Here's How to Visit the Largest Ice Cream Factory in New York City

Calling all ice cream enthusiasts: You’re going to want to head Red Hook, Brooklyn on the double. Ample Hills Creamery has set up shop there—and what the company has created is no run of the mill scoop shop. It’s the biggest ice cream factory in all of New York City.

Today, the doors to Ample Hills’ 15,000 sq. ft. ice cream factory open, and yes you can take a tour almost any time. There is, of course, the production area, which takes up most of the building’s space (and can produce around 500,000 gallons of ice cream per day), but Ample Hills has also built an “interactive ice cream museum,” party rooms that can be rented out and a scoop shop.

At the scoop shop, many of Ample Hills’ classic flavors such as Ooey Gooey Butter Cake and Peppermint Patty, will be available, but the factory is also unveiling an exclusive new flavor called The Hook: “burnt sugar ice cream, house-made stroopwafels, and chunks of salted fudge—an homage to the Lenape people, the Dutch settlers of Red Hook.”

At the museum, you’ll be able to learn how Ample Hills develops new ice cream flavors. The back wall of the museum also features a huge map of Brooklyn and all its most iconic landmarks, so you can learn more about the area.

The factory itself is open to visitors, too. Tours are self-guided, with giant spoons situated around the premises. Each spoon features an interactive element, like a “smell-station.” At the end of the tour, you’ll be able to add a piece of a memorabilia, like a photograph, to the factory's “Every Flavor Tells a Story” scrapbook.

The Ample Hills Creamery Red Hook Factory is open daily, Sunday-Thursday (12-10 pm) and Friday-Saturday (12-11 pm). You can learn more about planning your visit on the company’s website.