Museum of Ice Cream visitors can enjoy sweet cocktails beside a pool filled with sprinkles. Credit: Kayleigh Padar/Block Club Chicago

DOWNTOWN — Fans of ice cream can get much more than a scoop at the newly opened Museum of Ice Cream.

The Museum of Ice Cream opened this weekend at 435 N. Michigan Ave. It features a variety of ice cream concoctions — including hot dogs and specialty drinks — as well as ice cream paraphernalia and artifacts, a sprinkle pool and pastel-hued rooms that are a favorite for Instagram.

The experience has four permanent locations and pop-ups around the world. Tickets to the Chicago pop-up can be bought online; prices vary.

Each location has a “unique flair” and is designed to fit seamlessly into the city in which it’s located, said co-founder Manish Vora. 

The Michigan Avenue location pays tribute to Chicago with a jelly bean room based loosely off The Bean in Millennium Park and a pink speakeasy with sweet cocktails, milkshakes and a Chicago hot dog made of ice cream, Vora said. 

As visitors make their way through the museum, they’ll learn tidbits about ice cream from museum guides, hurl giant cherries at balloons in a video game, play mini-golf among dessert statues and so much more. 

“The biggest misconception about the museum is that it’s all about taking photos for social media,” Vora said. “That’s not the case, and you can see that in every room. We’re going to make you eat, sing, dance, ride Animal Cracker carousels, play collaborative games and jump into a pool of sprinkles.” 

Photos of the experience:

The last part of the experience is a dip in a pool full of sprinkles. Credit: Kayleigh Padar/Block Club Chicago
For an additional cost, visitors can experiment and create their own icecream flavors. Credit: Kayleigh Padar/Block Club Chicago
One of the treats exclusive to the Chicago location is a hotdog made out of icecream and other sweets. Credit: Kayleigh Padar/Block Club Chicago
Another unique aspect of the Chicago location is a “Sprink-L” train. Credit: Kayleigh Padar/Block Club Chicago
Visitors can enjoy milkshakes, ice cream sundaes and cocktails at the speakeasy in the museum. Credit: Kayleigh Padar/Block Club Chicago
In addition to mini-golf and a carousel, visitors can explore ice-cream-themed carnival games to win sweet prizes. Credit: Kayleigh Padar/Block Club Chicago
The museum is filled with ice-cream-themed games for visitors to try. Credit: Kayleigh Padar/Block Club Chicago
There’s a room filled with displays of ice cream artifacts. Credit: Kayleigh Padar/Block Club Chicago
At the end of the experience, there’s a gift shop with stuffed animals, ice-cream-scented candles and other souvenirs. Credit: Kayleigh Padar/Block Club Chicago

Help Block Club Get
500 More Subscribers!

Subscribe to Block Club now and you’ll get a free 16-by-20-inch Chicago neighborhood print of your choice, helping us reach our goal of getting 500 more subscribers before 2024. Click here to subscribe or click here to gift a subscription.

Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast: