Austin's Pinkest Paradise

🩷🍦✨When the Texas heat hits 100°F and your Instagram feed is screaming for something cute, there's only one place to go: the Museum of Ice Cream in Austin. This isn't your childhood field trip to a stuffy history museum—it's a flamingo-pink wonderland where the exhibits are edible, the walls are selfie-ready, and the sugar high is absolutely free (well, included in your ticket). I finally gathered my crew for the ultimate girls' day out, and let me tell you, we left with full bellies, camera rolls packed with pink-tinted perfection, and a collective sugar buzz that lasted until dinner. Here's the full scoop! 🎫 Ticketing Reality Check: Plan Ahead! First things first—you MUST buy tickets online. This place doesn't do walk-ins, and spots fill up faster than free Topo Chico at a Texas BBQ. At $40 per person, it's not cheap, but when you factor in the unlimited treats, drinks, and pure joy, it's basically a theme park for your taste buds. Slots are timed entry, so you won't be fighting crowds in the sprinkle pool (more on that heavenly mess later). Pro tip: Book for weekday afternoons if you can. Weekends are a sea of bachelorette parties and influencer photoshoots. We snagged a 2 PM Tuesday slot and had whole rooms to ourselves. 📍 Location: Hidden in The Domain The museum is tucked inside The Domain, Austin's upscale outdoor shopping mecca at 11506 Century Oaks Terrace 128. This is crucial intel—The Domain is basically a mini-city of shops, restaurants, and parking garages. Arrive 30 minutes early to navigate the parking situation. The Surface Lot P near Forever 21 is your best bet, but on weekends, you might need to valet. The museum entrance is subtle—just a pink door between retail stores—so don't be that person wandering around confused (like we were for 10 minutes). 🩷 The Experience: Two Hours of Pure, Pink Joy From the moment you walk in, you're hit with a sensory overload of cotton candy scent, upbeat music, and Pepto-Bismol-pink everything. The staff (dressed in pink jumpsuits, naturally) greet you with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for puppy videos. You're given a MOIC wristband and told the rules: "Eat everything, touch almost everything, and take a million photos." Room 1: Ice Cream Scoop Garden 🌸 The adventure begins in a whimsical garden where giant ice cream cones bloom like flowers. The first scoop is complimentary—locally sourced Austin ice cream in flavors like "Texas Honey" and "Pecan Praline." The games start immediately: a giant claw machine where you can win MOIC merch, and a mini-golf setup with ice cream cone obstacles. Room 2: The Sprinkle Pool 🏊‍♀️ This is the main event. A giant ball pit filled with over 100 million custom-made plastic sprinkles—but here's the twist: they look so real you want to eat them (don't). You're required to empty your pockets and kick off your shoes before diving in. We spent 20 minutes here taking turns doing cannonballs, burying each other, and getting sprinkles in places sprinkles should never go. The lifeguard (yes, there's a lifeguard) will snap photos for you, so don't stress about getting the perfect shot. Room 3: The Banana Forest 🍌 50,000 hanging artificial bananas create a yellow-pink fantasyland. The smell is artificial banana (intense but weirdly delightful). There's a swing set in the middle where you can pose like a banana queen. My friend swung so hard she nearly kicked over a toddler—peak MOIC energy. Room 4: Interactive Art & Games 🎲 This room changes seasonally, but during our visit, it featured: A giant claw machine where you can win MOIC merch Ice cream sandwich stacking challenge (winner gets extra cotton candy) Digital "paint the wall" where you use ice cream cones as styluses Cotton candy "cloud room" where a machine pumps out fresh cotton candy every 5 minutes The cotton candy is unlimited and comes in flavors like pink vanilla, strawberry, and a mystery "unicorn" flavor that tastes like bubblegum and regret. The staff teaches you how to twirl it like a pro—though mine looked like a sugary tumbleweed. Room 5: The Strawberry House 🍓 Literally a life-sized pink house where everything is strawberry-themed. The walls are covered in strawberry wallpaper, there's a strawberry-scented swing, and a strawberry "phone" that plays ASMR sounds of fruit being squished. It's oddly satisfying. Room 6: Rainbow Tunnel & Melting Popsicles 🌈 A 70-foot LED tunnel pulses with rainbow colors, synched to a pop playlist. You feel like you're inside a Skittles commercial. At the end, there's a giant melting popsicle installation—perfect for that "I'm a melting ice cream cone" photoshoot. Grand Finale: The Bar 🍹 The tour ends at MOIC's full-service bar where your ticket includes one complimentary drink. Choose between: Alcoholic: "Boozy Shake" (vodka, ice cream, pink glitter) or "Frozen Rosé" Non-alcoholic: "Unicorn Float" (rainbow sherbet, soda) #US #Texas #Austin