Tampa: Here’s Where The Publix Ice Cream Truck Will Be

Usually, you have to hop in your car and make your way to your favorite local supermarket. Now your favorite is on wheels and the Publix Ice Cream truck is coming to you.

"Our Publix Premium ice cream and limited-edition flavors will keep you cool all summer long," Publix says in their summer highlight overview.

The truck is appropriately branded with the shades of green "P" logo and the "Savor the Summer" brand initiative sign resting atop. This rolling truck of cheer will hit ten different markets. Of that, seven of them are in major Florida metros.

Next week on June 19 the Publix truck pulls into in Nashville, Tennessee. It will then hit Greenville, South Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia before getting to the Sunshine State.

Jacksonville will be first on June 26 and then Orlando will have this ice cream truck on June 28. Then the next day Lakeland, Florida is the spot.

The Tampa location will be at Sparkman Wharf located at 615 Channelside Dr. The Publix Ice Cream truck will be here on Sunday, June 30. The hours of operation are 10 AM to 3 PM.

The 4th of July in St. Pete is always a blast, but this year, it will be a bit sweeter. That's because the holiday is when the Publix Ice Cream truck will be there. That location is at St. Pete Pier, located at 600 2nd Ave. NE. Ice cream will be scooped and served during later hours here, from 4 PM to 10 PM, to be part of the party festivities.

So, what exactly can you get at this truck? Seven different varieties are on the menu currently. This is not your standard chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry. The menu now lists these unique flavor combinations:

The fun doesn't end with grabbing your ice cream at the Sparkman Wharf on June 30. That's So Tampa reports, "Attendees can capture memories at the photo booth, enjoy lively music, and participate in fun games, making it a perfect outing for families and friends."

Ben and Jerry's new flavors couldn't be more different from each other. The popular New England based ice cream brand has added three options to their creative family so far this year, and here I will rank them all.

Coincidentally, I tried each of these in one sitting. This was an unplanned taste test. With a house full of young kids, a visiting friend recently stopped by and knew the way to quickly win over the youngsters. Pints of ice cream.

Before I get into explaining which was best, I should note I am not an ice cream (or dessert) enthusiast by any means. Dare I say, I hardly seek out ice cream, even in the summer months. However, if it is put in front of me, I will eat it if it's one of my favorite varieties.

If I'm going for ice cream, though, Ben and Jerry's is easily my brand of choice. Being a New Englander, I have toured their Vermont location a handful of times. Their half-baked in a cone is my go-to choice.

If you are not familiar, these are the Ben and Jerry's new flavors that have rolled out in 2024. Impretzively Fudged, PB S'More, and Marshmallow Sky. Now, it's important to note that Marshmallow Sky is new just to pints. Meaning, it was available in their scoop shops only.

Another flavor entitled Strawberry Cheezecake was also unveiled earlier this year. This did not qualify here as a new flavor ranking because it had been an ice cream flavor (branded "cheesecake). The new "cheeze" version is a vegan dairy-free dessert.

Upon seeing these at my house, I realized they were new. So, instead of selecting one pint to scoop, I took one for the team and realized I needed one proper scoop of each.

My process was to try one at a time and not have all three in the same bowl. Blending flavors might compromise the intended taste.

As a result, there was a flavor where one bite was enough. Another where I couldn't get enough, and the third was somewhere in between.

Here is my official ice cream ranking of Ben and Jerry's new flavors.

It's chocolate ice cream with fudge covered pretzel pieces and pretzel swirl. The problem here is that I do not like chocolate covered pretzels. Oddly enough, I love pretzels alone. Dip them in sugar and ice cream and it either compromises the flavor or classifies as "too much." So, this was my least favorite.

Here we have toasted marshmallow ice cream with peanut butter cups, graham cracker pieces, and marshmallow swirl. The graham crackers are the star of this show. They pair better with the ice cream and chocolate than the typical marshmallow of a S'More. This was certainly a tasty delight, but I feel if the marshmallow swirl did not need to be invited to the party.

Admittedly, I was a little cautious about the blue ice cream color thinking it could suffer from cotton candy syndrome (where too much equals upset stomach city). That is not the case here. It's marshmallow ice cream with swirls, and then chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough. The latter of the cookie dough bites just brings this to another level. Some sweets get forced together and some just belong together and make each other better. That's the case here. It's no wonder Ben and Jerry's decided to promote this flavor. It tastes as cheerful as it looks.