A cool thing for a guy like me is that Myrtle Beach is a major ice cream town. As the area is both an ocean and a tourist city, it just kind of comes with the territory. All over Myrtle Beach you will find awesome mom and pop ice cream shops. You will also find the corporate giants as well.

Today, Ben & Jerry’s held its Free Cone Day across the world. From noon to 8 p.m., customers could walk into any location and receive a free scoop of ice cream in a cone or a dish. If you live in Myrtle Beach, you don’t have to travel far to take advantage of the offer. Ben & Jerry’s has definitely invested in some real estate in this area with various stores across the city. Well, I decided to not just take advantage of the offer, I decided to abuse the offer. With Sidney accompanying me on my ice cream journey, I hit up four different Ben & Jerry’s ice cream parlors this evening. Below I will briefly summarize my experience at each  location with a few photos and a few words.

Location #1 – 1200 Celebrity Cir.: We kicked off our tour at the location right off of Celebrity Square. This shop definitely was the busiest out of the four but it was also the most efficient. About eight scoopers worked behind the counter to make sure everyone got their ice cream quickly. I wasn’t even that close to the actual counter before an employee hollered at me to see what I wanted. After you ordered they herded you down to the end of the counter where they handed you your cone. I chose The Tonight Dough, a Jimmy Fallon-inspired cookie dough ice cream with a mixture of caramel and chocolate flavors. Sidney opted for classic cookie dough. We went outside the shop and ate.

This was the first location we went to. Busiest but most efficient.

Location #2 – 1303 Celebrity Circle: For the second round, we visited the Broadway at the Beach location just across the bridge. This shop had a carnival type feel with a tent outside, a local meteorologist scooping cones, and plenty of gifts to purchase at the end of the line. This location was busy but not as crazy as the first one. I opted with a flavor called banana peanut butter and Sidney just went with classic strawberry. Out of the four flavors I tried tonight, banana peanut butter was my favorite.

The second location we went to had a very festive feel to it.

Location #3 – 2005C Ocean Blvd: On the third leg of the ice cream odyssey we found ourselves at a location on Ocean Blvd. and 29th Avenue. It was definitely an eclectic type of shop as it shared space with a cheesesteak/burger joint. This location was the second busiest but the least efficient. We stood in line for a long time and it was a little disorganized as people entered the store from two different doors. The line was already backed up to the wall so when people walked in they didn’t really know where the end of the line was and who was there first. Not to worry though, they still had ice cream left by the time I reached the counter. With Sidney out for the count, I put in my solo order for a scoop of turtle cheesecake. My scooper pretty much gave me a double scoop, giving me more ice cream on that cone than the two separate servings I received at the other stores combined. There was just one problem…he served me butter pecan. I wasn’t going to complain though, it was free. I took a couple bites and then threw it away.

Location number three was a cluster.

Location #4 – 2913B Ocean Blvd: Our victory lap was at a small location ten blocks down. Nestled next to a Starbucks shop, the location had several elderly volunteers greeting us as we walked in. Compared to the other Ben & Jerry’s locations we visited this evening, this place was pretty much dead! I walked right up to the counter and ordered a cotton candy cone. We walked out and I took a couple licks/bites before throwing it in a garbage can right before we got in my car.

I took me no time to get my cone at the final location.

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I know every restaurant/convenience store/retail shop has a “Free _______ Day.” Usually I don’t get sucked in. But with ice cream at stake and a stupid blog post right in front of me I had to take Ben & Jerry’s up on the offer…four different times. Don’t Blink.