One of my favorite things about New York City are the random opportunities for entertainment. There are these “experiences” so they call them. There isn’t really any other word that fully describes them so “experience” it is. Typically, they are a one-directional maze of rooms that you walk through at your own pace that are full of interactive art pieces, food samples, surprises, physical tasks, sensory experiences, and other things that bring pure entertainment. Some parts are directed by staff members and others are self guided. The goal of a NYC experience, besides making money, is to connect people and to spread joy. The thing about these experiences is that you never fully know what exactly you are getting yourself into because each one is so different than anything you’ve ever done before and anything that you’ll ever do. It is the surprise factor that makes them so fun and exciting. They are so magical ,that you’ll be talking about them with your friends for weeks, maybe even months. The thing is, they aren’t usually around forever. They come and go, maybe for a few months, maybe for a year. You never know for certain. Sometimes they come back and sometimes not, so it’s best to buy tickets right away and go while you can before they’re gone. They bring a little sparkle to NYC and create a uniquely fun thing to do with your family and friends. The other experiences that I have been to in the city besides the Museum of Ice Cream are The Color Factory and The Mickey Mouse Exhibition. I enjoyed all three and thought they were worth every penny. In fact, I would do them all again if i could.

The Museum of Ice Cream opened on December 14th, 2019 and closes May 1, 2020. The tickets are $39 a person, 2 and under being free. It is located on 558 Broadway in Greenwich Village and is closed on Tuesdays. Here are some highlights of our favorite parts of the museum when we went for Jimmy’s 4th birthday in January. We had a blast, and we hope you do too!

UPDATE, August 12, 2020: The Museum of Ice Cream is open after closing for several months due to COVID-19. They are taking the necessary precautions to open again safely with temperature checks upon entry, social distancing markers on the floor, continual disinfecting, and mask requirements. They are texting people before their assigned museum visiting time, asking if you are healthy and well. If you happen to be sick, they are offering to reschedule your ticket to another day and time, something that they didn’t offer previously. The Museum of Ice Cream is also offering virtual ice cream making classes for those wanting a little extra ice cream fun at home.

The Ice Cream Samples

Being a total ice cream person, I was thrilled about all the samples at the museum. There were quite a few samples and it was fun to have these little tasty treats to enjoy as I slowly made my way through. This particularly room pictured below was decorated like a birthday party and had the cutest little ice cream cone shaped cake pops. They had two flavors – birthday cake and cookies n’ cream. An employee asked who was celebrating a birthday, and surprisingly Jimmy wasn’t the only one. There were five people in our group there celebrating. Besides the cake pops, we sampled chocolate milkshakes with whipped cream and cherries, vanilla soft serve with rainbow sprinkles, old fashioned chewy cookies n’ cream ice cream, and honey ice cream with other delicious mix-ins. I’d say overall the ice cream wasn’t the best I’ve ever had as far as quality of ice cream goes, but they were still delicious and fun to devour, adding so much to the whole experience.

The Slide

I don’t have the slide pictured, here but I have to mention it because it was one of our favorite parts of this whole experience. They have a tube slide that you slide down that takes you from one part of the museum to another part of the museum. I was surprised at how fast it was and how fun! They give you a type of potato sack to sit on and slide down on which makes you go even faster. It’s a one-time experience per person as you can’t go back and repeat the slide. A fun thing about the slide is that the people waiting in line at the entrance can see you sliding down because part of the ceiling of the slide is clear. We enjoyed watching the people going down the slide when we first arrived to the museum.

The Banana Room

I’m not entirely sure why there was a whole room dedicated to bananas . . . maybe I missed the explanation? But I am guessing maybe it is connected to the ever so popular banana split sundae. Whatever the reason, this was one of my favorite areas of the museum, and I’d argue Jimmy’s too. I mean, how can you not smile and have fun in a room full of yellow and pink bananas hanging from the ceiling? They were fun to run through, fun to touch, and fun to take pictures with. It was a random and memorable part of the museum that we had a ball in.

The Light Up Piano Wall

This room was very physical. You could hang on the rings and play on them as you wish. As you did so, the giant piano keys on the walls lit up and played different notes. As you hung and moved in different directions, different notes were played. You could make a song if you were committed enough. It was a fun and interactive little room that we really enjoyed spending time in.

The Spoon Shaped See-Saw

I grew up with a see-saw in my neighbor’s yard which was basically my yard too considering how much I played there. It was just a regular shaped see-saw, but we had a ton of fun on it. But a spoon shaped see-saw, this was a first for me. Jimmy and I had a lot of fun on this little spoon as it was Jimmy’s first time on one. I love this museum and the enjoyable quality time that it allows parents to spend with their kids. Right next to the see-saw was this little bowl of rubber ice cream cones and balls, that almost felt like dog chew toys. Of course I laid right in it and took some pictures. When you visit the Museum of Ice Cream, come camera ready, as there are many great picture opportunities to take advantage of if you want them!

The Sprinkle Pool

The last experience of The Museum of Ice Cream was the sprinkle pool, and next to the slide, it was my favorite part of the whole museum. No, they aren’t real sprinkles, but 2-inch rubber “sprinkles” that are perfect for playing in and taking boomerangs with. I can’t be the only one. . . They have a slide that slides into the sprinkle pool that Jimmy loved and went on more times than I can count. A lot of fun can be had at the Museum of Ice Cream for any age.

My Thoughts on the Museum of Ice Cream

I LOVED the Museum of Ice Cream and would recommend it to anyone who is wanting a fun experience, especially for people with kids. We all had a fun time, and Jimmy even cried when we told him it was time to leave because he was enjoying himself so much. However, there are a few minor negative things that I think should be noted to make sure that this museum is something that you’ll enjoy.

*First, tickets are not cheap. At $39 a ticket, it gets rather pricy when you’re paying for a whole family, so make sure that this museum is something that you really want to put that much money into.

*Second, it can get crowded at times. Being winter, we stood in line for probably 20 minutes for just the coat check before we could enter the actual museum. Once we were in, there were times when it was overly crowded. People can go through the rooms at their own pace so the crowds come and go, but even then, there were times that I felt pretty squished. I wish that the museum wouldn’t sell so many tickets per hour so that everyone attending could enjoy the museum fully during their designated time slot. Even with a reservation time, it often seemed too crowded.

*Also, as this museum goes on each week, it gets a little more worn down and used, which is expected, but sometimes it was a little unpleasant. We found a lot of hair wrapped around the sprinkles in the sprinkle pool and other things like lint from clothes and fingernails. It also smelled a bit. It’s inevitable as there are so many people going through this museum each day but just something to take note of.

*And lastly, this is a place where people take a lot of pictures. If you don’t like seeing people taking boomerangs, selfies, or that perfect Instagram worthy shot, you might not like this place. There is a lot of picture taking going on at the Museum of Ice Cream from pretty much everyone as there are amazing settings for pictures everywhere you turn. Just make sure you have the right mindset before you go in and be prepared for picture taking overload.

I hope you enjoyed this post and that you visit the Museum of Ice Cream really soon. Get your tickets before May 1st. Let me know if you check it out and what your favorite part was! Thanks for reading.