As American as baseball, apple pie and… Cherry
Garcia? Ben
& Jerry's is one of the biggest business success stories
to come out of Vermont, and no trip to the state is really complete
without a tour of their Waterbury ice cream factory (on Route 100).
A visit to the factory starts with a seven-minute
"moovie" (their term, not mine) on the business
in the Cow Over The Moon Theater. Visitors can then tour
the plant and see ice-cream being made, then head for
the FlavoRooom for samples. The scoop and gift shop is
open after the tour for merchandise and ice cream purchases.
The tours last thirty minutes and are available on a first
come, first serve basis. Visitors should also be aware
that ice cream is not produced on weekends or holidays,
and should thus plan their trips accordingly.
The plant is open year round, seven days a week on a
variety of schedules depending on the time of year:
September - October, 9-6 (tours every
fifteen minutes)
November - May, 10-5 (tours every thirty minutes)
June, 9-5 (tours every fifteen minutes)
July - August, 9-8 (tours every ten minutes)
The cost of admission is $2/person, $1.75/seniors and
free for twelve and under. Reservations are encouraged
for groups of ten or more at 802-882-1240. For general
tour information, call 866-BJ-TOURS.
