It's National Ice Cream Day!

National Ice Cream Day is Sunday, July 16.

Florida and our Tampa Bay area have been gripped by an excessive heat wave. We know: Florida is always hot in the summer. But most days this month we have seen heat advisories with the heat index (the real feel temperature in the triple digits).

Fun fact: Tampa has never actually seen 100 in the record books. But we saw 99 on July 4th. Coincidently, July 4 was the planet’s hottest day in nearly 125,000 years, at 62.92 degrees, according to the University of Maine Climate Change Institute.

But back to the topic at hand. The heat. There is no better thing to do to beat the heat than enjoy some ice cream. We plan to beat the heat and grab a sweet treat on National Ice Cream Day on Sunday (July 16).

It was a tough assignment but we sampled and narrowed down these 10 amazing LOCAL Tampa Bay ice cream shops.

Dairy Joy
3813 S Manhattan, Tampa
Dairy Joy is a South Tampa institution. The old-fashioned ice cream shop is family owned and has been in business since 1958. They serve authentic soft serve cones in various dipped flavors like cherry & blue raspberry. They also have hard-packed ice cream including non-dairy flavors; amazing sundaes including flutter nutter (peanut butter, marshmallow and peanuts) and carmello (carmel, peanuts and marshmallow); and milkshakes with all your favorite fruit, cookie and candy mix-ins. They also have sno cones and novelties like ice cream sandwiches and frozen bananas. 

Tanya and Matt’s Ice Creamiest
15742 N Dale Mabry, Tampa
A one-of-a-kind experience, this Carrollwood ice cream shop makes their 40 unique flavors in store daily. Owned and operated by four Tampa sisters, they have the classics – like cookie dough, strawberry and mint chip - along with dozens of rotating flavors like Oreo red velvet, Mississippi mud pie, rum raisin and blueberry cheesecake. They also have gluten-free and vegan options. They offer sundaes, milkshakes, floats and ice cream cookie sandwiches. 

Bo’s Ice Cream
7101 N Florida Ave, Tampa
Seminole Height’s original ice cream hangout spot. The shop was started in the 1950s by a World War II veteran. One of the oldest ice cream shops in Tampa, Bo’s continues to serve soft serve ice cream dipped in your favorite flavors like chocolate, butterscotch and sprinkles. They also have amazing milkshakes, malts and sundaes.

Beans & Barlour
407 Central Ave, St. Petersburg
Beans & Barlour is St. Pete’s first coffee and dessert lounge and the first restaurant to feature alcohol-infused ice cream in the Tampa Bay area. They serve milkshakes, sundaes and floats—all of which can be made with or without alcohol. Their ice cream is made from scratch and they even offer pints to go.

Astro Craft Ice Cream
1910 N Ola, Tampa (Armature Works)
25700 Sierra Center Blvd, Lutz
Blast off with unique flavors that highlight the diversity of our Tampa Bay community. This ice cream shop at Armature Works offers classic and unique flavors like cinnamon snickerdoodle, Tampa guava cream cheese and Ybor spiced rum toasted coconut meringue pie. And then they have signature creations, like the Campfire S’mores and Tiramisu Cheesecake. The Cuban Ice Cream Sandwich is also a must-try, made with La Segunda Cuban Bread.

Ice Cream Theory
4058 Tampa Road #8, Oldsmar
Not your mom’s traditional ice cream shop. Ice Cream Theory serves up classic ice cream with a twist. Some of their fantastical flavors include cloud cones, which are ice cream cones wrapped in cotton candy, and fantastical cones with mermaid, shark and unicorn themes. They also have amazing, over-the-top milkshakes like cookie monster, smores and pretzel paradise.

Lutz Scoops
19259 N Dale Mabry, Lutz
Family owned and operated ice cream shop in Lutz. We’ve tried all the classics and they are amazing. They also have a unique spin on other flavors including toasted coconut, apple strudel and strawberry banana. They are always offering new flavors and have shakes and floats too.

Revolution Ice Cream Co.
Seminole Heights, South Tampa, Brandon
Homemade yumminess! What started as “plain” vanilla has expanded to include habanero chocolate and even candied bacon ice cream. They rotate their flavors every month but some of the unique staples include butter pancake ice cream topped with syrup, Nutella ice cream with biscoff cookie crumbles and banana pudding.

Oh Yeah Creamery
224 S Boulevard, Tampa
Oh Yeah Creamery is Tampa's first create-your-own soft serve ice cream shop. This sister shop of Revolution Ice Cream offers more than 110 mix-ins to choose from, creating endless combinations for your custom ice cream flavor. They offer classic mix-ins like cookies and fruit and well as some off-the-wall items like habanero or grape jelly. You can also choose from 10 pre-designed "spundae" options like Cereal Monster or Banana Un-split.

OddFellows Ice Cream Co.
718 S Village Cir, Tampa (Hyde Park Village)
OddFellows got its start in New York and opened a new location in Hyde Park just last year. You can find some unique and delicious ice cream flavors as well as the classics on their rotating menu. Try a scoop of Bubblegum Pop, Olive Oil, or Miso Peanut Butter Brownie. Since its conception in 2013, OddFellows has produced more than 600 flavors. They also offer ice cream flights and pints to take home.