Twistee Treat

C Fi 9828

Who doesn’t love an ice cream cone on a hot summer day? One of Sarasota’s favorite ice cream spots used to be the Twistee Treat on N. Tamiami Trail. Passersby just had to take one look at the building to know what they were going to get if they stopped.

Twistee Treat buildings are 28 feet tall and 20 feet wide fiberglass ice cream cones topped with cherries. The design was created by Robert G. "Skip" Skinner who built the first location in North Fort Myers in 1982. The buildings were produced in Cape Coral, FL. They were made from 19 pieces of fiberglass and assembled on-site. By 1986, there were 30 locations, all of them in Florida. It is believed that about 90 of these buildings were produced over the years. About half of them have been demolished.

The original Twistee Treat was a franchised chain of ice cream restaurants, founded in 1983 in North Fort Myers, Florida. The restaurants are characterized by buildings shaped in the form of soft-serve ice cream cones. ... A new Twistiee Treat company, based in Orlando, Florida, was formed in 1996.

In 2011, the cone was redecorated as a cupcake when the stand reopened as Short & Sweet, a bakery selling muffins, cookies, and cupcakes. However, by 2015, the bakery had closed and this Twistee was vacant. By 2017, the building was gone.

Sadly, the Sarasota location is now closed, but there are other Twistee Treat franchises across the state if you have a craving.

Artist

Marti Grinberg

Sidewalk painting by: I have worked as an artist in Sarasota for the past 38 years. I graduated from Syracuse University majoring in Art and Art History, which led me to serve as a docent at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art for 27 years.

As a plein air painter, I have enjoyed painting at Selby Garden, Phillippi Mansion, Towles Court and the Ringling Museum over the years. I

I never tire of Florida's effusive sunlight, which has been a major influence on my color palette. My spontaneous style and bold use of color are what I am known for.

When I perceive buildings, Twistee Treat included, I aim to portray them as "live" objects with their own spirit and movement, animated in part by the individuals that I imagine inhabit that particular building. It is my hope that my paintings evoke feelings of joy in my viewers.

I have exhibited widely in juried shows and invitationals and my work is included in many permanent collections. I have won several awards at Art Center Sarasota, including "Best of Show". I also have had a one-woman show at the Women's Resource Center.

Written By

Nanette Crist

Nanette Crist is a retired lawyer who began blogging when she moved to Florida. It was an online diary of sorts, a way to keep track of her new life. It was also a good way to share her discoveries with friends and family outside the area. Over time, Nanette realized her writing makes her experience the world differently. She keeps an eye out for interesting things to write about and then delves more deeply into them as she crafts her words. It's all about telling the story. Nanette's blog can be found at http://nanettesnewlife.blogspot.com.