My daughter's girl scout troop went here on a group outing. My son had to tag along due to my wife having recently been hit by an e-scooter. My mother was supposed to join us but unfortunately got into a slight fender bender on the way down to the city. The website is very clear that there are no refunds and while I noticed this I didn't really think I'd have to take it into account. However due to her accident her ticket went to waste and that was 70 dollars of my money that evaporated. The customer service team was very pleasant when I reached out about how they'd reschedule or honor it at another time but my mother has already gone 6 months without seeing her grandkids due to her fear of the city so I don't think the museum will be on the schedule when/if she comes down again.
The tour started out with someone wearing a sticker that said jellybean or possibly jelly bear shaming me in a public setting in front of my daughter's girl scout troop and the collective mother's in attendance as I believe I was the only Father. I have some social anxiety issues and when they were encouraging the children to chant about unlimited ice cream or some such thing I didn't join in and he continued to stare in my direction. I don't know if it was my tattoos that led him to specifically focus on me but he did and when I again didn't participate in a chant he instructed everyone to essentially publicly shame me for not making my anxiety which was already high peak to an even greater height. Worrying about my mother's situation and also attempting to tell her how to best handle it didn't have me in jovial spirits.
The museum itself was fun and vibrant looking and had a certain kitsch appeal. Some staff members were very nice not like the public shamer. But I also encountered a staff member near the sprinkle pool who reeked of disdain for people when I was attempting to find a rest room for my son who has at 5 just sort of gotten situated potty training wise in part to the rare genetic condition he has called WSS...my daughter's troop probably has the most fun on the slide and in the sprinkle pool. I thought the bagel ice cream station was brilliant in concept but I hate cream cheese and my son who loves it refused to try it out which felt like a sad waste. I wish someone had just offered me a bagel because it would have been a nice change of pace from just the ice cream.
Ultimately, I would still like money back considering everything not to mention the shaming in front of my daughter and her cohort's plus their respective mother's but I'm not optimistic. It's nice to have rules but I feel in some extenuating circumstances things could be handled...
Read moreGot VIP tickets for my birthday.
I'm not much of a photo op person, I was just interested in unlimited ice cream and hoping there were wacky flavors in EVERY room. The first two rooms did, and then there was a large gap of nothing.
I was hit with the gross vegan strawberry, and then "pink vanilla" which was literally just vanilla ice cream dyed pink. There were also pink lemonade popsicles at one point, but they made my teeth hurt so I had to toss it. The vegan strawberry ice cream was one of the worst tasting things I have ever had. Artificial, and didn't taste like strawberry at all. More like a raspberry candy gone bad. Turns out the most unique flavors were cream cheese, and lemon meringue pie. Everything else was stuff you can find anywhere.
Considering the price I paid, I was extremely disappointed. I had heard some rumors that it was underwhelming, and I should've listened.
The best part about the entire exhibit was that the employees at the door were extremely sweet and welcoming, and so was the bartender who made and served my drink. The cherry on top was delicious, but not enough to prepare me for the disappointment ahead.
If you have kids and disposable income, this is the place for you. When you get to the last few rooms, there is nothing but kid stuff. The giant sprinkle pool, skee ball, cotton candy, and a literal children's play room.
If you're an influencer, I don't recommend coming just because you will never get a perfect shot. There are people everywhere who will get behind your photos, rush you, and you will be pushed around by children running amok. I had an influencer literally try blocking the stairwell to take a photo/video and none of us were having it. Just rent the whole museum or be a part of their PR team if you want to film so bad.
This place wasn't for me, nor is it for actual ice cream lovers. If i knew what was to come, I would've stayed in the cream cheese room because that was the best I had the entire time and it was the very first room.
I recommend folks go to Tipsy Scoop (21+) instead for ice cream flights. Kills two birds with one stone, you won't have to pay for expensive weak drinks because they'll already be in the ice cream. And for delicious soft serve with different flavors, try Marvel Frozen Dairy in Queens. Finally, also visit Black Tap for their crazy shakes if you want to experience something REALLY wild. Skip Van Leeuwen, they mistreat...
Read moreTLDR; Expensive experience for decent ice cream but great for social media posts. Probably more fun for kids but there’s 1 or 2 exhibits that you’ll have a blast at as an adult. Something I’d do once but def not worth the full price.
We had the very first reservation at 11am which was slightly cheaper ticket price ($37 versus the most expensive $64). It’s very much a social media photo op with some cute activities and unlimited ice cream (at 3 spots in the museum). Their ice cream was decent, but not delicious, and unique flavors. Staff were all superb—very friendly, smiley, and would even take photos for us. The lobby has gifts for purchase and an ice cream/ alcohol bar while you wait. There is no going backwards from each room. We started in a waiting room with a historical timeline of how ice cream began. We waited for about 20-min before being let into a room to receive our first ice cream! Option of ice cream and gelato. Then a table with fake desserts and a freezer with a small popsicle to taste. The next room was broken; it had a projector but nothing happened. Then it led into a room with several gimmick doors (e.g., the doors open to a screen of a moving ice cream image) and then a back room with disco music and mirrors. There’s a small exhibit that looks like a nyc subway with ice cream decor. There was a room with hanging bananas, jumping house (roomy enough for 2), and a dome decked out in sprinkles. There’s another ice cream spot that leads into a sitting area with walls with some history about flavors and ice cream tools. The room leads into a rainbow lit hallway and then a huge slide down to the bottom floor. Another ice cream refill and seated options with a cut-out truck that you can make out of paper. The room leads to a playroom for climbing, swings, basketball, and ball pit. The next room had a cotton candy maker along with mini games like skew ball, whack-a-mole, etc. Half the games were broken. My last and favorite room was the pool room - which is a large ball pit in the shape of a swimming pool and has a slide that you...
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