Cherry on Top

Cherry on Top serves ice cream just steps from the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama, running a family-owned shop built around classic ice cream parlor treats rather than an overly complicated menu. Its spot on West 1st Avenue puts it within easy walking distance of the sand, making it a natural stop for anyone looking to cool off after time in the water.

The shop keeps its menu focused on a handful of familiar categories done well: scoops, shakes, splits, floats, sundaes, and shaved ice. That range covers most of what a visitor might want from a beach town ice cream stop, from a simple single scoop in a cup to a full sundae built with multiple toppings, and the shaved ice option gives the shop a lighter, icier alternative on especially hot afternoons when a scoop of ice cream might melt before it can be finished.

Milkshakes are a specialty at Cherry on Top, described on the shop’s own site as thick and creamy classic hand-spun shakes blended with any of the ice cream flavors offered. A Heath Bar Shake is one specific option called out by name, giving a sense of the candy and mix-in combinations available beyond a plain vanilla or chocolate base, and the hand-spun method gives the shakes a thicker texture than a machine-blended version, closer to what a soda fountain would have produced decades ago than a fast-food drive-through shake.

Banana splits come in more than one style, with both a traditional version and a turtle banana split on the menu, the latter built around the caramel, chocolate, and pecan flavor combination the turtle name usually implies. Both options give visitors something more substantial than a single scoop for anyone sharing a treat with a group, and the shop’s floats round out that same category of larger, shareable desserts.

The shop’s hot fudge sundae rounds out its list of signature desserts, described as crowned with a variety of toppings, whipped cream, and, fittingly for the shop’s name, a cherry on top. That kind of classic build, hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry, keeps the sundae close to the traditional soda fountain style rather than a more modern, over-engineered dessert.

Behind those signature items sits a flavor list that runs to roughly two dozen options. Named flavors include sea salt caramel, mint chocolate chip, peach, espresso chocolate chunk, rainbow sherbet, homemade vanilla, strawberry cheesecake, cookies and cream, peanut butter fudge, birthday cake, chocolate chip cookie dough, cotton candy, moose tracks, coconut, blueberry waffle cone, chocolate, cherry vanilla, butter pecan, strawberry, smokey mountain fudge, turtle tracks, and mango sorbet, giving visitors a wide set of choices without an overwhelming flavor wall.

Being family-owned gives Cherry on Top a personal feel that larger operations tend to lose, with the shop built around a straightforward love of classic ice cream parlor treats rather than an attempt to chase passing trends. That approach, a manageable but varied flavor list, hand-spun shakes, and classic sundae builds, has helped it build a following among both regular visitors and Gulf Shores locals who return trip after trip.

The shop’s proximity to the beach also makes it a practical stop rather than a destination requiring a separate trip, since visitors can walk over in flip flops and sandy feet without needing to plan much beyond the short walk from the shoreline. For anyone looking to cool off close to the water in Gulf Shores, Cherry on Top offers a classic, family-run ice cream parlor experience within easy walking distance of the beach, with enough flavor and menu variety to make repeat visits during a longer beach trip worthwhile.