Get the Inside Scoop on The Museum of Ice Cream – Now Open in downtown Chicago

Play mini golf in a swirl of pink treats. Photo courtesy of The Museum of Ice Cream.
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The Tribune Tower just got a new tenant and it’s a great place to chill. Say welcome to the Museum of Ice Cream, the 7th museum in the collection with locations in New York, Austin, and San Francisco, plus two in Asia.

When you enter the museum, they hand you a Dove Bar, made of sweet vanilla ice cream and rich Dove chocolate. The question of the day is why and the answer is because Dove Bar is made in Chicago.

Your first assignment is to create your own ice cream flavor name. Our guide’s name was “Mint.” Mine was Milli-Vanilla, my husband chose Buster Brownie and the boys wanted to be Blue Cotton Candy and Munch-mellow.

There are 14 installations, some are carnival-themed rooms with games, others are more informational…after all, this is a museum!

Top off the fun with a can of whipped cream and a cherry. Photo courtesy of The Museum of Ice Cream.

Check out the fun-tastic things to do, but first, ride the train on the Sprink “L” line to get you to your destination. Play mini-golf over a can of whipped cream, try your hand at basketball, hit the whack-a-mole, and jump into a pool of colorful sprinkles. There’s a delicious ice cream treat waiting for you in each room.

You can learn how ice cream is made or upgrade your experience to the Ice Cream Lab where you can make real ice cream flavors from your own imagination and enjoy them onsite.

Dare you try a real Chicago original – a hot dog, reimagined as an ice cream dessert? What are you waiting for?

A hot dog Chicago style with all the trimmings. Photo by Mira Temkin.


One of the coolest things is their Clixo magnetic wall that features a variety of colorful 2D flexible Clixo pieces. Through Clixo (Toyish Labs’) partnership with the museum, kids can turn these pieces into an endless variety of 3D creations. The award-winning STEAM toy offers a special collaborative pack that lets kids work with the pieces that magnetically snap and click together to explore their imagination! You can buy it in the gift shop or online.

Clixo has partnered with the Museum of Ice Cream for STEAM building skills.


Before you go, hit the bar in the Speakeasy room for one of their pink cocktails or boozy shakes, each with a different flavor for guests over 21. The Museum of Ice Cream even caters to guests with dietary restrictions with vegan and allergen-free alternatives.

Is this for kids or adults? The museum is for anyone who likes ice cream and likes to play.

Regular general admission tickets start from $36 on weekdays and $44 on weekends. Look for special events like “Pinkmas” and the “Museum of I Scream” for Halloween. For tickets, go to www.museumoficecream.com. To keep up with the latest, sign up for The Museum of Ice Cream’s newsletter at museumoficecream.com and follow along at @museumoficecream.

The Tribune Tower is located at 435 N. Michigan Avenue. At the Museum of Ice Cream, everything is delightfully pink with a cherry on top!


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