How no one thought of opening a Museum of Ice Cream before this is beyond me. This hyper-Instagramable, dessert lover’s dream will be open for just one month at The Whitney in the Meatpacking District. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that this exhibit dedicated to America’s favorite summertime treat it as visually outrageous as it is truly a tasty experience! Here are a few highlights from my visit to the most indulgently delightful museum ever!
You’re welcomed into the museum with—you guessed it—a bowl of ice cream goodness with unique flavors specifically curated for the museum by NYC favorites like Odd Fellows, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory and Black Tap.
The entire museum is a treasure trove of innovative experiences, each one as cool (pun intended!) as the next. This ice cream heaven is immersive, interactive and actually educational. It is a museum, after all. The writing on the pretty pastel walls tell the delicious history of ice cream. For example, did you know George Washington was so obsessed that he spent more than $200 in one summer (the equivalent of $5,000 today) on ice cream?
Other fun activities include helping to create “The World’s Largest Ice Cream Sundae” by scooping up some of its never-melting “ice cream” in to a big gold bowl.
Then there’s the dreamy Willy Wonka-esque Chocolate Chamber room which literally smells like pure chocolate. Think: chocolate fountain, a big “chocolate” bean bag chair for lounging, psychedelic chocolate swirl projections and of course, you have the Willy Wonka theme song playing in the background.
My favorite part? The sprinkle pool of course! This one-of-a-kind magical pool is filled with 11,000 pounds of rainbow sprinkles. It’s a thing of beauty! Downside? The sprinkles aren’t real. In fact, they’re plastic and get everywhere. And I mean everywhere. That said, it’s totally worth it for the adorbz pictures you’re likely to get out of it! And did I mention, the wall alongside this life-sized pool of sprinkles is lined with jars of all the Dylan’s candy that you can eat? Because it is!
As you approach the end *sigh* you invited to pop a miracle berry candy (a candy pill that temporarily allows you to taste sour things as sweet) and enjoy a pink ice cream cone topped with juicy lemon slices that now taste like sweet lemonade.
Anyone else feel like ice cream now?
Chelsea is a San Francisco-based journalist whose passion revolves around exploring the world, immersing herself in foreign cultures, and of course, eating and drinking everything delicious.
Her work can be found in TravelPulse, Forbes, INSIDER, SF Gate and more. She covers all things food, drink and travel and is always up for an adventure, whether that means an adrenaline-pumping excursion or trying a new cuisine.
