Instagram-Worthy Museums
I didn’t even know this was a thing until last year when I attended a conference for the International Live Events Association and heard one of the designers from Museum of Ice Cream speak to how they went from concept to brick and mortar. As a designer, I was instantly intrigued and hoped I’d get a chance to visit one day. Most of them weren’t located near my hometown but as luck would have it, I traveled exclusively for work and two of my destinations happened to be in towns where these Instagram-worthy museums were located. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is!! Not only were both experiences completely immersive but I left feeling like a kid in a candy store! I hope this gives you a little sneak peek into the creative masterminds behind the curtain.
Museum of Ice Cream should be on everyone’s list of places to go! I went to the one in San Francisco and I can’t recommend it enough! From the minute you walk up to the building, you are instantly propelled into a one-of-a-kind experience. After being escorted in by a staffer in character, you go down a slide to get into the first room. Once inside, the first question asked is “What is your ice-cream name?” followed by the first taste of sugar. I honestly can’t remember the name I chose but I’m pretty sure it had coffee in it. Room to room, we stopped to take pictures and filled up on ice cream sandwiches, cones, and cotton candy! From giant animal cookie’s that looked like they belonged on a carousel to a wall of clapping hands to unicorn photo opps to crawling in a room within a room that looked like a disco ball. You would have thought it couldn’t get any better than this. BUT THEN the icing on top of the cake… the Sprinkle Pool!! Hands down was my favorite part of the entire museum. Although, be warned that if you jump off the diving board you will feel the sting of the sprinkles – they are not soft! Watch the slow-motion video on my Instagram for my real time reaction to hitting the sprinkles! I woke up with tiny bruises on my legs in the shape of an end of a sprinkle – ha!
wndr museum in Chicago was on my list as a potential member experience for the company I used to work for. They have a private event space above the venue that you can rent out so that guests can enjoy food and beverage upstairs before or after heading down to the museum. Although it didn’t work out for our group, I extended my stay and decided to go with a friend of mine. As you approach the door, you see the glass is covered with accolades of those who came before. Once you enter, you can use one of the cute pantone colored lockers to store your belongings. From that point on, you are guided through illusions, lights, movement and interactive moments. My favorites were the light-up dance floor and the disco ball/mirror rooms. Check out the video on my Instagram – a dancer’s playground for sure!
