A Review of The Museum of Ice Cream in Boston's Seaport District
A fantasy land with a hint of education, Museum of Ice Cream serves Boston a custom scoop. The latest in a series of new locations, the Seaport attraction appeals to anyone with a sweet tooth or a craving for escapades beyond the norm.
What Is Museum of Ice Cream?
In an interview with Forbes, CEO and co-founder of Museum of Ice Cream, Maryellis Bunn says, “It's happiness, it's creativity, it's imagination, it's nostalgia, it's memory, and it's relationships. It's beautiful.”
How does that translate into a concrete experience? Museum of Ice Cream offers some educational elements, like displays of antique ice cream scoops and memorabilia along with a colorful timeline of the sweet treat’s history. However, contrary to the name, traditional exhibits aren’t the main attraction.
It’s a structured art house and sensory playground with a series of interactive experiences and photo ops. Imagine what a five-year-old thinks a trip to an ice cream factory would be like and you have a rough idea of what the business aims to give its guests.
What to Expect
Boston’s venue offers delights tailored to the city, celebrating its unique culture. One of the most obvious salutes to local flavor is a baseball-themed carnival with overt links to Fenway Park. Other exhibits include a banana disco, hall of freezers, and multi-sensory lab. Guests can also expect a giant pool of sprinkles to play, pose, and pounce in. The sprinkles are antimicrobial and biodegradable to put everyone’s mind at ease, and a two-story slide takes advantage of the Museum’s multi-floor design to sweep guests into the sprinkle room with style.
Photo of the Museum of Ice Cream's Soho NY location
Everyone loves ice cream, especially when it’s unlimited, and one of the Museum’s biggest draws is all the actual frozen dairy available as part of the regular ticket price. Keep in mind that these aren’t regular servings. Expect lots of little tastes of different creations in different exhibits. The menu is subject to change and may be influenced by seasonal availability or trends.
If you’re still hungry, a retro diner offers drinks and desserts with a view of the marina. Everything’s ice cream-themed, of course, including the bar menu. Again, the options on offer change, and unlike other exhibits, the diner’s treats cost extra.
Planning Your Visit
Hours
Open hours are 10:00 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday, 10:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and 10:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Museum of Ice Cream is closed on Tuesdays.
Hours are subject to change, and tickets are sold for specific days and times. Reserve your spot online to ensure you get in and the space isn’t closed for a private event.
Tickets
The cost shifts with expected demand and a regular ticket can rise over $50 for popular slots.
Parking
The Museum does not have onsite parking, but the area has options. Nearby garages and lots average around $50 for a two-hour stay, and there’s limited street parking along surrounding blocks.
You can also plan for a long walk ahead of your ticketed entry time. With the sugar in your system, a stroll before and after your trip through wonderland may help you savor it even more.
Since this location is so close to other Seaport attractions and restaurants, you might secure parking as a customer at another establishment.
How to Get the Most from Your Trip
Go at least a little hungry. Have dessert first, and you can enjoy dinner nearby after you’ve had your fill of sweets.
Take lots of pictures. The entire Museum of Ice Cream experience hinges on bringing nostalgic joy to life through tactile, multi-sensory art. It gives you the rare opportunity to capture images that look the way you feel when you enjoy a treat.
This is part of what makes the venue so great for families. The exhibits blend the set dressing you’d expect from a high-end photography studio with lots of sweet, shiny, and engaging surprises to delight kids. Posed pictures and action shots reflect what everyone feels but so often struggles to frame in family portraits and vacation photos. Make sure to free up memory on your phone or camera ahead of time and indulge in the fun.
While kids and families are a major target demographic, the Museum of Ice Cream also caters to adults, in case the diner’s alcohol selection wasn’t a clue. Everything that makes it fun for kids makes it a great girls’ night destination, graduation party stop, or date night venue.
Designed to stimulate the senses, the art exhibits make tremendous backdrops and interactive sets for little photoshoots with friends. They’re vivid, creative, and perfect for social media, collages, and scrapbooks. If you plan to be in front of the camera, take advantage of your trip and dress up. There are no colors too loud or prints too bold in this space.