MUSEUM OF ICE CREAM — Attraction in Chicago

I want to say that I had a great time at the museum this Sunday (Oct 19th). My friend and I unfortunately missed the train we were taking to Chicago that morning and would have also missed our scheduled time slot. After emailing, we were able to very seamlessly get our tickets moved to a later time slot to accommodate a later train. All the ice cream was good and yummy, but I do think the pairing of ice cream and bread in the mummy dog was odd. I felt that all the flavors were good and was pleasantly surprised that there was a non-dairy option at nearly every station for my lactose intolerant buddy. Butterscotch greeted us at the lobby and his double glasses outfit immediately helped me trust him. Dunkaroo was fabulous in setting us up with tattoos and our bundle that we purchased in advance. I wish I could remember their name, but the person who served us the candy corn swirl had the perfect amount of friendly sass and flamboyancy to make us feel welcome. I was also very pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face with Cannoli. He was very kind and accommodating in checking the ingredients in the different ice cream toppings and being willing to make me another scoop in case the creepy topping contained my allergens.

The reason why I’m rating four stars instead of five, is because I’m a little frustrated that there isn’t much publicly available information about what flavors are offered at each location. I feel that the broad statement that ‘vegan, dairy-free, and kosher options are available’ doesn’t inspire much confidence and leads me to believe that there may only be one option in each of those categories. When I emailed asking about the dairy-free options in advance, I received what I later found out was outdated information once I got there. It is also very unclear which treats are free/included with ticket and which are at an additional cost. It wasn’t until I got there that I realized that there are cocktails, mocktails, and premium flavor sundaes available that are not included in the base price. I couldn’t tell if the Chicago Ice Cream hot dog would be included or not either. I also saw that there was coat check available, but once I got there, learned that it doesn’t start until November. That is fine, but I wish all this information, especially location-specific and updated menu information was available to view online before...

We visited the Museum of Ice Cream for my daughter’s 10th birthday with a group of friends, and the kids had an absolute blast, rating it a 10 out of 10. However, as a parent, my perspective is more mixed.

What Worked Well: • The ice cream (aside from the hot dog flavor) was excellent—visually appealing and delicious. • The sprinkle pool was a clear highlight for the kids, offering a unique and fun experience. • The “all-you-can-eat” ice cream was a major hit and delivered on its promise.

Opportunities for Improvement:

Crowd Management: • The museum was very crowded, and the staff seemed overworked. Adding more team members at ice cream stations would reduce lines and improve the flow. • Rooms were small and could benefit from more tactile and interactive activities to keep visitors engaged.

Cleanliness and Maintenance: • Hand sanitizers were empty in most locations. • The high foot traffic left areas feeling dirty and needed some maintenance.

Check-In Process: • The check-in was confusing, and we had to wait outside in freezing temperatures. • The outdoor worker wasn’t welcoming, though the indoor staff was upbeat and helpful.

Thematic Consistency: • The holiday décor was still up, leaving questions about the museum’s design outside of seasonal themes. • While the concept of being “ice cream” at various stops was fun, the theme wasn’t consistently carried through the experience. • The museum is an experience rather than a museum. We didn’t learn anything about ice cream.

Hot Dog Ice Cream: While unique, it didn’t taste good and led to waste, as most kids threw it away after one bite.

Final Thoughts:

The kids enjoyed two hours of fun, with standout moments like the sprinkle pool and unlimited ice cream. However, as an adult, I noticed areas where the experience could be significantly improved, especially in logistics and interactivity. While it was memorable, we’d only return if there was a special reason to...

Ridiculously overpriced and underwhelming. As others have said it is not a museum, but a few small crowded (and loud) pink rooms with some lame activities for kids you could find in the kids play area of your dentist’s waiting room. One room is literally just pink balloons you can blow up and write on with a pink marker. The unlimited ice cream was a Dove bar at the beginning (the only good ice cream we had); a tiny cone of pink colored vanilla soft serve with a few sprinkles; then a small dish of vanilla soft serve with a strawberry sauce of sorts and a few pieces of something they called shortcake; an ice cream hot dog (a pink bun, flavorless vanilla soft serve, and mustard or relish if you want - most ended up in the trash); and in the carnival room, a small cup of one of four flavors of low quality ice cream - two of which were actually sherbet. I had the Peach ice cream and it had absolutely no flavor. The carnival room has a mini golf set up but it was so crowded there was no way to play. Lots of people trying to take pictures but too many people around to do so. The ice cream was so lame that the kids even forgot about it. The highlight for kids was the sprinkle pit at the end. However, it’s too small and crowded. Is much smaller than it look in the pictures and has two huge hard dangerous columns in it it. The pit has hard concrete edges, the floor is slippery painted concrete. Needless to say, with a bunch kids running around the edge of the pit in their socks their were slips and falls galore. One of the kids in our party slipped and ended with a bruised hip Who even approved this design? Overall, it’s an OK (though crazy expensive) experience for very young kids - 7 and under maybe. Nothing for adults except a lot of noise and cheap low quality ice cream. You’re better off going to a carnival or indoor play room at McDonald’s and getting an ice cream at Baskin Robbins. You’ll save a...