SCOOP: Museum Of Ice Cream Planning D.C. Outpost

A museum experience is looking to serve D.C. a sprinkle of something new.

The Museum of Ice Cream is looking for a spot in D.C. to open its fifth location, Manish Vora, co-CEO of parent company Figure8, confirmed to Bisnow.

The trendy museum is looking for a 12K to 20K SF location and has been "exploring options in the central museum core and Georgetown," according to a statement from Vora.

"They are extremely optimistic about the DC market," Vora said. 

Plans for the new location include a feature tracing the history of ice cream at the White House, whose present occupant is a noted fan. The new location is also planned to include a sprinkle pool, putt-putt and animal cookie carnivals, per Vora.

Retail brokerage firm Dochter & Alexander is helping the Museum of Ice Cream look for locations. 

The D.C. search follows the museum's announcement that it would open its fourth location in Chicago's historic Chicago Tribune building on July 16. There, the museum incorporated a nod to the Windy City's iconic "bean," the Cloud Gate sculpture by Anish Kapoor.

The museum also has locations in New York City, Austin and Singapore. The museum has attracted 2 million visitors across seven permanent and temporary locations since its founding in 2016, the Museum of Ice Cream said in a press release announcing the Chicago location.

D.C. has seen a rise in experiential retail in its downtown areas, thanks in part to retail vacancies that opened during the pandemic. Dallas-based Drive Shack Inc. opened its Puttery D.C. location in Penn Quarter Thursday.  

The Smithsonian Institution is also looking for sites for two new museums: the National Museum of the American Latino and the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. It announced Wednesday it narrowed its search down to four sites near the National Mall.