Its New Orleans-style shaved ice treats are super refreshing and come in dozens of flavors. Want to add some soft serve ice cream to your snow cone? No problem — order it “Miccod” for just $1 more.

Since opening in 2016, this family-owned snow cone shop has become a favorite of kids of all ages. In June 2019, it moved from its original Collierville location to a new spot on Poplar Avenue in Germantown. A second location opened in Arlington in May 2022.

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Parker’s Water Ice

7825 Winchester Road, Collierville: noon-8 p.m. daily

Parker’s Water Ice features an icy treat that is different than a traditional snow cone. Unlike hard ice treats such as shaved ice or snow cones, Italian water ice is made up of water, fruit juice and fruit flavors blended together and frozen. It is this process that gives water ice its smooth and creamy texture — with no added dairy. Each flavor is scooped just like ice cream.

Parker’s Water Ice has 34 flavors of water ice in its repertoire, ranging from strawberry to coconut to cotton candy. The selection of flavors in the case rotates weekly.

Order a “gelati” if you want soft serve vanilla ice cream layered in the water ice.  

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Chill Frozen Treats & Sweets

2015 S. Houston Levee Road, Collierville: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; noon-10 p.m. Sundays.

Chill Frozen Treats & Sweets is located at the corner of Houston Levee and Wolf River Boulevard. The family-run shop features New Orleans-style sno-balls topped with your choice of flavors. There are dozens of options for choose from. Each sno-ball can be stuffed with soft serve ice cream and topped with what they call  an ice cream "snow cap.”

A unique offering is a Sno-Shake. It’s a delicious and creamy combination between a sno-ball and a milkshake. Try it in any sno-ball flavor.

Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.