By 2 p.m., the Caribbean sun stops being scenic and starts feeling like a frenemy. Well, you’re in luck: St. Thomas and St. John are stacked with ice cream shops, gelato counters, popsicle stands, and smoothie kiosks built for exactly this moment.

Whether you’re strolling through Charlotte Amalie, drying off at Sapphire Beach, browsing Red Hook, or ferry-hopping your way to Cruz Bay, there’s a scoop, cone, or cup within reach.

Local Tip: 

Hours shift with the season, so check a shop’s website or social media before making a special trip. A few spots also serve alcohol-infused ice cream or frozen drinks, 21 and up only.

What You’ll Find

This isn’t just an ice cream list, though ice cream is the headliner. You’ll also find gelato worth planning a ferry schedule around, smoothies that make the beach walk back feel shorter, and a few ice pop and shaved ice spots for when you want something colder than a smoothie but lighter than a cone.

Ice Cream and Gelato in St. Thomas

Sunny Days Ice Cream

Sunny Days Ice Cream is an easy dessert stop after boating, shopping, or dinner in Red Hook. Vacation is not the time to debate whether you deserve the waffle cone. You do.

Location:
American Yacht Harbor, Red Hook, St. Thomas

Offers:
Ice cream, waffle cones, sundaes, milkshakes, mini pancakes, brownies, toppings, candy, and other sweet treats.

Scoops & Brew

Scoops & Brew combines two vacation essentials: something cold and something caffeinated.

Its Crown Bay Marina location makes it convenient before a ferry ride, after a sailing trip, or whenever half the group wants coffee and the other half wants gelato.

Location:
Crown Bay Marina, St. Thomas

Offers:
Gelato, sorbetto, homemade waffle cones, smoothies, milkshakes, coffee, espresso drinks, breakfast sandwiches, pastries, and seasonal island flavors.

Good to know:
Parking is available inside Crown Bay Marina.

Beans, Bites & Bubbles

When the group cannot agree between soft serve, bubble tea, or something with a little extra vacation spirit, Beans, Bites & Bubbles makes the decision easy.

This colorful café is a fun stop for creamy treats, refreshing drinks, and quick bites while exploring St. Thomas. Just remember that the boozy milkshakes are strictly for the 21-and-up crowd. 

Location:
Al Cohen’s Plaza, above Paint Depot
St. Thomas

Offers:
Soft serve, bubble tea, milk tea, boozy milkshakes, coffee, quick bites, and other sweet treats.

Good to know:
Boozy milkshakes are available only to guests ages 21 and older.

Creamy Crepes

Creamy Crepes combines warm, freshly made crepes with cold ice cream and over-the-top milkshakes. Basically, it understands that sometimes one dessert is simply not enough.

Its Red Hook kiosk makes it an easy stop after dinner, before heading back to your vacation rental, or whenever someone claims they still have room for something sweet. 

Location:
Kiosk in Red Hook, next to Señor Pizza
St. Thomas

Offers:
Fresh crepes, ice cream, milkshakes, and sweet toppings.

On Thin Ice

On Thin Ice is a convenient spot for cooling down while shopping, sightseeing, or spending the day around Havensight.

The kiosk location makes it an easy grab-and-go stop before continuing through the mall, returning to the cruise ship, or heading off on your next St. Thomas adventure. 

Location:
Kiosk in the Havensight Mall parking lot
In front of Body Glove St. Thomas

Offers:
Frozen treats and refreshments.

Virgin Islands Ice Cream Company

Virgin Islands Ice Cream Company makes it very easy to turn lunch at Calypso Café into dessert. As it should be.

Located inside Diamonds International at A.H. Riise Mall, it is a convenient stop while shopping and exploring downtown Charlotte Amalie. Walking past ice cream after lunch would be an unreasonable amount of self-control anyway. 

Location:
A.H. Riise Mall, inside Diamonds International
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Offers:
Ice cream and frozen desserts.

Udder Delights

Udder Delights is a longtime St. Thomas favorite that fits perfectly into a Magens Bay beach-day itinerary.

Stop for a classic milkshake on the way to the beach, return for one of its famous boozy shakes afterward, or do both. Vacation schedules are flexible like that. 

Location:
On the road to Magens Bay
St. Thomas

Offers:
Ice cream, traditional milkshakes, and rum-based milkshakes.

Good to know:
Rum-based milkshakes are available only to guests ages 21 and older.

758 Daily Drip

758 Daily Drip is a café, bakery, breakfast stop, and ice cream shop rolled into one bright downtown space.

It is conveniently located across from Emancipation Garden, so you can cool down without wandering too far from the shops and historic sights of Charlotte Amalie.

Location:
Across from Emancipation Garden
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Offers:
Handcrafted ice cream, freshly made cones, pastries, breads, breakfast, coffee, espresso drinks, smoothies, milkshakes, and café food.

The Beach Buzz

Few things feel more appropriately Caribbean than ordering ice cream or a smoothie while standing steps from the beach.

The Beach Buzz at Sapphire Beach Club serves cold treats alongside coffee and breakfast, making it useful from the first caffeine craving to the afternoon cooldown.

Location:
Sapphire Beach Club, East End, St. Thomas

Offers:
Ice cream, milkshakes, fruit smoothies, frozen lattes, coffee, breakfast sandwiches, pastries, lemonade, snacks, and cold drinks.

Good to know:
Dairy-free milk substitutions are available. Alcoholic coffee drinks are reserved for guests age 21 and older.

Smoothies and Fresh Summer Refreshments in St. Thomas

Kween Vee Smoothies

Kween Vee Smoothies is a local favorite known for real-fruit blends and island ingredients.

It is exactly the kind of stop that makes sense after a warm morning at the beach, a walk through town, or five minutes outside in July.

Locations:
Nazareth Park near Red Hook
Near Emancipation Garden in downtown Charlotte Amalie

Offers:
Fresh fruit smoothies, customizable blends, juices, fluffy ice, milkshakes, ice cream, coffee, tea, pastries, and grab-and-go snacks.

Tasty Sips & Bites

Tasty Sips & Bites is a colorful café and juice bar in American Yacht Harbor.

Come for a smoothie and accidentally leave with an açaí bowl, fresh juice, and lunch. These things happen on vacation.

Location:
American Yacht Harbor, Red Hook, St. Thomas

Offers:
Smoothies, fresh juices, açaí bowls, lemonades, mocktails, immunity drinks, breakfast, roti, sandwiches, soups, salads, and baked goods.

Ice Cream and Gelato in St. John

St. John Scoops

St. John Scoops is a Cruz Bay favorite serving homemade ice cream inside the tropical courtyard of Mongoose Junction. They offer both scooped and soft serve ice cream along with cookie and drink options!

Its menu includes classic flavors, island-inspired choices, vegan options, and adult-only flavors for anyone who thinks dessert could use a little extra vacation spirit.

Location:
Mongoose Junction, North Shore Road
Cruz Bay, St. John

Offers:
Homemade ice cream, soft serve, fresh waffle cones, vegan sorbets, adult-only flavors, slush drinks, coffee frappes, cookies, and candy.

Good to know:
Adult-only ice cream flavors are available only to guests age 21 and older.

Giovanni Gelato & Coffee Shop

Giovanni Gelato & Coffee Shop brings freshly made Italian-style gelato, coffee, and local artwork together at The Marketplace.

Gelato and art appreciation absolutely count as a cultural activity.

Location:
First floor of The Marketplace
Cruz Bay, St. John

Offers:
Artisan gelato, gelato cakes, affogato, coffee, espresso drinks, breakfast items, pastries, and original artwork by local artist Katia.

Smoothies and Island Refreshments in St. John

Our Market Smoothies

Our Market Smoothies is a casual Cruz Bay stop serving tropical drinks near the post office.

This is not the moment to order the same strawberry-banana smoothie you get at home. Try mango, guava, coconut, passion fruit, or whatever island combination sounds good that day.

Location:
King Street, near the Cruz Bay Post Office
Cruz Bay, St. John

Offers:
Fresh fruit smoothies, protein shakes, milkshakes, ice cream, chilled coconuts, lemonade, and tropical drinks served with or without rum.

Good to know:
Rum-added drinks are available only to guests age 21 and older.

More Ways to Beat the Heat

Irie Pops

Not every great frozen dessert needs to arrive in a cone.

Irie Pops serves colorful, island-inspired frozen treats in Cruz Bay, including plenty of dairy-free choices.

Location:
North Shore Road, Cruz Bay, St. John
Across from the National Park dock

Offers:
Handcrafted ice pops, dairy-free options, soft serve, smoothies, frozen beverages, boozy slushies, catering, and seasonal flavors.

Good to know:
Boozy frozen drinks are available only to guests age 21 and older.

Rudy’s Fraco

Fraco is the Virgin Islands’ take on shaved ice, but with local flavors that give it a personality of its own.

Rudy’s Fraco is a longtime St. Thomas favorite serving classic choices alongside flavors such as tamarind, gooseberry, soursop, coconut, and pineapple.

Location:
Mobile operation in St. Thomas
Common stops include Tutu Park Mall and downtown near Emancipation Garden.

Offers:
Fraco-style shaved ice, traditional fruit flavors, Virgin Islands-inspired flavors, and rotating specials.

Cooling Down After the Trip

Great ice cream is a good problem to solve one scoop at a time, but if you’d rather bring the cool-down home with you, explore BlueSalt Properties’ St. Thomas vacation rentals and find a place with ocean views, a private pool, or just enough freezer space for the extra pint.