The Boston Licensing Board today approved a request from a chain called Museum of Ice Cream to open at 121 Seaport Blvd. and to buy the beer and wine license from Dig on Boylston Street in the Back Bay.
The chain, which currently has outlets in New York, Chicago, Austin and Singapore, sells ice cream and access to a variety of "interactive" event rooms, for example, a ball pit for adults where the balls have been replaced by what look like giant ice-cream sprinkles, all in "a self-paced experience allowing guests to take as much time as they would like in each exhibit."
The chain adds cleanliness is next to ice-creamliness with the ballpit sprinkles: "We clean them frequently in our very own antibacterial sprinkle shower. They are not real edible sprinkles, though, and cannot be eaten."
The newest outlet will be able to hold 380 people at a time, but will only have 70 seats, since the idea is most people will be wandering around during their time slots getting interactive and stuff.
Like a real museum with a Monet or Tutankhamen exhibit, you have to sign up in advance for tickets. At the New York location, admission varies between $25 first thing in the morning, that is, 11 a.m., to $42 hours in peak afternoon slots, then down to $36 after 5 p.m.