Last weekend, I finally got to go to the Museum of Ice Cream (MOIC) in New York. I purchased the tickets months ago (since I missed out when we were in Miami and also the last time the exhibit was in town), so I had been waiting with bated breath for a while (and so had Nina, aged 9). Sadly, it did not live up to my expectations what-so-ever. I think it has changed a lot since its early days: the ice cream samples, the art installations and the price are all different than they were; it looked so much better back in the day.
first impressions
High ceilings and a pink painted lobby welcomed us into the MOIC. Despite the timed ticket, we still had a long wait to get in. Before getting to the “museum”, we first had to pick an ice cream name (like Milly Vanilly or Taylor Swirl). I wondered where this was going, but it went nowhere. The ice cream name was never revisited…so what was the purpose?
Our spirits brightened when we saw the treats awaiting us in the first room, however, we were told that we had to listen to a performer sing before we could taste the ice cream. The singer was fine, but not great; we might have enjoyed her more had we been allowed to eat and listen at the same time. The worst part was that the ice cream wasn’t good. Although it looked nice, it lacked flavor and had a chemical texture and aftertaste.
Moving along
The next room had gorgeous treats laid out on a large table, but those that were edible were pretty nasty. I’m not sure exactly what they even were…cake pops, perhaps? They were small cones on a stick with fondant (?) and sprinkle covered balls of birthday cake or cookies and cream something or other…not good.
There are a lot of stairs to walk in this museum. I did see an elevator on one floor that a man with a stroller decided he would use despite the fact that it was roped off. (Who knows what became of him?!)
I loved the look of the pink subway train and the room with bananas hanging from the ceiling, but they weren’t all that interactive or exciting for us.
We did have fun using the magnet wall, though.
The next “ice cream” taste was just as bad as the other two: it was “sticky ice cream”. I can’t really think of a good way to describe it except to say that it only resembled ice cream in that both are cold. Whatever the substance was, the flavor was not discernible and the fact that it stretched like taffy indicates yet another chemical-filled item. ☹️
The bright yellow bee room was a great place for a cool photo, but again, the ice cream was not delicious for us.
Moving around
The bouncy area and playground are meant for very young children (toddlers?). I bumped my back on the wall while swinging, and the ball pit was tiny. The adorable see-saws are shaped like spoons, but they are so rickety and looked like they would break at any minute. This space was overcrowded and there was no employee stationed in the vicinity to assist.
I had high hopes for the sprinkle pit, which was designed to look like an actual swimming pool, but again, it was mobbed and not monitored. The foam sprinkles were colorful, but not squishy, so you didn’t get the feeling of sinking into them (like you do in the marshmallow pool at Candytopia, which we LOVED!) It was, however, another awesome photo-op!
What’s the bottom line?
Overall, we rated the “museum” mediocre…perhaps 5 out of 10. Sadly, the exhibits were mostly eye candy…beautiful but lacking in substance. Although it was visually stunning, the installations were not as entertaining and interactive as other pop-up “museums”, and the ice cream samples were disappointing. It was hot and overcrowded and not well monitored by employees. I’d say the MOIC is best for very young children (on a weekday during school hours to avoid the crowds).
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