When my friends I decided to plan our weekend getaway to Vermont there was one place we knew we would visit no matter what . . .
. . . The Ben & Jerry's Factory.
Those who know me well know that ice cream is pretty much my primary food group. Whenever people ask what I'd want my last meal to be (this seems to happen a lot at work), my answer is always, "A hot fudge sundae."
On the final morning of our VT trip we headed out for breakfast, a bit more shopping, and then planned to stop at Ben & Jerry's right before getting on the highway. The factory is conveniently located about one mile from Route 89.
When we stepped out of the car the first thing we saw with this excellent photo opportunity.
The grounds have these ice cream cone shaped signs pointing you towards the front door. Forget a blinker, this is my kind of directional.
To enter the factory you walk up a short flight of steps and under an archway that reads, "Peace, love & ice cream." Seriously, these are my people.
Cue the heavenly angels music! It's time to go in.
For all you social media devotees, if you check into the factory on Foursquare your ticket to the factory tour is free. Bonus!
If you don't have Foursquare, the tour ticket is $4.00 dollars.
We arrived ten minutes before the next tour (perfect timing). Our tour guide corralled everyone into the corner and told us exactly what we'd be doing.
Part one of the tour is a short video on the history of Ben & Jerry's and the company's mission statement. Did you know when the company went public the stock offering was only open to Vermont residents? Talk about keeping it local.
Part two of the tour is the observation deck above the factory itself. You can see the production line down below and you learn about the whole process of making the ice cream from cow to carton, but there are no photos allowed. Normally I ignore such rules, but for Ben & Jerry I decided to be obedient.
Stop three, the final stop, is the FlavoRoom.
The FlavoRoom has a mock test kitchen set up, made to look like where they actually test the new flavors.
All the newest flavors are on display in this room, housed in a robin's egg blue fridge.
There they are in all their glory.
After a bit more information on the most popular flavors and some flavors they are testing overseas, it was time for the grand finale.
You guessed it, free samples! Each person on the tour was treated to a supremely generous scoop of ice cream. The flavors they serve on the tour are unique to the factory. They are not flavors that are actually on sale. The day we visited the special was Reverse Mint Chunk, which was a chocolate ice cream sprinkled with chocolate covered pieces of mint.
The flavor was so awesome. I licked every last drop.
On the walk out of the FlavoRoom you exit through a hallway that showcases the top ten selling flavors of Ben & Jerry's. No surprise, Cherry Garcia is holding down the number one spot.
Post-tour we hit the gift shop. Surprise, surprise.
The welcome counter of the gift shop is covered in these fake ice cream bowls. Not sure why you would want to buy one of these . . .
The store has all kinds of ice cream inspired items, like these flavored lip balms.
I gushed over this children's shirt that says "Half pint." Don't worry, I got one for each of my baby cousins.
There were t-shirts upon t-shirts and two of us wound up buying this gray number that reads, "I like to spoon." Come on. How cute is that?
For Vermont locals who may be sick of going on the tour, there is also an ice cream counter outside by the front door and a sunny patio with tons of tables, chairs and umbrellas where you can just enjoy a cone and the view.
If you find yourself in Stowe or any of the surrounding towns, you absolutely must stop and do the tour.
Have you done the Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour? Do you remember what special flavor you sampled?
