This post is part of the “Mommy Shorts Guide to Manhattan,” a series where I share all of our favorite family-friendly spots in NYC.
The Museum of Ice Cream has been traveling around the country for the last few years, popping up in San Francisco, LA, New York City and Miami with its colorful photo ops and unique flavors of ice cream. Mmmmm…Churro…. The tickets usually sell out before I get a chance to go, so this time, I was NOT going to let that happen.
When I found out the Museum of Ice Cream was coming back to NYC and setting up shop in SOHO, I got on their mailing list and bought tickets before it even opened. Their new location opened in December and will be here until May 31st, which means, it should still be possible to get your hands on some tickets. Especially if you go during the week. We rolled up on a Wednesday after school.
What happens at the Museum of Ice Cream exactly? Will your child learn about the science behind the making of ice cream? Or the benefits of a balanced diet and how to incorporate cold creamy treats in moderation?
No. No, they will not.
At the Museum of Ice Cream, your kids will be provided with a sugar and adrenaline rush that will take them from 3pm until way past their bedtime. That much I can guarantee.
What else is on offer, besides spiking blood sugar levels?
Let’s take a look.
Up front, it’s a store (rainbow llama plushie, anyone?) and an ice cream shop (in case you are worried there won’t be enough ice cream in the ice cream museum) that is open to the public.
If you purchased your tickets ahead of time, you can find the museum “experience” in the back.
Once you enter, you can give your coat and bag to the coat check, which sounds like a small detail, but if you frequent pop-up shops, you know this is a welcome necessity. Then you are instructed to come up with your “ice cream name.” Some celebrity examples are provided for you, like Brad Pittstacio and Cannoli B.
Then I, Ilanana Split (I know, very clever), along with my trusty sidekicks— Mazzy Whipped Cream, Harlow Sprinkles and Marshmallie were escorted into the Vanilla Ice Cream Bar.
Next up? We entered the “floating table” room, where you will feast your eyes on a never-ending table of treats!
Oh wait, they are mostly fake treats. But if you look hard, you will find some ice cream cone cake pops that are actually edible and your kids will immediately be transported to their happy place.
You’ll then travel on a pretend pink subway even though this is NYC and you just got here on a real subway.
You’ll show off your best “banana split.”
Which will be really fun until you pull something.
You’ll try a cup of ice cream that’s stretchier than your hamstrings.
Harlow called it “the ice cream version of slime,” which seemed like a good idea until she tasted it. Alas, it was…
You’ll get to hang on some rings and jump kick a wall piano, while your mom imagines the Instagram soundtrack opportunities.
You’ll play DJ and scratch a tune.
You’ll get a photo in the rainbow tunnel that’s worth the price of admission.
You’ll go down a slide that seems like a regular slide, until you end up plummeting two stories in the dark.
You will follow a red light for another treat.
Spoiler alert: it’s ice cream.
You will cooperate for every photo opportunity because the lighting is THAT GOOD.
You’ll work out on some jungle gym equipment to burn off ten of the 1 million calories that you’ve ingested thus far.
You’ll beat your sister in ice cream cone free throws.
You’ll play in a mini ball pit.
Which you’ll think is cool, but only because you haven’t seen the SPRINKLE POOL yet!
You’ll ask to get buried in the sprinkles, because when in Rome…
I do think it’s important to note that the sprinkles are rubber, which made them not so easy to sink in. So, while this photo makes it look like Harlow is swimming in a pool of sprinkles, it was actually quite difficult to bury her in there. From what I have heard, the Museum of Ice Cream used regular sized-sprinkles for their San Francisco location which ended up getting trapped in everyone’s clothing like sand at the beach. So, this time they opted for bigger sprinkles. I think if they were plastic, it would have been successful, but since they are rubber, your feet don’t sink in like a regular ball pit. Mostly, people sit on top of the sprinkles instead of swim in them, if that makes sense. So it’s more like a sprinkle ground than a pool. Just trying to set expectations!
The Museum of Ice Cream is located at 558 Broadway and will be in town until May 31st. The pop-up features 13 installations across 3 floors. It takes about an hour and a half to work your way through the whole experience. Tickets are $39, and kids under two are free. For more details and to buy tickets, you can go to the Museum of Ice Cream website.
Overall, I would recommend the Museum of Ice Cream. It was a pretty lengthy experience, with a lot of surprise, great photo opportunities (of course), but also tons of interactive things for the kids to do. Mazzy and Harlow both had a blast, and did I mention the ice cream tastings throughout?
You can watch my Instagram story if you want to see more! The day we went was the day I got Instagram music back, so I might have gone a little nuts with the soundtrack. I’ll let you decide.
Wow! That sprinkle pool!!!
Hilarious! Thank you for the laugh.
Great photos! What camera did you use?