Chill Sloth Ice Cream and Smoothies holds soft opening

Downtown Wiggins was the place to be along the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Wednesday evening, as Chill Sloth Ice Cream and Smoothies served up delicious treats at its soft opening.

Families were eager to get inside and and see all that the unique dessert shop had to offer, including signature treats and, of course, a live sloth habitat.

The sound-proof habitat houses the ice cream shop’s real-life mascot, Sammy the Sloth, who spent the evening napping and watching ice cream being scooped just feet in front of him.

It’s safe to say that Sammy’s presence has already created quite the buzz. Chill Sloth co-owner Cody Breland said that he expects many people to visit Chill Sloth for themselves.

“A lot of people go near and far to experience sloths and to see them, so people are going to come here from all over the coast to come and see what’s going on here,” Breland said.

Wiggins has continued to grow, and the addition of yet another unique business will help keep that momentum going. Chill Sloth co-owner Jake Fletcher explained how his business and others are working together to revitalize the downtown area.

“Wiggins is definitely on the up,” Fletcher said. “We started the Pine Avenue Business Association and we’re all kind of working together, we’re teaming up, we’re putting on some really cool events. The first Saturday of every month, we do a big Pine Hill Social down here, so there’s a lot of fun stuff going on up on the hill.”

Fletcher and Breland are both part of Wild Acres Hands-On Animal Experience, a Stone County safari adventure that attracts visitors from across the United States. They plan on using Chill Sloth to give back to something that they are passionate about: animal conservation.

“We have a conservation effort that we’re supporting here at the Chill Sloth,” Breland said. “It’s a toucan rescue ranch out of Costa Rica.”

Chill Sloth’s official open date is scheduled for August 3rd during the Pine Hill Social.