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A Factory Tour with Sprinkles on Top: Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream in Waterbury, VT

April 19, 2012 at 2:03 PM | by | Comments (0)

Most people think that Vermont’s most famous export is maple syrup, but unfortunately those folks are totally wrong—at least if you ask us. While we're fans of maple syrup it just doesn’t satisfy our sweet tooth the same way that ice cream does, so that’s why we consider Ben & Jerry’s to be the most famous—and important—product to come out of the Green Mountain State. We already had plenty of cheese and chocolate on our little foodie tour of Vermont, so it was only natural to see what kind of new flavors were being cooked up at the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury.

We’re not sure of the numbers, but we’d bet you a pint of Cherry Garcia that the ice cream factory is one of the state’s largest—if not the largest—tourist attraction. There’s state highway signs pointing you in the correct direction, and once you pull into the parking lot it’s pretty darn clear that you’ve arrived at the mecca for ice cream lovers. The grounds and surrounding area is picturesque Vermont to a tee, and there’s even a chance to check out the landscape through snowshoe tours during the chillier months. Although we were slightly distracted by the view—and the babbling brook by the parking lot—we new we needed to head inside.

There isn’t really an ice cream smell to welcome you once you step inside, but there are plenty of people there looking to learn the secrets behind one of the world’s most successful brands. Tours cost $4 per person and run about every 30 minutes or so, but just be aware the ice cream engineers have weekends off. That means checking things out during the week is probably your best bet to see the assembly line humming along. We visited on the weekend, and as a result we got to see how they clean all the machinery—not quite the same. Pictures are frowned upon on the tour—and we followed the rules—as basically they don’t want any Arthur Slugworth types over from Häagen-Dazs stealing the secrets.

Tours include an elevated look down into the factory, and of course there’s a cute little video to tell you all about Ben, Jerry, and their dessert dreams. When it’s all over they do offer a generous sample of about a scoop or so of what’s brewing that day. We have to say that the Milk and Cookies flavor that we scored was even tastier straight from the factory. After your tour there’s a chance to buy some ice cream at the scoop shop, and all sorts of Ben & Jerry’s paraphernalia from like Frisbees to shirts and everything in between is up for sale.

Before heading off to your next destination be sure to linger around the grounds a little bit, and of course don’t forget to pay your respects to those flavors that have departed this world. Up the hill towards the back of the property resides the Flavor Graveyard to honor past flavors and ice cream ideas. It’s pretty darn cute—if fake cemeteries can be cute—and filled with headstones complete with short little epitaphs. We won’t lie—we might have shed a tear or two.

[Photos: Jaunted]

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