The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar

The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

A dessert bar built around over-the-top milkshakes served in Mason jars — stacked, loaded, and customized to an almost unreasonable degree.

Right on the main strip in downtown Gatlinburg next to Ripley's Believe It or Not!, the Crazy Mason is the kind of place that stops people mid-walk. Equal parts dessert shop and photo op, it's become a Parkway staple for anyone finishing an evening downtown.

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How it works

The signature offering is the Crazy Mason — a 16-ounce milkshake served in a Mason jar, built with your choice of ice cream, a rim coating, and a tower of toppings stacked on top. The shakes are as visual as they are rich: doughnuts, cupcakes, brownies, Moon Pies, and cookies perched on the rim, drizzled with sauces and loaded with mix-ins.

The build-your-own process starts simple and gets as elaborate as you want.

• Pick your ice cream — more than twenty flavors, including cookies and cream, brownie s'mores, sea salt caramel, cotton candy, birthday cake batter, banana pudding, and the brownie-espresso Jolted Cow, plus seasonal options
• Add regular toppings — bananas, fresh strawberries, crushed cookies, candy bars, mints, gummy bears, caramel, hot fudge, and dozens more
• Go premium — doughnuts, cupcakes, brownies, Moon Pies, oatmeal creme pies, cinnamon rolls, funnel cake, banana bread, apple pie, edible cookie dough, and more

If you'd rather skip the customization, the signature menu has pre-built creations that do the work for you.

The signature shakes

The pre-built lineup covers a wide range. A few standouts:

• Meet Me in the Mountains — the Gatlinburg location's own signature shake, bear-themed and built for the Smokies
• Build Me Up Buttercup — chocolate meets peanut butter
• S'mores the Merrier — campfire favorites in a jar
• Cookie Mashup — dueling cookie doughs
• Mint to Be — mint-forward with a cool, creamy finish
• Sweet Cheesus — cheesecake-based
• Crazy Colada — piña colada-inspired and tropical
• They Do Exist — unicorn-themed, bold color and flavor
• Simple Mason — for anyone who wants something a little less over the top

Beyond the shakes

The full dessert menu goes well past milkshakes.

Crazy Cups

Two-scoop takes on the most popular shake flavors, in a cup.

Crazy Bombs

Homemade chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches rolled in your choice of topping. Pick an ice cream, pick a coating, done.

Crazy Waffles

Three-scoop sundaes on a sugar pearl waffle, in chocolate peanut butter, cookies and cream, and turtle.

Crazy Nachos

Fresh waffle cone pieces as the base, topped with ice cream, sauces, and mix-ins. Several varieties.

Full desserts

New York cheesecake, peanut butter pie, crème brûlée cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, apple and peach cobbler, dole whip, and an açaí and oats bowl.

Lil' Less Crazy Sundaes

Scaled-back sundaes for anyone who wants something simpler — hot fudge, mint brownie, salted turtle, and more.

Hours and location

Open daily from midday into the evening. Hours vary seasonally — check ahead if you're planning a late stop.

Tips for visiting

• Order the local one. Meet Me in the Mountains is built specifically for this location, and it's the one worth trying if you only get one
• Share a shake. A loaded Crazy Mason is genuinely a lot for one person — most groups split them
• Go after dinner, not instead of it. This is a finish to the evening rather than a meal replacement, though it could easily be either
• Build your own if you're indecisive. The pre-built menu is faster, but the customization is half the fun with kids
• Expect a line on summer evenings. The Parkway is busiest between dinner and dark

Nearby

The Crazy Mason sits steps from several of Gatlinburg's most popular Parkway stops. See our things to do guide for more.

• Ripley's Believe It or Not! — right next door; three floors of the bizarre and hard to believe
• Ripley's Haunted Adventure — a short walk down the Parkway
• Anakeesta — mountaintop adventure park, reached by gondola from downtown
• Gatlinburg SkyPark — home to the SkyBridge, the longest pedestrian cable bridge in North America
• Alibi Speakeasy — hidden cocktail bar for the grown-ups, a few blocks down
• Moonshine tastings on the Parkway — several tasting rooms nearby with live bluegrass

Frequently asked questions

Can I build my own milkshake?

Yes. Start with the plain base and customize with any combination of ice cream flavors, regular toppings, and premium toppings. Current pricing is on the in-store menu.

Are there dairy-free options?

Yes — a non-dairy oat-based ice cream is available in several flavors and can be substituted into any dessert, with oat milk available for blending. The whipped icing contains a milk derivative, so guests with dairy allergies should order without whip.

Are there gluten-free options?

Several shake flavors and toppings are gluten-free and marked as such on the in-store menu. Ask staff if you have questions about a specific combination.

What's the Gatlinburg location's signature shake?

Meet Me in the Mountains — a bear-themed creation built specifically for the Smokies location.

How big is a Crazy Mason?

Sixteen ounces of milkshake in a Mason jar, plus whatever's stacked on top. Loaded versions are substantial — many people split one.

Is it good for kids?

It's one of the better stops in Gatlinburg for them. The build-your-own process is the appeal, and the Lil' Less Crazy sundaes are a sensible option for smaller appetites.