The Museum of Ice Cream, and lessons in Motherhood

Over Fall Break, the girls and I took a little road trip to Southern California, our third annual trip.

This year, in addition to visiting friends and family, our itinerary included a trip to the Museum of Ice Cream.

Our visit took place on the second morning of our trip. Which means, we had been in the car for a good chunk of the day prior, and the girls had woken up at 5 a.m. that morning. Peanut fell asleep in the car and was a bit groggy as we waited to get in. (The waiting area, BTW, had tables and benches, Baggo games, an oversized, ice cream-shaped Connect Four and hula hoops – but no restrooms.)

By the time we lined up for our designated time, the girls couldn’t wait to get in. Our group got to choose a team name, and everyone unanimously voted for Pumpkin’s suggestion: Star Wars Sprinkles.

The museum is forward moving (once you leave a room, you can’t go back) but you can spend as much time in each room as you like. In the first room, we were given Dove chocolates, then ushered in through a Pink Door (which looks an awful lot like a famous Palm Springs door) to a pink room lined with pink telephones.

From there, we found the MOIC walk of fame and our first ice cream taste (and a star with our dog’s name on it!)

So many photo opps! There was banana scratch and sniff wallpaper, pink and yellow swings, and a room where pink and yellow bananas hung from the ceiling.

We weren’t supposed to touch the bananas, but the girls still had fun pretending to try to reach the high ones.

In the mint room, they actually were growing mint. And they served up mint chocolate chip mochi ice cream!

There was a lot of attention to detail throughout.

The popsicles were also hands-off, but still fun to see!

And we all got a handful of gummy bears to eat in the gummy bear room! 

Next, we sampled licorice and other black candies. The final stop before the main attraction …

The sprinkles pool! The sprinkles are made of plastic (ie, no stickiness, thank goodness) and this was the one room with a time limit. We made the most of it!

As we were brushing off our sprinkles and putting shoes and socks back on, the girls were beginning to squabble, and both wanted my help at the same time. A very kind woman asked Pumpkin a few questions about our team name and why she chose it, and while they talked I got Peanut’s shoes taken care of. When I finished, she winked at me, and then moved on with her friends. I didn’t realize until that moment that she’d intentionally distracted Pumpkin so I could help Peanut without them arguing. I hope to remember to be so thoughtful for other parents – especially when they are flying solo.

One last stop (before the gift shop) included more ice cream and an ice cream sandwich swing. It was such a fun experience and one of the highlights of our trip!

The pop-up museum is opening up more tickets for the Los Angeles location at 10 a.m. on Oct. 18. There is also another location in San Francisco.