By Emily Corrigan, DVI Intern
Once you walk inside the front doors of The Jacksonville Landing, you’ll find it takes a lot of will power to not stop by Dipper Dan’s on your way up the escalator or outside to the courtyard, especially during the dog days of summer.
Downtown ice cream icon Dipper Dan’s opened in 2006 at The Jacksonville Landing, allowing customers to enjoy beautiful views of the St. Johns River while feeding their sweet tooth.
The shop offers a variety of goodies, ranging from ice cream to nachos, although the shop’s namesake remains a mystery.
“This was the name of a local ice cream chain in the ’60s and ’70s,” said owner Doug Ganson. “I just liked the name.”
Ganson said he decided to open the ice cream shop to complement his other Landing destination, Sundrez.
Eight years and countless cones, bowls and spoons later, Ganson serves up to 26 flavors of ice cream. For those of you keeping score at home, rum raisin is the biggest hit, he said.
So the next time you’re in the mood for ice cream – or nachos and cheese, cinnamon-glazed pecans, hot dogs, coffee, sno cones, or hand-squeezed lemonade and cherry limeades – Dipper Dan’s is ready to serve up some fun unless the Landing courtyard is colder than the cream.
“We’re open every day and night,” Ganson said, “unless it is below 40 degrees outside.”