Tucked away off U.S. 377 is a little bit of whimsy, and a whole lot of awesome. Gnome Cones, the brainchild of Alex Sparks and Brett Hawkins, is a sweet little snow cone shack serving up delicious shaved ice in all kinds of fun flavors.

“We like doing things right,” said Sparks. The snow cones syrups contains no dye or preservatives but instead use all natural and fresh ingredients, creating a quality product. The juices are fresh or from natural concentrate with no dyes or additives, the tea is sweetened with a homemade simple syrup using cane sugar, and the coffee is West Oak and cold-brewed to use on the snow cones. 

“I like making stuff weird," said Sparks. "Our goal with Gnome Cones is to take something fun like snow cones and make them weirder, make them better, and make them in the way we wish it was being done."

I got to sample the apple pie and it tasted like the real thing. The apple flavor is sweet yet a little tart and the touch of cinnamon offers warm spice notes. Want to take it up a notch? You can add fresh cream or ice cream for an even sweeter treat. The piña colada was a tropical surprise, made with pineapple and a creamy coconut milk, offering a bit of sweet and a light zest. The chai tea has earthy spice tones just like the notes of your favorite hot or iced drink.

Located next to Bumbershoot BBQ and right behind Earl’s 377 and Kimzeys, the trek to Argyle is so worth it to soak up some sun, enjoy some great food, and cool off with a Gnome Cone. You can keep up with them on Facebook and Instagram.

 Photos by Tiffany Johnson 

 Header image design by Christopher Rodgers