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Put summer on ice

ost people think snow cones and shaved ice are the same thing. Most people would be wrong. Snow cones are harder and consist of bigger chunks of ice, while shaved ice is much finer and softer. The thing you have to jab with your spoon, causing ice chips to hit your friends in the eyes, is probably a snow cone. The thing you can eat without biting into it and risking brain freeze is most likely shaved ice. But why quibble when its 100-plus degrees outside? In our quest to beat the summer heat, we trekked to our favorite snow cone and shaved ice locations for some relief. We found it in flavors such as marshmallow, Pink Lady and even Blood, Guts and Eyeballs. Check out our favorite hot spots for cold treats:

Where to beat the heat with snow cones and other cold treats

Photos by Joel Prince/Staff Photographer

Sugar Mountain owner Mary Bales talks with customers Peace Chasi (left) and Angela Durham.

Sugar Mountain
This Plano favorite specializes in shaved ice, snow shakes and snowed coffee, among other cold treats. In addition to fruit flavors, Sugar Mountain also offers Liquid Luck, Vampire Venom, Pickle Juice and Russett Werewolf among its 80-plus options. If youre looking to get fancy, try one of four shaved ice specialties: red velvet cake, apple pie, cappuccino dulce or chocolate-covered cherry. If youre not in the mood for a snow cone, try a snow shake, which is the Sugar Mountain version of a milkshake topped with whipped cream. Coffee lovers, forgo

your iced coffee in favor of snowed coffee. This Sugar Mountain specialty consists of espresso blended with shaved ice and topped with whipped cream. Indulge your inner child (or an actual child) with kids flavors, such as Pixie Dust and Princess. For an extra 25 cents per snow cone, kids can get Zombie Drool and Blood, Guts and Eyeballs flavors. (My favorite kid-friendly option: Bieber Blue.) Sugar Mountain also offers sour flavors (apple, cherry, grape and pink lemonade), as well as sugar-free flavors (cherry, coconut, lemonade, pia colada, raspberry, peach and strawberry cheesecake). And since dogs need to cool down, too, treat your pooch to a small bowl of shaved ice. Sugar Mountain offers Frosty Dog Treats in two flavors: banana syrup with real peanut butter, and strawberry syrup with blended Milk Bones. Another reason to love Sugar
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Zoey, held by Savannah Johnson, cools down with help from 8-year-old Kenidie Johnson at Sugar Mountain, which offers Frosty Dog Treats in two flavors.

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Mountain: Shaved ice is served with a flat top, which makes for much easier eating. (For an additional 25 cents, you can get the snowball top if youre more of a traditionalist.) Bridgette Williams
Drive through or walk up daily from 1 to 10 p.m. Hours may vary depending on weather. 909 W. Parker Road, Plano. www.sugarmountainsweets.com. Shaved ice: Extra small (8 ounces) $1.50, small (12 ounces) $1.75, medium (16 ounces) $2.25, large (20 ounces) $2.75, the Beast (32 ounces) $4. Snow shakes: 16 ounces $3.50, 32 ounces $6. Shaved ice specialties and snowed coffee: 16 ounces $3.50.

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Oasis Coffee Company

Dont let the name fool you. Oasis Coffee Company makes a mean snow cone to help you cool down on hot summer days. And youll need help. The double-sided drive-through is located in a parking lot at the Greenville Avenue and Bethany Drive intersection in Allen. An umbrella offers shade over Oasis one picnic table, or you can always stay in your car if youd like to savor your snow cone before the sun kills it. After youve made your here or to go decision, be prepared to pick a flavor. Oasis offers three sizes of snow cones in Styrofoam cups, and you can mix up to three flavors. Standards like cherry, strawberry and grape are available. Or you can get a little adventurous. Marshmallow! Wedding Cake! Half-strawberry and half-cotton candy! Buttered popcorn! My niece and nephew loved buttered popcorn, which tastes like kettle corn. But theyre 2 years old. When my nephew said he liked the buttered popcorn-flavored snow cone, my response was, Are you sure? His mothers response, Are you serious? My favorite was the half-strawberry and half-cotton candy. It tastes like strawberries dipped in sugar. Other flavors we recommend on the menu of 65 (which includes 10 sugar-free options) are margarita, pumpkin spice, coffee and Popeye. We also recommend the stuffed snow cone its got a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle. Bridgette Williams
Summer hours: Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sundays noon to 8 p.m. 501 E. Bethany Drive, Allen. 469-296-8542. www.oasiscoffeecompany.com. Snow cones: Regular $1.15, large $2.65, jumbo $3.30. Stuffed snow cones: Regular $2.45, large $3.15, jumbo $3.90.

Photos by Joel Prince/Staff Photographer

Aunt Stelles Sno Cones, which has been open for business in Oak Cliff since 1962, draws crowds on hot summer days.

Aunt Stelles Sno Cones

Tucked away in an Oak Cliff neighborhood, at the corner of Clarendon Drive and Marlborough Avenue, youll find my favorite place for a cool summer treat. I grew up just a few blocks away and nothing was better than a Pink Lady-flavored snow cone from Aunt Stelles on a hot day. Its not quite a storefront and far from your typical snow cone shack but youll know youre there when you spot the red door and vintage sign hanging on an otherwise old and inconspicuous building. When you get up to the window to order, be prepared to say how many and what sizes youd like for everyone in your party first. This way, they can get started on filling your plastic cups with ice (they stopped using paper cones a few years ago) and you have a couple of extra minutes to decide on flavors. Of the 29 choices nailed on the door, strawberry is ordered the most, says owner Lee Albert, whose mother, Estelle Williams, opened the place in 1962. There is a good-size selection of basic fruit flavors, including banana, lime, pineapple, raspberry, grape and watermelon; a few classics, including root beer, bubble gum, rainbow and pia

Five-year-olds Aidyn Martin (left) and Logan Conrad show off their colored tongues after finishing snow cones at Aunt Stelles, where customers can choose from 29 flavors.

colada; and some specialties, such as Pink Lady (tastes like homemade vanilla ice cream), Beatle (think Sweet Tarts), Pop Eye (gum ball-flavored) and the black jelly bean-tasting Zoro. Sour apple and tamarindo are highlighted as the newest flavors available. Its not noted anywhere, but if you cant decide, youre welcome to mix flavors in your cup for no extra charge. Youll feel like a kid again with your first bite, instantly cooling off and forgetting about the 100-plus degree heat outside. Which is also great

considering there are no tables or chairs, and no shaded area for those waiting in line. But dont worry; the line moves pretty quickly and many people drive away after getting their orders, opening up spots to park along the street. There is no official parking area, so arrive early or expect to walk a little. Erika Nuez
Open Fridays through Sundays from 2 to 9 p.m. Season closes Labor Day (Sept. 5). 2002 W. Clarendon Drive, Dallas. 214-946-1431. Prices: $2.50 for a small cup, $3 for a medium cup, $3.50 for a large cup. Theres an extra charge of 25 cents for the Pink Lady flavor.

More hot spots for cold treats on the following page

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Christine Betts, who has been a customer of TC Shaved Ice for more than 20 years, visits the Garland Road drive-through with her family.

Snowie of Texas
Snowie of Texas is a different breed of snow cone spot. Instead of having a standing location, Snowie rents out its services for events ranging from birthday parties to corporate outings. For $85 an hour (minimum of two hours), Snowie will serve 100 8-ounce snow cones. Snowie uses a special ice shaver designed to create fluffier ice that retains more flavor. The shop offers favorite flavors such as blue raspberry, wild cherry and watermelon, along with a few not-so-familiar concoctions like Tigers Blood, Toxic Waste and Bug Juice. Daniel Speir
For more pricing information and a detailed schedule of public events with a Snowie presence, visit www.snowietx.com or call 972-467-2066.

chains Texas Tech University roots, try the Red Raider flavor, a mix of cherry and cinnamon. Samantha Urban
Prices vary by location, but none of the shaved ices are more expensive than $5.99 (for a 32-ounce Avalanche size). www.bahamabucks.com. Denton: 231 W. University, Suite 105. 940-591-9500. Lewisville: 2320 Valley Parkway. 972-459-7000. Rockwall: 2025 Mims Road. 972-771-3902. Rowlett: 5300 Lakeview Parkway. 214-607-1748. Sachse: 5040 State Highway 78. 972-495-3185.

TC Shaved Ice
TC Shaved Ice is something of an institution in Garland. I remember growing up in the area and frequenting the stand after exhausting afternoons of cheerleading camp during the sweltering Texas summers. Dallas, McKinney and Plano also have locations. Some swear by the Knockout, which is shaved ice plus scoops of homemade pia colada ice cream, but Im more of a traditionalist: One large cherry shaved ice, please. Samantha Urban
TC Shaved Ice is small enough that it lacks a web presence, but if you search for it on Facebook, youll find its page, where owners answer questions about summer hours and new locations. Cash only. Check with the individual locations for pricing. Dallas: 10999 Garland Road. Garland: 503 S. Garland Ave. McKinney: 3001 S. Central Expressway and 1330 N. McDonald St. Plano: 1126 E. Parker Road.

Bahama Bucks
Bahama Bucks offers the excellent service and quality of an old-fashioned shaved ice stand, but its actually a major chain with 24 locations across Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. In addition to the standard shaved ice in a Styrofoam cup, Lubbock-based Bucks offers smoothies, frozen lemonades and limeades, hot or iced Island House Coffee, and Paradise Fruit (a blend of seasonal fruits topped with chocolate, caramel or cream). But shaved ice is the star at Bucks, with more than 93 flavors that range from standard (cherry, Dr Pepper, Wedding Cake) to bizarre (pickle juice or the newest flavor, pancakes and syrup). In a nod to the

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