MUSEUM OF ICE CREAM — Attraction in Miami

No ice cream, no museum, all scam. Save your money and time, go elsewhere. TL:DR: you will be trapped without explanation or anything to do for up to 40 minutes at a time; you will get no actual ice cream despite claiming you can have all the free ice cream you can eat; you will have almost nowhere to take a photo without paying extra for it; and your kids will be minimally entertained for a few minutes (that's why they get 2 stars instead of 1). No exaggeration is needed to explain how bad this place is, below I simply describe our experience.

We arrived around 4:15 for the 4:30 timeslot our party of ten (6 adults, 4 kids age 5-9) had booked much earlier in the day for $44 each. (During our booking, we used a discount code which said it gave 20% off, but just canceled the unexplained "taxes and fees.") We then waited outside in a line until 5:05, when they crammed 20 of us into a tiny foyer. The floor had pictures of real ice cream on it, and the host went through some quick exercises talking about them. OK, fine, the kids got into it, and we were all trying to have fun. We then waited...

We then went into another room where we had to create our "Ice Cream Name" and put it on a name tag. OK, cute, the kids were into it, and we all made up cutesy names. We then waited...

Then we're taken up stairs, randomly given approximately two tablespoons of Dippin Dots (not ice cream) of some indeterminable flavor, and crammed into a hallway where we are trapped for--again, no exaggeration--nearly 40 minutes (see photos). No one tells us what's going on, and the hallway bends in a couple of places so you can't see ahead of yourself. There is no rhyme or reason to anything, you're just trapped, with no where to sit, no where to go, for 30-40 minutes without explanation.

Slowly, a few people at a time disappeared around a corner, finally being allowed into the next part of the building. When we went through, we went into a fake airplane with stained seats, where a video of sprinkles was shown out the pretend windows. We were given an small cup of orange slush topped with a whipped topping (again, no ice cream), and ushered into the main part of the facility.

Here, there were some interactive things for the kids, which they enjoyed for a few minutes. The attendant gave us a small amount of some coconut flavored almond milk product (again, not ice cream) which was tasty. In the subsequent rooms there were a few small random things to interact with. There was a photo op area where you could pay $10 for a digital photo. It's worthy to note that there are very few other areas where you can take good photos through this facility, as the rooms are cramped, and full of people.

Beyond this area, you enter a place called the "sensory lab." No one could figure out what to do here: not kids, not adults. There are a bunch of headsets and some pieces of paper, and nothing made sense, so no one was using anything. Along one side of the room was a running conveyor belt with nothing on it. After about 5 minutes, four small cups came out, which were filled with a bizarre concoction that the kids found disgusting. It was an off-putting gray whipped topping, covered by graham cracker crumbles, covered with more whipped topping, topped with a strange orange ball of popsicle-like consistency -- again, no ice cream.

After this, you exit through a diner where you can get what appeared to be real ice cream for the first time in your visit by PAYING $6-$18. We then went back downstairs, the kids through a slide and the adults through a stairway. The kids played in the "sprinkle pool" for a few minutes.

I strongly encourage you to consider other options while looking for something to do in Miami, the city has so much to offer, and its a shame to waste hours being trapped...

Let's start w/ the good. The staff was fun to be around, & they all had great energy 😊 Free samples are provided during the tour 🍦🍧 The design of the facility is fun 🏩 There are unique spaces & interesting stories of ice cream's history throughout the tour 🤓 It is very child friendly ⛹🏼‍♂️ For adults that would like to take the edge off, there is a bar in the final area 🍸 There is a cool slide (optional)

Now, here is what really disappointed me.

Museum of ICE CREAM. You'd expect there be a BYO ice cream w/ a plethora of flavors & toppings for a cup, cone, or shake. Nope! 😑😢 Most of the free samples were simply orange sherbert w/ cream.

Earlier when I said the museum is very child friendly, I mean it. IDK if this might be ideal for some parents, but there is a strong lack of any control of the kids like they are running the place - just a pink playground drowning in the deafening sound of the running & screaming of many little humans. Also, we frequently opened mystery doors or panels to explore or read. Much of the time either my spouse or myself felt a force of kids pushing their way in front of us as if we opened it for their entertainment; most of the kids we encountered were old enough to have basic manners. Although I lean towards this being more of a parenting issue, I think the company has a small part in it, too, by allowing the chaos to happen.

I'm not confident in the facility's cleanliness levels. As I mentioned, there are tons of kiddos... touching everything, sharing germs, not even trying to conceal their coughs & sneezes, & letting spit fly as they yell across the room. My luck wasn't so great that day because a young teen turned away from his friends to sneeze & ended up sneezing all over me instead. He didn't even attempt to cover it. We were inches apart, & I was left splattered in someone else's snot & spit. I'm sharing this because it serves as an example of how easily germs already spread. If there is a cleaning schedule, I think an increase in frequency should be considered. Banana caution wet floor cones were placed around; it seemed as if the cones were for either for looks, forgotten, or left by laziness. If anything, there should be a warning sign for a sticky floor. I could hear the increased resistance of each shoe lifting up & its opposite attaching down into the floor. Do not wear clothes that can touch the floor - dresses, skirts, pants, etc

A feature on the tour involves sensitive controls & a very quick duration to make choices. The impossible timing tells me the results of your choices are randomized, rather than programmed to at least fall into a category that might have made sense. I call bs; therefore, I'm not satisfied. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I don't intend on revisiting or recommending this spot unless there are major improvements reported. My opinions likely don't matter, but I strongly believe reviewing existing practices & processes, making mods, removing the unnecessary bits, & implementing new strategies might be worth the while. The Museum of Ice Cream isn't a place I find to be worth the financial cost, personal time, & health risk. I was really looking forward to visiting this spot, & I wish the experience had been better. I don't have an issue w/ children; there were literally just far more freely running around than expected for a "museum." It's...

Very disappointed. The website advertise: "Unlimited ice cream". This is misleading. The "limitless" are basic 4 different cups that are tasteless ice cream. They have a few paid options, but very few selection of uncommon flavors. If you want to go for the ice cream, save your money and go to a real decent ice cream shop. Here is what you get: The cheapest ticket in miami is around $30( it can go up to 69). Buy online and pay an outrageous service fee. You will arrive and wait in line if you set up a time. If it is raining, bring an umbrella or get wet. As you enter, you pick an ice cream name for yourself. The experience is basic on second floor. You get the first cup with tiny ice cream balls. Upstairs you see the bar with paid drinks and ice cream. Check my picture with menu and prices. You see some trivia in a room, then a simulated airplane with cheap cold something that I can't say if it was ice cream(2nd sample). Then you see a room for pictures with some bananas hanging, some refrigerator doors with hidden places. Kids love it. You get the 3rd sample that is a tasteless vanilla/coconut/something cup in this room. Next is the game room and you get your last cheap and tasteless "Unlimited ice cream". They are so bad that one sample is enough. Then you can exit through a slide. There is a toy pool and merchandise store. And that's it folks. Besides below average ice cream samples, it's not all bad. You can get a few nice pictures in colorful scenarios and you can learn a few things. This place could be sponsored by ice cream brands so we could try different flavors from them, but they seem to plan this way so people get in and out faster and they can bring the next group and profit more. If they want to offer just a few "Unlimited" samples, at least give some tasty ice cream to make the experience memorable so you have the desire to come back for more. For me, this was a one time visit. No plans to ever come back. Very overpriced for what they offer. Little kids will definitely have some fun. It seems the place was...