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TWISTEE TREAT (page 1)

Twistee Treat buildings are 28' tall and 20' wide fiberglass ice cream cones topped with cherries. The design was created by Robert G. Skiller who opened 23 units around Florida, starting with one in North Fort Myers in 1983. The company filed for bankruptcy in early 1990 and a new company was formed in 1996. It is believed that about 90 of these buildings were produced over the years. About half of them have been demolished. In 1999, the new Twistee Treat Corporation still managed 35 locations in Florida and Missouri and planned to expand to Georgia and Texas. They added gourmet coffee to the menu and planned to add Express Grills with burgers and other food. The new interiors were to feature retro swivel stools, white fiberglass counters and a white and magenta color scheme. However, I don't believe any of these new buildings were ever built. The company ceased to exist around 2000. The only way to acquire a Twistee Treat building is to buy a used one (see the list at the bottom of the next page). Somewhere along the line before becoming defunct, Twistee Treat sold franchising rights to a company in Canada. Now using the name of Twirlees, the company is producing similar, smaller buildings. So far, the Ocala, FL location is the only one that has been exported to the States. For more, see their website.

Twist o' the Mist [for sale] Niagara Falls, NY		King Kone Perry, MI

The Twist o' the Mist was originally part of the Twistee Treat chain. The light fixtures on the property are made from ice cream piggy banks. Around 2005, green awnings were added to the building. As of 2007, the owners are looking to sell the business and/or building. For info, contact Bill Glasgow at (716) 773-3801 or email him at WGlas52674@aol.com. The Perry King Kone is just south of this small town.

Twistee Treat Clyde, OH	The Cone West Chester, OH

The Clyde Twistee Treat is another example of these identical structures which are scattered across the country selling soft-serve ice cream. The Cone is a Twistee Treat brought here from Florida in 1993. It opened in 1995. In 2005, the Twistee building was partially enclosed with an addition which includes a dining area. That same year, the owners acquired the Mobile Cone. The structure came from Louisiana, however, it appears to be a Twirlees unit which were developed in Canada. For more, see their website.

Twistee Treat Lincoln Way East Massillon, OH

Twistee Treat Amherst Rd. Massillon, OH	Twistee Treat Lincoln Way West Massillon, OH

Massillon features three Twistee Treat locations. The one on Lincoln Way East added a white fence in 2006. [photo thanks Doug Wilcox] The abundance of Twistees in OH can be credited to Russell Draime who bought and brought 13 of them from FL.

Chubby's Treats Canton, OH

Chubby's Treats is another Twistee Treat in Ohio.

Twistee Treat at The Gravel Pit Batavia, NY

The Batavia Twistee Treat is part of "The Gravel Pit" which offers bumper cars, an arcade, mini golf and a driving range. It has only been here since 2002 and the Twistee Treat was moved here from another part of northwestern NY.

Kris & Kate's Ice Cream Treats St. Joseph, MO	Twistee Treat Philadelphia, PA

Kris & Kate's Ice Cream Treats also features car shows and live entertainment. The Philadelphia Twistee has pink ice cream which looks especially enticing. In 2003, when these photos were taken, the windows were boarded-up. However, as of 2006, I'm assured the place is still open. This Twistee Treat building was moved here from Florida around 1990 by the owners of Captain's Choice (next door). They brought two other Twistees to the area at the same time including "Christine's" shown below. The third, I believe, was in Bristol, PA and was later destroyed.

Christine's Twistee Treat Levittown, PA

Christine's Twistee Treat was closed for many years and has reopened. For more, see this website.

Turtle Twist Canonsburg, PA

Turtle Twist is a former Twistee Treat. This building was previously installed in 1992 at an amusement park in Lakewood, NY. It was reassembled here in 2004. The turtle is a reference to one of the owners alma mater: the University of Maryland, home of the Terrapins. For more, see this website.

Twistee Treat Collegeville, PA	Twistee Treat Wernersville, PA	M&M Twistee Treat East Peoria, IL	Twistee Treat Princeton, WV

The Collegeville Twistee Treat is part of the Collegeville Pitstop which also features go-karts, mini golf, and a video arcade. The Collegeville Pitstop opened in 1997 after being brought up from Florida. For more, see this website. The Wernersville Twistee Treat is known as the Wertz Ice Cream Cone. For many years, it was tucked away next to a larger building which served as a restaurant and ice cream parlor. In 2008, it was moved a couple blocks away to a more prominent location. For more, see this website. The M&M Twistee Treat has been here for many years. I don't know when it moved here or how it wound up so far from its FL birthplace. The Princeton Twistee Treat has been here since around 2004. It is believed that this building was previously in Pennsylvania. [photo thanks Kathy Lambert]

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