We were looking for a shaved ice place in Wilmington, and found Pelican's Snoballs on Yelp. It has a vaguely obscene name (lol balls), and my kids insisted that we visit it. What the heck -- let's go get some pelican snowballs. They claim to offer 100 different flavors here, and although I didn't count, I would say that might be true. There are lots of different flavors of shaved ice to choose from. This is New Orleans-style shaved ice, according to the sign outside. I don't know how this shaved ice differs from other shaved ice, but apparently, the person who started Pelican's Snoballs was from New Orleans and named the place after the Louisiana state bird. In any case, my children really enjoyed their shaved ice! We got one Unicorn, which is cotton candy flavored syrup topped with whipped cream and sparkly sprinkles. We also got a Shark Attack, which is Tiger's Blood and another flavor with shark gummies in the middle. They have some wacky concoctions here. You can take your shaved ice to go (they even have a drive-thru), or you can stay and eat at the picnic tables located outside. There is no indoor seating. When we visited, there was one person working there, so it took a little while to get our snow cones. But they were made really well and looked picture perfect, so they were obviously made with care and attention. read more

It's a waste of time coming to this place. they have hours posted on the building they don't abide by it's 6:30pm on a Wednesday. They are suppose to be open until 8:00pm. lights tuned off, building closed..this is the 3rd time I have randomly came here and it was closed during business hours. Whoever is running this place is clearly doing it for a hobby, because they do not care about the time you waste to drive to this place just for it to be closed. read more

We went there looking for a refreshment and no one was at the window and a sign was there saying be right back but it had already been 30 minutes!!& they were open we even checked inside and no one was there definitely a waste of a trip. read more

Pelican's Snoballs - Shaved Ice Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Haven't been to a Pelican's Snoballs in like 4 years. Was excited to know there was one here in Wilmington. They have an awesome variety of regular flavors and a handful of sugar free ones. But man! The cost has gone WAY UP since our last visit. For the "regular" which is basically a small... $5. For ice and flavored syrup. (Gulp). The girl working was super nice and ever replaced the top of our snoball after it fell on the ground. (Thank you!). Unfortunately, the cost would deter me from bringing my family here. Even if we all got regular, it'd be nearly $27 for ice. Have them 3 star because it's a yummy treat but way overpriced. read more

Pelican's Snoballs - My $5 treat - Shaved Ice Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Pelican's Snoballs is a family favorite any time we are craving an icy cold treat. No matter the location, it is our go to ecause of the variety of flavors, the quality, and the great taste! It's the consistency also because we know that we are going to enjoy it and can customize to our liking. I love anything tropical so give me any of the fruity with Pina colada flavors. My kid is the same, she often gets coconut and mixes it. My hubby he is the wild card..he tries to get the most uncommon pairing just to show us that no matter what you get, it is still gonna be good. He hasn't tried the dill pickle flavor yet but if that's your thing, it is on the menu. There is truly a flavor for everyone! read more

See all

Pelican's is a must-try when visiting Wilmington from out of town. They have over 100 flavors to choose from - we got cantaloupe and polar punch, both with condensed milk on top - so good and not overwhelmingly sweet. Service was quick and kind when helping us decide what to get. My only regret is not trying more add ons or ice cream! It's also lovely to be able to sit outside by the fun colorful storefront while eating. We will be adding this to our trip itinerary next year! read more

Pelican's Snoballs - Shaved Ice Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

My son attends UNCW and my entire family drives down from Jersey every summer to help him settle in and stay for a week. It is our favorite thing to do and a perfect way to end the summer. With that said, all of my children absolutely love Pelican Snowballs. We have to go there everyday while we are in Wilmington. Sometimes twice a day to their different locations. Their goal(s) are to try every single flavor. It is definitely worth a try. read more

Pelican's Snoballs - @ of my sons and their "unimaginary" imaginary friend Beekle. - Shaved Ice Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

We stopped here for a cold treat on a hot day. We both ordered regular, one half watermelon/half peach and the other creamsicle. The peach was my favorite flavor of the ones we tried, but I remember enjoying other flavors at their other locations. It's a quick icy treat, and they offer literally hundreds of flavor combinations! read more

They have something like 100 flavors but the one not listed is Peanut Butter. It's available though, if you want it. Most people order it for their dogs. Be careful when indulging because you may end up with a case of brain freeze. The ice is really tiny so I'm not sure if it's shaved multiple times or what. There is bean-bag toss game around the corner where people can sit and enjoy their frozen treats. read more

Pelican's Snoballs - Games for kids also includes checkers. - Shaved Ice Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

I have been coming here for years. The staff are super friendly and always fast. If you don't know what you want they'll surprise you with something yummy. read more

Pelican's Snoballs - 1/2 mango 1/2 pineapple with sour gummies - Shaved Ice Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Awesome snowball! over 100 flavor combinations to choose from. The man who rang us up was super friendly and helped us make our decisions. We played a game of checkers and enjoyed our snoballs. We are both looking forward to a second trip! The hard part will be picking the next flavor. read more

Pelican's Snoballs - Shaved Ice Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

it's a cute little snowball place which is perfect for me. I dnt like ice cream. But, snow ones take me back to my child . 3 of us got larges for 21. $. Over 100 flavors was a little intimidating . So, I chose coconut n banana. Perfection. read more

Awesome, always. Flavors all the way thru and worth every penny! Except adding whipped cream. That just ends weirdly.

I was very excited to go here with my girlfriend after a long day on the beach, but when we arrived 30 minutes before closing, they told us that they would not serve us, as they were serving the people in front of us. The staff was rude and didn't even care. You need to change your hours if your employees are too lazy to work 30 minutes before your posted closing time. read more

The two teenagers working on 16 July 2021, closed the store 15 minutes early, turning away customers acknowledging they were closing early. Won't get my business and will certainly spread negative reviews with all my friends and coworkers. read more

employees were sweet but the company needs to hire more people. they were definitely swamped with work and could use more help.

Not too sweet and so many flavors to choose from! This location is clean with plenty of seating in the shade. The pricing is fair and service is friendly. What's not to love? read more

See all

I love Pelican's with my whole heart. I've been hooked on these cheap refreshing treats from the first time I tried the place a couple years ago. They have 100 flavors which means endless combinations to try. I love adding cream to mine! This location is also great because the staff are so nice to talk to & helpful to even the most indecisive customer (aka me). Tyler has been working there for a while and always provides awesome customer service with his friendly attitude. 10/10 recommend stopping by asap! read more

Sometimes there's a bit of a line (especially now, with the pandemic and social distancing measures) but the wait is worth it on a hot day. I haven't tried all 100 flavors but I've made my way through the sugar free options. There are usually 6-10 sugar free choices on any given day - mango and raspberry are my favorites. They also have some dye-free options as well. You can get a snowball with ice cream on the inside, which is AMAZING (though not great for diabetics). Sarah always gets the unicorn signature snowball which is a mystery flavor called skylight mixed with cotton candy flavor, topped with whipped cream and candy sprinkles that they call fairy dust (it's the stuff that goes on top of cakes and cookies sometimes). To save money pay $20 for a bag of pelican bucks (they are little poker chips, each worth a dollar) and you'll get $25 worth of bucks towards your current and future snowball purchases. read more

These things are great! Good location right on Market St! When its hot out we will get 20 of these for the guys at work! So many flavors!! read more

Pelican's Snoballs - Its ok to eat the yellow snow! Lol - Shaved Ice Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

The perfect refreshing treat for the Summer! I love going and trying new flavors. Tons of options so anyone should be able to find something they like. read more

Great treat anytime of year really. Staff is always friendly and snowballs are amazing!