Tasty Tuesday: The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar brings popular tourist attraction to Hill City

These “crazy creations” are just that...crazy!

LYNCHBURG, Va. – It’s been a different kind of March Madness at The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar in Lynchburg.

“It has been an insane month.”

Owner, James Griffin, knew that this would be a hit in the Hill City, but even he is surprised by its quick rise to fame. Pictures and video of lines out the door quickly surfaced on social media shortly after The Crazy Mason opened.

Griffin says the line out the door is almost a regular thing.

“The line usually starts sometimes around 1:30.”

The shop doesn’t even open until 3 in the afternoon.

He says it’s a tourist attraction that he brought home after The Crazy Mason started in Gatlinburg and Myrtle Beach.

“Now, something that somebody used to get one time a year, they can enjoy it once a week or once a month.”

Not to mention, it’s (in Griffin’s words), “[The] Best milkshake you’re going to try, honestly.”

The ‘Heart of Virginia’ tastes like home. It’s a strawberry milkshake topped with things that make it look like home too. Hearts encircle the rim. A heart on the cookie is strategically placed in Central Virginia. Blue rocks are put on top to symbolize the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the words ‘Virginia is For Dessert Lovers’ are on the jar.

They don’t just do milkshakes here.

“Crazy Bombs which are huge cookies. You pick the ice cream, and you pick what it’s rolled in.”

We opted for vanilla with rainbow sprinkles, but Griffin also tells us, “Once you have the waffle, you’re done. The waffles are the best.”

When we were there, we went for the Crazy Cookies n’ Cream Waffle. This has three scoops of Cookies n’ Cream ice cream on top of a waffle with crushed Oreo pieces, whipped cream and chocolate syrup.

It’s a good thing the sign in the shop says that calories don’t count. This joint, much like your waist size, is growing.

Griffin tells 10 News, “With so many people enjoying our crazy creations, we are going to expand into the parcel next door.”

This March, their special milkshakes are ‘Here for the Shenanigans’ and ‘Irish I Had Another Bite.’

‘Here for the Shenanigans’ is a vanilla milkshake blended with lime sherbet. It’s topped off with a rainbow waffle, a brownie, whipped cream and sour strip.

The ‘Irish I Had Another Bite’ is chocolate and coffee ice cream mix with a shot of Irish syrup topped off with a piece of chocolate cake.


About the Author:

Meteorologist Chris Michaels is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Certified Broadcaster, forecasting weather conditions in southwest Virginia on WSLS 10 News from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays on Virginia Today.