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The Turkey Hill Experience, just outside of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is a bucket list worthy pursuit for ice cream enthusiasts. Turkey Hill was the ice cream brand of my childhood. I can still picture the tub (usually Tin Roof Sundae flavor), sitting on the freezer shelf.
The building’s exterior, is unassuming. You know you are here, by the giant cow.
Our visit occurs during the holiday season. I did not expect decorations, but The Turkey Hill Experience embraces the festive season.
Another bonus to visiting an ice cream focused attraction on a winter weekday, we have the place to ourselves.
Our interactive museum, outing, begins with learning about the history of Turkey Hill. I hate spoiling the in-person learning experience. Why would you visit, if I tell you everything? The short story is that Turkey Hill started as a dairy, delivering milk, added ice cream, and later added cold drinks.
There are decorated trees throughout the entire experience. Each with their own, special, Turkey Hill theme.
A highlight of The Turkey Hill Experience is visiting The Taste Lab. Tickets for The Taste Lab activity, should be purchased on-line, ahead of time. If you visit during a busy time of year, the lab sells out.
It’s our ticket time, so we break from museum wandering, and join the Taste Lab Line.
Seated at our ice cream station, our lab tech, Lake, gives us a quick history of Turkey Hill, and their ice cream making process.
To maintain the audience’s interest, screens ask multiple choice questions. Lake gives the group, step-by-step instructions, for making our own, signature, ice cream flavor. After being told the order of ingredients, and how much to add, we choose a vanilla or chocolate ice cream cup.
The ice cream’s consistency is somewhere between hard ice cream and soft serve.
First, extracts and sauces are added. Shannon uses coconut extract and cherry sauce, while I choose peanut butter and chocolate sauce.
Next, mix-ins, located in containers around the room, are added. I fill my cup with Reece’s pieces and espresso pillows.
Shannon mixes in graham crackers and toasted coconut flakes.
Lake compliments Shannon on his creativity. He’s the first coconut, cherry, graham cracker inventor.
Finally, it’s eating time.
Bellies full of our individual creations, we continue touring the museum.
There is an exhibit, where you are the milk being processed, complete with a giant, rotating churner.
There are hands-on exhibits about the art of creating flavors and distributing gallons world-wide. Like all good museums, there is The Turkey Hill Experience movie.
Since Turkey Hill also makes drinks, a section focuses on teas and lemonades, including a tasting counter.
The museum is fun for the whole family, with exhibits geared towards kids.
Once you’ve had your fill of frozen treat education, you end your museum tour in the ice cream shop. Included in every museum admission, is the opportunity to eat all of the Turkey Hill ice cream you wish. A variety of flavors are available for creamy enjoyment.
I’m a little sad that my favorite Turkey Hill flavor, Peanut Butter Ripple, is absent from the case, so I pick my second favorite, Graham Slam.
As an ice cream enthusiast, The Turkey Hill Experience is a perfect half-day activity. Even if you aren’t fascinated by frozen desserts or sugary iced teas, it’s a shiny, bright, immersive, activity, that should be experienced.
