Dexter Filming Locations: Frosty Swirl

DEXTER Filming Locations - hundreds of actual places where the TV show Dexter was filmed.


The location: Frosty Swirl

Q. What is it supposed to be on the show?

    A. An ice cream stand, similar to Dairy Queen, Tastee-Freez or Fosters Freeze.


Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show?

    A. Somewhere in Miami.


Q. When did we see it on the show?

    A. In the aptly-named Episode 2, of Season 7, "Sunshine and Frosty Swirl".

    Dexter & Debra are at the search site where the cops are digging for bodies, and the Frosty Swirl is right across the street.

    Dexter makes a comment that he's craving a Frosty Swirl, so Deb crosses the street to buy him one.

    Meanwhile, the convict who has been helping the police in the search for bodies, suddenly darts into the street, in front of an oncoming tanker truck, and is hit full force by the oncoming truck.

    Debra turns, drops the two Frosty Swirl cones she had bought, and runs over to the accident scene near the truck.

    The convict is, of course, dead.

    Dexter thinks to himself that the convict never wanted to lead them to the bodies - he just wanted out of prison for a day or two of "sunshine and Frosty Swirl" before ending his life.


Q. What is it actually in real life?

    A. This is a rare instance in which the entire building was built from scratch, on location.


Q. Where can I find it in real life?

    A. The "Frosty Swirl" stand was built just for this shoot, on the southwest side Shopkeeper Road, which runs behind (northeast of) a large shopping center known as the MarketPlace Long Beach.

    If the Frosty Swirl existed in real life, it's address would be approximately 6500 Shopkeeper Road, Long Beach, CA.





    However, the small building was dismantled and taken away, soon after the scene had been shot.

    The address of the MarketPlace center that it sat behind is 6475 E. Pacific Coast Highway, in Long Beach, CA.

    The center is across the street from the Seaport Marina Hotel, where Dexter has filmed many scenes over the years, and it's less than a mile away from Loynes Drive, where they filmed the Mike Anderson murder scene.
      Last season, they filmed the scene of Angel and his sister at the El Torito restaurant in the same shopping center.

On the southwest side of Shopkeeper road is a large parking lot which serves the MarketPlace center. The Dexter production company built the stand at the edge of this parking lot, right next to (and facing) Shopkeeper Road.

On the other (northeast) side of Shopkeeper Road is a large parcel of undeveloped land, filled with palm trees and brush.

This location did double duty, because after they filmed the Frosty Swirl scene, they filmed the "search for bodies" scene across the street, on that empty land.

But if you find yourself craving a Frosty Swirl while you're there, you can always go to the Ruby's Diner at the MarketPlace center and get a soft serve cone (or an ice cream sundae).


    I shot the photos below in June 2012.




    And a fan, Suzi, sent me this photo she shot of her daughter posing in front of the Frosty Swirl!


    (Thanks, Suzi!)


Here is an aerial photo of the location.  Here is a Google StreetView.
  And here is a map link.


Q. How the heck did you figure out where it was?

    A.  In the early seasons, I usually had to hunt down the locations after viewing the episodes, using clues from the various scenes.  By the now, though, I've developed a small group of fans, spies & tipsters who kept an eye out for Dexter filming in their neighborhoods, and would let me know in advance when something was about to film there.

    Between those reports, my own personal reconnaissance around town, and a few new resources I discovered, by the time the first episode airs, I already know most (but not all) of the filming locations, and only need to watch the episodes and match up the scenes with the correct locations.

    This group of helpful fans includes Rick, Ellen, Elaine, Mia, Joel, Susan, Eric, Jeff, Kerry & others. My thanks to all of them.

    In this case, I was there when they filmed the scene.  I watched them shoot the scene where Debra runs out onto Shopkeeper Road, and I shot a few photos of the location (see above), while the Frosty Swirl was still up.

    Dexter - filming locations - The actual locations where Dexter was filmed
     The World's Most Comprehensive Guide To Locations Where Dexter Was Shot.
    By Episode - By Category - By Geographical Location - Clickable Map of All Dexter Locations - Go To Main Menu

    The Dexter screenshots from the show and all related characters & elements are trademarks of and © Showtime.
    All other photos & text are Copyright © 1999-2024-Gary Wayne and may not be used without written permission.



    Return to Seeing-Stars.com



    Looking for something in particular? Search the Seeing-Stars website!