4. Restaurants

Ben & Jerry’s

1281 Waterbury-Stowe Rd, Waterbury, VT, 05676
  • (866) 258-6877
  • Store is closed

Ben & Jerry’s Menu

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  • Katya P.

    If you love ice cream and are in the area, then you must check this place out! Informative and fun tour that gives you a brief lesson on the founding of Ben and Jerry's as people, friends, community implication and their success in frozen treats. They weren't making ice cream on the friday we visited and one of the videos wasn't working so the overall experience could have been better. Was also a little disappointed to learn that this location is only the flagship factory, not the biggest in terms of production. Still worth it for 4 $, getting ice cream samples at the end was what everyone was anticipating and there were enough left for seconds and thirds if you weren't shy. Make sure to check out the gift shop and look at the memorabilia collected around the walls, I loved seing the original old recipe books and vintage ice cream scoop display. Btw, the flavor graveyard isn't directly next to the factory, the little hike up the hill can be quite muddy during spring/rainy seasons so watch your toes.

    (4)

  • J P.

    This was a waste of time. The tour was looking into a room where you really can't see anything besides closed in machines. There was no watching ice cream mix or anything like that. The free sample is nice and I thought pretty good sized...about 1/3 cup of the flavor of the day. The gift shop was over priced and the lines to buy anything was long as was the line to buy an ice cream. The whole visit lasted about 90 minutes and most of that was waiting for our tour. Good for a once in a lifetime trip. We won't be back.

    (2)

  • Crystal P.

    Went here spring of 2015 and was surprised at how small this place was. The "tour" was basically a movie and then a short walk to a small room with windows overlooking 2 areas. I didn't really find it that interesting. It was a skimpy tour. Maybe 15 min. You get a small sample at the end, then if you want to buy a real ice you can go spend like 5/6 bucks on a small cone. I bought one small cone for daughter and one small in a cup for me and it was like $11. Other than that there is a van on premises (wow) a small, old wooden playground, and the flavor graveyard, which was cute, but I drove like 3 1/2 hours to go here. thank goodness it was not the only thing we did on our vacation as we stayed several days up in Vt, because i would have been very disappointed to have driven all that way for that. IMO if you go and are driving far, have other things planned!

    (2)

  • Kristy W.

    This place is definitely an interesting stop while you're in the area, though I wouldn't make a special trip for it. First, check in on the Yelp app immediately upon entering (pro-tip: you get a free tour when you do!). I didn't do that, so I was sad once I did an realized I could have saved $4. Second, you might want to call ahead to make sure they are actually producing ice cream on the day you want to go. During our tour (and apparently for eight hours that day), they were just cleaning all the machines. While the tour was still interesting, it would have been nice to see the production. Despite the lack of excitement, the tour guide still did a good job of explaining everything (and there was a video that we could watch as well). Third, don't miss the flavor graveyard. Fun little poems about each of the discontinued flavors, and it was extra decorated because it's Halloween-time. We also learned during our tour that there have been write-in campaigns to get flavors back once they are discontinued. If there is a flavor you miss, you and a million of your friends should write them. During the tour you get a small sample of the ice cream, which for me was enough. But they also have an ice cream shop that you can visit if you're still hankering for more. My one recommendation (if anyone from the factory is reading this), is to make a special flavor that you can only get at the factories. That would have definitely made me want to grab an extra scoop.

    (4)

  • Jim N.

    Fun time for the kids. A few more activities than the last time we went. The kids got to make tie-dyes ($13) and a swirl art piece. Ice cream is always good, grave yard was cool, kids had fun at the playground too. RV parking available, tour was ok (they don't run production during the weekend, but they seemed to be running today).

    (5)

  • Jacqueline C.

    Definitely stop by here if you pass by Stowe. $20 for a factory tour including a tshirt from Ben and Jerry's. Not sure if it's worth it because the tour was simply a 6-min video, a 10-min description of the production process and an icecream sample. If I could choose from ANY of the tshirts, maybe I'll feel better. Anyway, love this place and their icecream !

    (4)

  • Alex K.

    Who cannot love this place???! I always come here when I'm near Burlington. It is a little bit of a drive away from town, but it's totally worth it to hear the Ben & Jerry's story in the tour and to visit the gift shop. The shop has really cute cards and post cards along with other Ben & Jerry merchandise that are a little quirky, but make great gifts for anyone that enjoys Ben & Jerry ice cream. The scoop shop outside is a great way to end the tour and enjoy your favorite ice cream. They also have the Cherry Garcia ice cream bars.. yum yum Mc Dum Dum. Don't forget to check in to get your free tour! Otherwise it's $4.

    (5)

  • Glaciala A.

    Went on a day when the factory wasn't in production and it would have been much cooler to see it in production. The sample of the day was Wayne'Swirled. Tour guide did a good job with the jokes and had a great attitude. Definitely check in on yelp and it's free for the tour. Check out the flavor graveyard, it's fun to see some of the past flavors. Went early in the morning right when it opened at 9:00 am and there was no wait. I can't say that I'd be willing to wait more than 15 minutes for a tour, since it is relatively short.

    (3)

  • Mario O.

    I was hoping this would be a 5-star experience however it's really a 2-star experience. The ONLY reason I'm giving it 3 is because I got a free tour for checking in on Yelp ($4 savings). We arrived about the time they opened on the July 4th. I think there was one other car in the lot. The building looked cool so we got signed up for the first tour at 9:20. We were told by a less than enthusiast tour guide to check out the cooling tanks and were then escorted up a set of stairs. About 10 minutes later the tour was over. What happened in between? Not much. We watched a short video about the company then went to watch "production." However, (I knew this ahead of time) they don't produce ice cream on holidays or weekends (we hit both) so we instead watched another short video. Next we went to the tasting room to have a sample of Wayne's Swirl which was very good. That's it. That was the tour. I'm not sure what I was expecting but I was expecting a bit more. Jim Beam and Jack Daniel's were 2 tours I went on last year and they were both fun and informative so I guess the moral of the story is whiskey is more fun than ice cream. The gift shop was just ok. The scoop shop had flavors I've never heard of so that was kinda cool. Guess it was an ok way to spend 40 minutes. Besides...what else is there to do in Vermont?

    (3)

  • Faye B.

    Yes it's kitschy, but still worth checking out. Did the tour with my husband who had visited once before. Very quick tour and was second to last of the day, but there were still workers out in the factory. I did like that they gave the history of the company and it was interesting to here they have two international factories: Japan and Israel (?). Also get to hear about their philanthropic work in the community and lobbying efforts regarding GMO. The Graveyard of Dead Flavors is cheesy, but a blast in the past of flavors of old. It was nice to get a sample at the end of the tour. I mean after all that, how can you not buy a scoop?

    (4)

  • Melissa B.

    So crowded!!!!! Factory wasn't in action(weekend) and it's so crowded!!!! Tour price is reasonable but it's a bit boring when nothing is happening behind those glass windows. You are informed ahead of time if the factory isn't actively running. This was our 3rd visit, it gets more crowds every time.

    (2)

  • Joe P.

    Free for yelpers if you show them the coupon (which I found out after I paid!), but normally $4 per person. This place gets BUSY, so get there early especially on the weekend. During the week, the wait was not bad. The tours takes you to where you can see the packaging process in action. You get a small sample at the end of the tour. They also have a factory graveyard with all retired flavors from B&J.

    (4)

  • Phil Z.

    The tour was lame. Ice cream was awesome - so fresh. I wouldn't bother with the tour unless you really have time to kill.

    (1)

  • Kasey R.

    This place is. A. Mad. House. Guess it was wishful thinking to hope that it wouldn't be packed on a Tuesday afternoon, but seems like schools haven't started up here yet and the overwhelmed parents are trying to squeeze out the last bit of summer before they can ship out the troops. We dropped in here initially hoping to do the factory tour, but after seeing the massive line and jam packed gift store, we retreated outside to the ice cream line. The service itself was great, and when I asked for two samples, I got two heaping spoonfuls. The ice cream was ok - I got the coconut layer bar and cookie dough, which were pretty standard - nothing that we couldn't have gotten at any B&J's store anywhere else. Not saying this isn't something to check off your list, but for us it ended up just being that and nothing really fun or special. Might be better on a weekday after the school term starts or in the off-season.

    (3)

  • Matt B.

    This is a must stop on any trip to Vermont. The tour is great, lots of silly cow jokes and you learn the history of the company. I grew up here and have lived the history so I am completely biased. Vermonters love Ben & Jerry's and if you go on the tour you will learn why. The ice cream is great, but their commitment to support the areas farmers, the states economy, and bettering the world is why they are the heart of the community. Free scoop day is a state holiday in Vermont and even when Ben and Jerry sold the company they made sure that Vermonters would always benefit from the corporation born here. Today the factory was running cotton candy flavor and my kids loved it. I am a chocolate fudge brownie fan, so when we hit the scoop shop that's what ordered!

    (4)

  • Gina T.

    Drove one and a half hours off our path to visit this store/factory and enjoyed it. There are many flavors that are not available at our local stores in California. We really enjoyed Tonight Show, Milk and Cookies and Salted Caramel Blondie, but you can't really miss with any of their flavors. I like that their ice cream is rich and creamy with nice texture and seemingly authentic flavors - doesn't taste artificial. We also did the factory tour ($4 for adults) which was cool but very, very limited. You basically stand on the second floor and watch through a wall of windows to the factory below. The guide gives a practiced blurb about the process and you're done. It's nice to go when the factory is actually making ice cream but you really only spend 10 minutes up there. Afterwards, you go back down to a large room where you're given the flavor of the day. Of course, there is an extensive gift shop for mugs, shirts, key chains and other Ben and Jerry's logo items. Not sure I would recommend you go out of your way to visit this factory, but if you are dying to view/try all their flavors, you should definitely put it on your itinerary.

    (3)

  • Harjit D.

    The Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory in Waterbury is the number 1 tourist attraction in Vermont. They receive hundreds of visitors daily and it can get pretty busy during the summer months. One can take a guided tour of the inside of the factory which is conducted every 30 minutes and it cost $4.00 for adults. If you check-In with Yelp, you'll get a free tour pass. Oh yeah, you get a small sample of ice cream at the end of the tour. The facilities are well kept, clean, and inviting. There is a gift shop inside where you can purchase t-shirts and various souvenirs. There is also an ice-cream counter to purchase the various flavors of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. You can capture some fun moments with your camera both indoor and outdoor at the various neat spots and around some artsy cow signs.

    (4)

  • Katie H.

    Delicious! Their ice cream is so good! The tour is interesting and short and comes with a free taste! What's not to like?

    (4)

  • Nicholas T.

    This is a great ice cream company! The tour and ice cream is amazing! The staff is super friendly, and the ice cream is out of this world! They show us how the ice cream is made, and how the company started. They even give out free samples of a new ice cream at the end of the tour. Sadly, at the end of the tour, you see the flavor graveyard. Here, they have different ice cream flavor a that didn't make it in the world. This is just a great place to visit! To all of you ice cream lovers, I highly recommend coming to Ben and Jerrys!!

    (5)

  • Ryan L.

    While I was home visiting my family the other week we decided it would be fun to go on a touristy trip of Vermont. We've lived in the Upper Valley for 20 years and never really done this before. Our first stop was the Ben & Jerry's Waterbury Plant. The five of us went on the tour ($4 per person). We were all a little disappointed with it. The delivery of the information by the guide was very over rehearsed to the point that it was difficult not to tune him out. Obviously they have a set spiel to deliver but a good presenter can still make it sound fresh and engage the audience (after all, that is the job of a guide). The factory was small (and it only produces a very small fraction of their ice cream) and appears to be more for show than for creating ice cream. At the end of the tour everyone received a sample of ice cream (we received an established flavor, but apparently they may use you as guinea pigs for potential flavors which would have been neat). Afterwards we all went to buy our ice cream lunch (we only ate at places we visited, Ben and Jerry's happened to fall at lunch time). It's significantly cheaper here and the portions are much larger than what the scoop shop used to dish out in Hanover, NH (the franchise is now closed). The tour was alright, I wouldn't necessarily recommend that you go significantly out of your way to see it, but if you happen to be driving along I-89 and want some ice cream, it's worth a pit stop.

    (3)

  • Mary C.

    A must-see if you are in the area. It is a short tour but only costs $4 (free for kids) and you get a decent sized sample at the end (about 1/2 the size of a small). The grave yard is interesting as well. The scoop shop has more flavors than I even heard of. We were there about 1 hour for the tour, graveyard, scoop shop and gift shop.

    (4)

  • Courtney O.

    Who doesn't love Ben and Jerry's?! Came here after lunching at Prohibition Pig downtown (if you haven't checked it out, you should!) After a brief factory tour (video and explanation of the ice cream process by a very knowledgable tour guide with corny jokes) we were given a free sample of Better then Chai. Their samples are only made for the factory tours which I thought was pretty interesting. Then came the real treat the scoop shop! The woman at the counter was very patient and allowed us to try a few samples while we struggled to make up our minds My brother-in-law got the mini Vermonster, my sister a core sundae and I couldn't decide on flavors so it was a waffle cone with salted caramel blondie, coconut seven layer bar and candy bar pie.

    (4)

  • Peter A.

    The Ben and Jerry's factory is a great tourist destination. It has a great location on top of a hill in a beautiful area. I paid $5 for a tour which was pretty informative, but really short. The tour guide did a great job though and we got free samples of ice cream. I liked their souvenir shop although it was pricy. Don't forget to check out the ice cream graveyard out side. Overall, it's a fun place to visit that won't take up too much of your time.

    (4)

  • Isaac H.

    Ben and Jerry's ice cream is great and tasty. I love how I can find a pint Ben & Jerry's ice cream at most grocery stores. I love their chocolate ice cream. It rocks. I would like to see more Ben & Jerry's ice cream stores in the California Bay Area. There are not that many locations here. It is sad to see that Ben & Jerry's is opening any new ice cream stores in the By Area. Gave it four stars because there are not many Ben & Jerry's ice cream stores in my area.

    (4)

  • Tony S.

    Took the factory tour - it's free today for winter fest 2015- interesting tour of the company and how it all started. At the end of the tour we got a free sample of ice cream. Looks like they change up the flavor, this time it was orange cream. Then it was off to the gift shop and purchasing a cone- delicious! Ben and Jerry's best ice cream around!

    (5)

  • Lindsay C.

    Ben and Jerry's... helping women heal their broken hearts and stoners satisfy their munchies since 1978. Did you know that Ben Cohen (one of the founders of Ben and Jerry's) suffers from anosmia, the inability to detect smells? That's the main reason behind the trademark chunks mixed into their ice creams. **CHECKING IN ON THE YELP APP GETS YOU ONE FREE TOUR** Price: -adults: $4, seniors: $3 -kids under 12: free Hours: November thru late June 10:00a.m. - 6:00p.m. Last tour leaves at 5:00. Late June thru late August 9:00a.m. - 9:00p.m. Last tour leaves at 8:00. Late August thru late October 9:00a.m. - 7:00p.m. Last tour leaves at 6:00. Open everyday except Christmas, New Years Day and Thanksgiving. Tour: a little bit cheezy, but informative none-the-less. Let's be honest, we're all here for the free sample. You'll get to see an eagle-eye view of the factory-- which is a lot smaller than I expected-- and end the tour in the sample room. There's only one flavor available for sampling and it's exclusive to that particular factory; it's unlikely that the specific flavor you're sampling will ever make it to shelves, either, so don't get too excited. Gift Store: this was probably the most fun of the whole trip to the Ben and Jerry's Plant. They have lots of funny tongue-in-cheek gifts like the "toothpick holder" which was actually a shot glass, ice cream flavored lip balms, shirts, etc. Flavor Graveyard: most people visiting don't know about the flavor graveyard. It's actually up the hill outside of the plant. Ask an employee to show you where it is if you can't find the signs to direct you. Here's where all of the discontinued flavors receive their own special hilarious eulogy. Some, it's clear why they're no longer made (and some only made for a month), others I wish they'd bring back: Creme Brulee anyone?!

    (4)

  • Karen S.

    It's Ben & Jerry's, the ice cream mecca of the US. Of course you have to stop if you are in the area. Yes, it is cheesy and is geared more for kids. We were there on a recent Saturday and skipped the tour since we had been on it before and there is no production on a Saturday. My tour would have been free with my yelp checkin though. We wandered the grounds, checked out the flavor graveyard and visited the gift shop. They do have activities set up in a few locations for kids. This place gets crazy busy at times and you could have a long wait to go on a tour, so budget your time wisely.

    (3)

  • Ryan M.

    Awesome ice cream, the day we went they were serving milk and cookies which is a great flavor. The tour is great for 4 bucks and its 3 for kids. We did the factory package which is 20 bucks and you get a t shirt of 20 dollar value. Most shirts at least the better ones are 22-24 dollars you pay the difference which is a steal.The tour starts with a movie and they take you to the mezzanine but you can't take photos. At the end you get the sample! Which is a good size for the price. Ben and jerry's story is interesting they maintain a non gmo stance and have the environment and good labor practices in mind. If you are ever in Vermont definitely pay a visit. They would have got 5 stars but I wanted to take pics of the cool machines! They are protecting against the Haggen daz spies!

    (4)

  • Q B.

    Not much to say besides interesting & fun! Like another reviewer posted, once was enough for me too.

    (4)

  • Freddy V.

    I'm not sure how a Ben & Jerry's can't get less than 5****S. I mean it Ben & Jerry's people. Not only was the ice cream to die for but the tour was amazing. I learned the life of Ben & Jerry and how they live by their 3 main mission statements (Social, Product, & Economic). In addition, I learned how the Ice Cream was made in their factory and how their process involves getting products by using their mission statement. I also used Yelp check in to receive a free tour guide. The place is great for kids, adults, ice cream lovers, and anyone willing to learn something new. 5*****S - Ice Cream, 5*****S - Knowledge, 5*****S - Ben & Jerry's Mission Statement I'm always happy to hear a great American story from the Nothing to Serving the World with Smiles. Thanks Ben & Jerry!

    (5)

  • Ted C.

    This place definitely reminds me that I need to check in BEFORE I do anything. If you check in on yelp-and believe me, being able to check in around those parts is a miracle enough but you get a free tour. If you go with a pack of Yelpers it's all free! The movie is basically a quick breakdown of Ben and Jerry's history and how it got here. The tour part was a bit of a letdown because nothing was in operation at that part because they were expanding so everything was shut down. The actual tour was like a paint by numbers type of thing-pretty quick. The video was longer but the free ice cream at the end was worth more than the price of admission. What better way to spend a cold winter day than eating a big scoop of ice cream?

    (4)

  • Ashley S.

    Check in on yelp for a free tour! My boyfriend and I had a great time here today. Our tour guide was quite funny and made the tour interesting. First, we saw a short movie about the history of Ben and Jerry's. Next, we went to see the factory. Unfortunately, they weren't making ice cream, but we could still see the machines on the assembly line, and they showed a video that explained the process. Finally, best part -- free ice cream! They gave us a large sample of Americone dream.

    (4)

  • Fiona H.

    Awesome place where they make delicious ice cream! Everything about this place was great. Friendly people working there, very clean, nice gift and scoop shop and FREE SAMPLES after the tour. Also, as some have mentioned, the tour is free if you check in! Definitely check out the Flavor Graveyard, it was my favorite part (RIP FOSSIL FUEL)! Just wish it had more outdoor lighting. We went around 5 in the evening and it was already very dark out, kind of hard to see all the tombstones so get there early!

    (4)

  • Paula B.

    Fun stop on our tour of New England. The tour was short and sweet and only $4. Learned a lot. Got a free sample. And then headed out for a real serving and some fooling around looking at displays. The ice cream scoop exhibit was super neat!

    (4)

  • Megan C.

    Visiting the Ben & Jerry's Waterbury Plant was truly a "bucket list" item for me, as I've been a Ben & Jerry's fangurl (and former scoop shop employee) for a long time. It's well-worth the visit to the factory if you have any semblance of appreciation for fine ice cream and a fine business model, or both, or maybe you just want to be entertained for only $4 for 30 minutes. I found the factory grounds to be full of fun photo-ops, and I wish my visit hadn't fallen during the lull of winter, as I've always wanted to check out the "Flavor Graveyard" in person. Nevertheless, make sure you get your photo taken below the "Peace, Love, & Ice Cream" arch (great view behind it) as well as in front of the giant ice cream bus covered by an awesome Woody Jackson cow mural. Tours run frequently, I believe every 10-30 minutes, and they don't take reservations unless you are a large group (10+?), so don't be deterred by the large groups milling about the entrance area. They're just trying to stay warm in the winter months, or they're queuing up for their tour. Tickets are very reasonably priced, at only $4 per adult. Our tour was led by a sweet girl named Cara who was very vibrant and full of awesome cow-puns (such as telling us it was time to watch a "moo-vie" or for us to "keep moo-ving along." The tour was very informative and full of all the whimsy and wonder and cool history that define B & J's. The tour ends with a sampling (a nice round 2 oz - aka the "kid size" scoop from Scoop Shops) of one of their newer flavors; for my tour it was "Milk & Cookies." There are a good deal of fascinating and fun facts you learn along the way - remember, it's all about fun! This is Ben & Jerry's! There is of course a shop in the factory lobby full of fun trinkets, and there's also a ful-service Scoop Shop with seating in the front of the facility. Parking is free and ample!

    (4)

  • J C.

    I loved traveling through Vermont and going to the original Ben and Jerry's Ice cream factory (not the gas station) It was a fun tour with a small sample at the end. Just a beautiful day and worth while detour.

    (4)

  • Tulan K.

    two things first - Check in to yelp for buy one get one free tour second - dont waste the money since anything you see there you can see on youtube specially when the plant is closed on holidays and weekends the days when most people come to see it . dont bother.

    (1)

  • May A.

    Cute tour to do with the kids.... But only if you are already passing by the area - don't go out of your way to make this tour. Very small place and tour. Tours last an average of 20 minutes; you only get to see a room of the factory. The best part of the tour is at the end when you get an ice cream sample. No pictures are allowed. Cute little shop at the end of the tour where you can find colorful shirts and other little things for the home. You will get more information by watching "How it's Made" on TV.

    (2)

  • Rita V.

    Eh. Dated. Dirty. Crowded. Show is ok. Tour is ok.

    (2)

  • Pam C.

    Wouldn't make a special trip, but it was a great stop on our way to Stowe. Plenty of parking. Tours run every 10 minutes....but you will probably have to wait 30minutes until your tour starts. Don't stand in the long line(like my husband did)...that's for the ice cream shop, not the tour ticket, go into the building to purchase those. $4, get you into a 3 part tour. Video telling the history, Birdseye view of the factory-they were packaging Chunky Monkey while were there, then the tasting. In my head I was thinking I would pick our my favorite flavor as my tasting but NO....you just get what they decide to do that day...ours was cookies n cream. Thought it was plenty, didn't feel the need to buy more when we left. Don't miss the Graveyard of dead flavors...I thought this was the highlight. Loved the epitaphs on the tombstones.

    (3)

  • K C.

    #NAME?

    (3)

  • Tony K.

    Don't waste your money on tour and video, head right to the back and get the Ice Cream of your choice and then while eating it just Wiki Ben and Jerry.....done. Maybe I've taken too many factory tours but staring a maze of Stainless Steel pipes after watching a outdated video just isn't exciting for any age. The people who work the tour are bored to death saying the same thing over and over.....it shows. The tour for 2 plus $1 pays for your Ice Cream ! If your a big fan then walk to graveyard to view flavors that didn't make it. Tour& Video= 2 stars Ice Cream = 5 stars !

    (2)

  • PB F.

    Fun to stop here and look around. The factory tour is $4 and about 30 minutes long. It was a bit boring to me, starting with a video, then the tour guide talking about the ice cream process while you are in the other room overlooking the factory floor. It was probably because our tour guide was talking in a monotone voice and had the prepared jokes and questions coming out in monotone too. The best part of the tour is the sample of ice cream - the flavor sampled changes depending on the day. It is a fairly small sample, though, but not so small you feel too ripped off. The gift shop here has nice ice cream bowls with cow udders on it, and other things like Chunky Monkey Bread Mix, t-shirts, a freezer of ice creams, maple syrup, etc. There is also an ice cream shop where you can buy a scoop or two. I asked to try a few flavors before buying and the person working there gave hugely generous sample amounts. There is an outside 'flavor graveyard' up the hill where you can look at the flavors that are retired, and read a small sentence about each one. It seems to be a popular photo op for people. It's a nice place. I would come back to buy a scoop at the store and sample more flavors there.

    (3)

  • Dorian S.

    Kids will love it, adults not so much.... Go to your local shop buy some there. We arrived on a cold winters day later in the day and it was complete chaos, there was no room anywhere to stand to wait an hour for the tour. The tour was a huge waste of time and money. You watch a promo video for 10 minutes then get herded into a room that overlooks a factory floor that is mostly mothballed ( they make majority of the ice cream at a huge factory across state). After that you are given a thimble full of ice cream of their choice of flavor. Lots of reviews say the tour guides were hilarious, well I you count three very corny cow jokes as hilarious, then yes you will be very happy. The facilities at the place are hugely over run, gents bathroom had one urinal and two stalls, spent 5 minutes waiting, sinks were flooded out and there were no paper towels. The line for the ice cream to buy was about 15 minutes long, when we got to the window they were out of what my wife wanted - it's a factory, how can you be out? Oh yeah, the factory is elsewhere, this is just a pretend factory..... Hugely disappointing, everyone there thought it was great - not sure what they saw that I didn't. Of course the kids loved it, but I could take them most places and give out ice cream and get the same reaction.

    (1)

  • Sam S.

    If you are ever in Waterbury or Stowe, or even just on your way up to Burlington, definitely take 30 minutes to stop by the Ben & Jerry's Factory. Sitting on top of a small hill, it almost feels like you're walking up to an ice cream castle as you enter the cow-themed factory. First, the tour itself is short, but well worth the $4. It begins with a 10 minute video about the history and philosophy of the company, followed by 10 minutes learning about how the ice cream is made, and concludes with the tasting room. You only get one generously scooped sample in the tasting room, and while I would have preferred several small samples, I was happy with the experience. You get to sample a "tasting room only" flavor that isn't sold anywhere, so that definitely made the experience worthwhile and unique. The gift shop was small but enjoyable to explore. The store sells everything from ice cream bowls to Ben & Jerry's scented candles to maple syrup, so you can pick from several goofy cow-themed trinkets. I didn't check out the ice cream scoop shop simply because the line was massively long, but I imagine it served the same delicious ice cream we all know and love.

    (4)

  • Steve E.

    Before we get started......if any of you are on a diet and sitting there reading this review for Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, then shame on you! Put down your computer and walk out of the room now. Are they gone? OK, good......let's talk ice cream! Ben & Jerry's Waterbury Plant is heaven for an ice cream junkie. This is nirvana....top of the highest peak.....the ultimate.... Did I happen to mention factory tours with free ice cream samples???? In order to get to Ben & Jerry's you have to head north through Vermont on Interstate 89, and then meander off on Waterbury Stowe Road and follow the signs. You'll see lush green hills, fat & happy dairy cows, and then.......there it is! During the summer months Ben & Jerry's will see about 2500 tourists a day, but in the off-season those numbers dwindle down to about 100. After parking your car, turn around and look up the side of the hill where you'll see some of those fat & happy dairy cows grazing on sweet grass. Why look, they even seem to be smiling at you. Wait.....they ARE smiling at you.....Why, these are painted wooden cow cut-outs stuck into the ground. Oh my gosh, the Ben & Jerry's sense of humor even applies to the cows in their pastures! OK, so inside the main building where your tour group will leave every 30 minutes. You start with a short video that explains the history of Ben & Jerry's, and then a walk along the elevated, enclosed catwalk as your tour guide explains the process of making ice cream. Meanwhile you probably have your face pressed to the glass as you look down onto the production floor at ALL.OF.THAT.ICE.CREAM!!!!! Finally you're brought into a taste testing room to sample a new flavor of ice cream which is being made in the plant that day. You never know if this flavor will make it to your supermarket freezer, but it's really neat to try something different. After that you wander in the Ben & Jerry's gift shop, and then the ice cream counter where you may purchase cones, cups, pints, half gallons, etc. of your favorite flavors. All the ice cream that you can possibly imagine, along with t-shirts, ice cream scoops, ice cream bowls, ice cream-themed goodies... Now just for grins & giggles, you can walk outside to the Flavor Graveyard where you'll find an appropriately-themed tombstone for each of the retired flavors in the Ben & Jerry's arsenal, and then go back inside for one more scoop of your favorite flavor. Definitely worth a stop, any time of year, if you happen to be in the neighborhood. OK, please let those people on a diet back into the room.....

    (5)

  • Christina S.

    I love everything about B&J's, and not just because of the ice cream (although it's pretty fab!). I don't know what the other reviewers were expecting from the tour -- something Wonka-inspired it sounds like. It wasn't that, but met my expectations and even learned a few things about the company and made me love their ethos even more!

    (5)

  • Jaclyn S.

    CHECK IN - you get a free tour. We got there and had to wait 30 mins to get on the next tour available since it was so packed on a Saturday in cold April. Definitely a place you can stop by at, but not a place I would go to spend a portion of a day. There are some cool highlights of the tour like the tasting room (you get 1 sample of a new flavor they're working on) and the top 10 flavors. The flavor graveyard is cute. They mentioned typically they only make ice cream in the factory Mon-Fri, but since they had a shortage of the new "core" ice creams they were making some. Our tour guide accommodated my allergy in the tasting room and gave me a different flavor. It's actually a small plant, there was a HUGE line for the ice cream bar outside of the plant.. People would order giant buckets of ice cream with their families. Cute souvenirs. Once was enough for me.

    (4)

  • Karl L.

    The tour was generic, but still interesting enough (barely) to be worth it to stop in if you are in the area. Thankfully with the Yelp offer with checking in the admission was free. Essentially, you climb upstairs and watch one room of work while listening to a brief narrative on what's happening, then go downstairs for a free sample (which was delish). I was mildly perturbed that pints were the same cost there as they are at our local Publix in Florida.

    (3)

  • Andrew R.

    Don't waste your money going on the tour. It isn't anything you likely don't already know and it's probably going to be overcrowded, so you'll have to wait around a while. For the $4, go to the scoop shop out front and get some ice cream instead. Seriously, Ben and Jerry's is making a killing on the tours alone.

    (3)

  • Joey P.

    The tour of Ben & Jerry's was short and sweet and nothing more. First things first, if you have kids, you'll feel right at home. If you are like me and you do not, you perhaps will find yourself bemused. The tour proceeded by herding a group up a narrow staircase and into some kind of a room where a short video on the company's history was shown. We were then led into another room where we got a small glimpse into real-time ice cream production. It lost my interest frankly. We were talked at for some brief period of time while also trying to direct our attention to various tv screens and corresponding numbered areas on the production floor. The next part was definitely the best part of the otherwise underwhelming experience - a free sample of freshly made ice cream. I was admittedly greedy and took a second serving when offered, but this was the least they could have done for my $4. Outside of the tour there is (but of course) a gift shop and a walk-up window to buy an overpriced cone or sundae. The flavor graveyard in the back is semi-interesting, but it's really just what it sounds like. Unless you're some huge B&J's fan I'd skip.

    (2)

  • Hwal L.

    Awesome, fun experience, and we liked: - Friendly staff - Free sample cup at the end of the tour - Well organised tour which had just enough history and PR yet also humourous - Great gift shop where if you look hard enough, can spot some great finds. I was surprised with the range! - Even more fun on a cold winter day, as pictured. Recommended.

    (5)

  • Derek B.

    Pretty cool, pretty cool. Came here with my wife and daughter as part of our visit to Vermont and really enjoyed it. The tour was great even though they weren't making ice cream the day we came :( Free ice cream at the end of the tour is great, different flavors each day, my favorite Americone Dream on our tour. Lot of stuff to look at around the factory and outside. Check in on Yelp to get a free tour.

    (4)

  • Schel H.

    Honestly this isnt that big of a tour... but it is fun for the lil ones... my daughters favorite part was the flavor graveyard. So be warned there are sometimes Ice Cream ghosts as some flavors return from the graveyard! While we were just here they had returned a flavor from the graveyard to sell again too. The tour gives you a short informative video about the company's history, volunteerism, and ice cream making process. You then get to view the two production lines in the building that are side by side where they are making pints. After this portion, you are brought down to Ben & Jerry's original test kitchen (for this facility) for a sample scoop. Pro Tip: Free entry for an adult with yelp check in! The original sample scoop sign was for broccoli cheese. Yes this was an actual flavor once, on an April fools day tour... no foolen! They said it tasted terrible. I think I would have to agree without even having seen or tasting it. Our flavor was raspberry chocolate chip with raspberry bursts inside the chocolate chips. Neither my daughter nor I was that into this flavor. Pro Tip #2: This place is literally in the middle of NOWHERE! But it was fun for my daughter and made her happy, so even if it was on the edge of being in Canada eh, it was worth going. We also got a fresh scoop apiece to grub while we were in the car on the way back to civilization. They had a swag store there as well with lots of typical tourist objects that most people grabbed one or three of. I laughed at a half sheet ice cream cake that they had for sale in the 85+ degree heat and wondered how anyone would buy it when it would be fully melted by the time they made it anywhere. I am sure I wont be back though. It is just too far off the beaten path. But it is definitely something that you should do once, if you have a little one or are some kind of Ben & Jerry fanatics. Otherwise, yeah I would skip it.

    (4)

  • Ann S.

    We went at an off peak time because during peak?...oh wow. Crowded house! We're not big B&J fans so it was more for the novelty and the flavor graveyard. We got core sundaes which were good but the caramel in the middle was sauce and not the same as that awesome harder core you get in their pints. Worth a trip if you're in the area and it's not overflowing with people. Otherwise, grab a pint from Shaw's.

    (3)

  • S M.

    The girl doing the tour was energetic and fun. We went on the one day that they were not making ice cream. But everything was great and delicious.

    (5)

  • Nick S.

    No need to mince words here. A visit to the Ben & Jerry's factory is the best. The tour costs $4 and takes about 40 minutes. You get a free sample at the end. It's awesome. The shop is full of fun Ben & Jerry's merch. The scoop shop has a ton of flavors not available anywhere else. Look for "scoop shop only" and "test batch" next to the flavors on the menu. Those are the ones to get! I had one test batch - Spumoni - and a new flavor I'd never heard of - Late Night Snack. Both were of course delicious. Spumoni was cherry ice cream with cherries, pistachios and chocolate swirls. Late Night Snack had vanilla bean with a salty caramel swirl and fudge-covered potato chip clusters. The graveyard on the grounds is equal parts hilarious and sad. Hilarious for the obvious reasons, and sad because you want to try some of those flavors! The parking lot is also the easiest "license plate game" you'll ever play.

    (5)

  • Angie L.

    I NEVER KNEW THIS PLACE EXISTED! So I admit, I have always been a Blue Bell fan. So I literally randomly drove right past this place when I was working in Vermont and since I had some time to kill, I decided to check it out. I first searched for it on yelp and found that I get a free tour ticket when checked in on yelp. The other lucky item was that I came on a Wed when the factory is making ice cream. I arrived around 1:40pm and the next tour was 2:30pm. Not bad, there's plenty to do. I walked around the flavor graveyard, teased the cows in the pasture, and walked around the shop. Finally I got in line to get some ice cream! The line may look long but it moves pretty quickly. I decided to go with my generic favorite of chocolate mint. I am so use to chocolate mint being green, but Ben & Jerrys is white. However, it was the BEST chocolate mint I have ever had. It was so chunky! Here's the kicker though. So Im this super excited kid with my ice cream cone (about $4.50) and I sit down. After a few licks, my tongue pushes the ice cream off the cone and right onto the ground. I think I wanted to cry! So sadly, I went to grab some napkins and picked up my ice cream to toss into the trash can. Then I went into line to start the tour. The tour was super fun and is only about 30 minutes. During the tour, I chatted with the tour guide while walking and she found out what happened with my ice cream. There was a 7 minute movie clip we had to watch. When we were done, she came to me on the side and gave me a coupon for a replacement cone. I was so happy! I decided to try another flavor. Liz lemon greek yogurt. It was so good. I am now a faithful fan of Ben & Jerrys. I love their mission to use fair trade goods, their community service, and best of all, their ice cream is delicious! Me and the boyfriend are now on a quest to try a pint of a different flavor every week. I will gladly workout extra to have some B&J!

    (5)

  • Marissa M.

    The tour guide was informative and full of corny jokes (my favorite)! They offer a free sample at the end that the company is trying out. If you go during the week, apparently you get to see the factory as it runs. The tour didn't cost very much, and I thought it was worth the cost. Great place! Very kid friendly.

    (4)

  • Mark G.

    There was one part of the tour where they talked about a whole batch of ice cream being ruined...... I found it very upsetting.

    (4)

  • Jaimee A.

    This was a fun if a bit cheesy tour. All the "moo" references got old pretty quick. It wasn't very kid friendly or we were with a tough group of people who wouldn't make room for a kid to see. It was interesting if not a bit sterile. The Ben & Jerry's story was a bit watered down. Downplaying how they "sold out." - Sorry guys, selling to Unilever is selling out, no matter how you slice it. The free ice cream at the end was yummy. Unfortunately there wasn't any other flavor option other than strawberry cheesecake - not a flavor that a young child would want. We ended up buying my girls ice cream in their store outside. Facility was very clean as was the bathroom - although the blue water in the toilet was a little scary, don't care how eco -friendly it is.

    (3)

  • Andy G.

    When you check in with Yelp you get a free tour. Lasts 30 minutes and a small portion of ice cream at the end. Certainly worth a stop if you are in the area - combine with a visit to Montpelier and the delightful Vermont state capital. Had a great time.

    (5)

  • Catie C.

    Factory Tour makes a great pit stop. I managed to get free admission by checking in! How cool is that!? To start off the tour, there is a 5 minute video explaining how Ben & Jerry's came about and its mission statement. I actually never knew prior to the tour that this company is a "good hearted' company. They use local farms that are free of hormones. The tour guide then guided us thru the plant explaining how ice cream was made. It surely made me drool for ice cream as I looked at the machines and listened to him. So finally, a treat! A taste of ice cream sample! I had a tasting of the strawberry ice cream with white chocolate bits. I must say, next time I'm at the dessert aisle, I'm going to look for that flavor!

    (5)

  • Mike Y.

    Short tour. Ice-cream at the end. Tour costs $$$. :( Nice gift shop.

    (3)

  • Mike S.

    I love Ben and Jerry's! Have been here multiple times throughout my life and am always happy when I come here. I remember sampling new flavors and enjoying. I miss the days of buying rejects :( that was one of the best parts and the reason I don't give the review 5 stars now )

    (4)

  • Chris O.

    Fun and great value. Tours are only $4 and free for kids 12 and under. Parking is free. The tour is a lot fun (nice size sample at the end of the tour) and, there's stuff to do outside too. My kids did some spin art. We visited the Flavor Cemetery. Doesn't take all day, and well worth the stop! You can get flavors here exclusive to Vermont.

    (5)

  • Mark G.

    Great stop to break the drive to Boston, especially with a 2-year old. Playground, hot dogs to have a bite to eat, and then the tour (too bad I didn't check Yelp before going - I didn't know it was free with a check-in! But at $4, it's quite reasonable anyway.) Be prepared though, that you will have to wait for your tour. We bought a ticket at 2pm for a 2:40pm tour. Really, though, who can complain about a visit to an ice cream factory?? :)

    (4)

  • B D.

    While I'm a long time Ben & Jerry's fan (and who isn't?) of both their products and ethos, I was disappointed with this tour. We made this a pit stop and the highlight of a drive from Massachusetts to Montreal. On a Wednesday afternoon, we waited 30+ minutes for our tour to begin. As noted in other reviews, admission is $4 a person. The 'gift' shop is at the start of the tour--tons of B&J merchandise. The clothing is made in Central America--doubtfully from a reputable non-sweatshop source. The tour consisted of a 10 minute video which was mostly a shill for the company, a catwalk "tour" over a representative factory floor, and then a 1-2 oz. scoop of the 'flavor of the day' at the end. No choice on the flavor--you get what you get. And that's it. Having been to other food factory tours, this one didn't compare well. I will say that you can go to their ice cream shop and get a scoop or two of nearly any flavor at regular prices at the end. In the future, I would skip the tour and put the $4 toward the scoop purchase.

    (2)

  • Katelyn K.

    There is nothing to not love about the Ben & Jerry's Waterbury Plant and tour! We checked in with Yelp when we arrived and got a free tour ticket (SCORE). Unfortunately, it was the weekend so they weren't actually making any ice cream, but our tour guide was really friendly and provided a lot of great information. The best part of the tour of course is the tasting room where you can try either old favorites or flavors being worked on. Other than the tour, the grounds are great. The special scoop shop at the plant usually has a limited batch of a flavor that is "flavor graveyard" (where retired flavors are memorialized). Great for kids both young and old!

    (5)

  • R V.

    We did the show shoeing with factory tour and had so much fun! The guide was really cool and was really helpful, especially for first time snow shoe-ers. The tour was very informative and gave a good glimpse as to what Ben and Jerry's represents. The sample was amazing as always. It was this caramel ice cream with fudge brownie pieces. Too bad they don't make any of the sample flavors into pints.

    (4)

  • Ben S.

    Tasty as all get-out A full diversion/experience A little too full an experience? Note: This is in no way a review of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, which is more or less above review. It's fair to say this facility is "fully realized" - short of adding an ice cream cone roller coaster, I'm not sure how else they could bolster the set-up. $2 tours (or free with Yelp check-in, natch) are de rigeur. Hokey, dry-humored tour guide walk-throughs make perfect sense, and the sample at the end (joke Broccoli Cheddar offering, switched out for a tasty treat like Strawberry Cheesecake) is your just reward for the show-and-tell period. Roaming the grounds a bit to see the replica Cowmobile, the Flavor Graveyard, the huge milk & cream tanks, and a couple of scenic views are all pretty swell. A bonus playground for kids to burn off some of their sugar high and general steam is a nice touch, especially within a beautiful setting. The shop has just about any kind of souvenir take-along you'd want to gift to yourself or others who couldn't make it to Waterbury with you. Visiting the full-service storefront for a more robust treat once you're done with all of the above and you're ready to sink into a nearby Adirondack chair - good payoff for your trek to this part of Vermont. I feel Scrooge-like saying it, but all of that feels a bit like "too much." Part of Ben & Jerry's appeal has been their purity, tastiness, activism, and plain-folks company attitude. I think I counted four cows grazing nearby, which seemed more like weak window dressing than a uniquely rural Vermont experience...and that was sort of a let-down. I can consume like an American anywhere I go, so after driving through the bucolic hills and verdant forests on the way to Waterbury, I felt a little disappointed that the atmosphere was quite as manufactured and tourist-ready as it was. But hey, this is 2013, Unilever is involved, and Ben & Jerry's has to compete with other attractions, I guess. No problem - just a bit more than I'd hoped for.

    (3)

  • Amanda W.

    So delicious of course!! It's a must see and it's cheap for tours! $4 for adults and $3 for children. Kids under 12 are free. It's 30 degrees outside and I still love eating Ben&Jerrys

    (5)

  • Brian L.

    Somewhat disappointed by this tour. Can't complain that much because it was free, but I'd say it was close to not being worth the 1-hour drive each way. Brags (+): As mentioned, free with a Yelp check-in! Another plus was the flavor graveyard, a tribute to the retired flavors with accompanying cute poems. Beats (-): Super crowded tour, lasted about 15 minutes plus a 7-minute movie. The factory was not in actual operation either, so it was mostly looking at machinery. Perhaps worst of all, our reward at the end was only one sample of a non-special (sorry, Mint Chocolate Chunk) flavor. Variance (~): You can put your face in a cutout of a giant ice cream cover. Whoo!

    (3)

  • Felicity B.

    We love Ben and Jerry's! My family checked in on yelp and got our tour for free. The tour was awesome! We saw the history of the place, the actual place where they make the ice cream, and got to sample the cotton candy flavor. The gift shop was neat! I got a cute peace love and ice cream shirt. Totally a must do if you're in VT! It's an awesome place.

    (5)

  • Somany Q.

    Nice place to visit.

    (4)

  • Nina C.

    We had so much fun here. We stopped in to take the tour and just the outside we were taking pictures and having s blast. Then we took the tour, our tour guide was very informative we watched a short video and then about the history of Ben & Jerry. We then went and looked at the production lines. My only complaint about this was they wouldn't let us take pictures. I love to take pictures so it was very hard for me to not take pictures. The production line wasn't running because we stopped in on a Sunday and they only make ice cream Monday through Friday. We knew this going in though. Then it was the tasting, that's always fun. We then got some some souvenirs from the gift shop and got some ice cream cones from the scoop shop. The last stop on our adventure to Ben & Jerry's was the flavor graveyard. A must see!!! It's a graveyard of no longer made flavored there are headstones with very entertaining commentary about the flavor and its demise. I highly recommend this tour even with out children!!!

    (5)

  • Sean K.

    First remeber to check in on yelp when you first get here cause you could get a free ticket for the tour which is pretty awsome. The place is going under some renovations outside so it was a bit of a mess to get into the building but its an understandable misfortune of walking when it could lead to a bigger and grander entrance in the future. Its a bit crampt and confusing as to were to go for the tours at first but then again it saturday and there are a lot of people here. The tour is about 30min long with a quick video at first then a look at the production room ( take tour Monday through Friday to actually see the production line in action otherwise saturday and sunday you get another video as the tour guide speaks.) Which is cool and then you go to the sample room where they hace one free sample for you to taste in a pretty decent portion. Tour was four dollars so well worth it. There is a gift shop and a place to just get some ice cream which is always great. There is a playground for kids and seating areas outside plus there is the flavor graveyard which is fun to check out which flavors arnt around anymore and how long they lasted. Deffiently worth a vist on any trip here.

    (4)

  • Bill S.

    We'd be astonished if anything we wrote about Ben and Jerry's would influence anyone. The fact is this is a must-see for a lot of people visiting Vermont, and deservedly so. Don't know what took us so long. Briefly, there a small fee ($4) for a 25-30 minute tour -- the entertainment quality of the guides vary -- which is somewhat interesting, especially if you didn't already know about the company's social and environmental commitments. You do get to see ice cream being made (if you visit during weekdays) and best of all to sample some at tour's end. We tasted "At the Chocobanana" in a small cup, which qualified as a larger sampling than we anticipated. There's a fun-stocked gift shop, and outside a flavor graveyard where you can study the blends no longer produced. And of course you can also buy your favorite flavor in a cone or cup. Overall, it's a pleasant experience, and when you finish you can tell everyone you've done it. Which is sort of the reason anyway.

    (3)

  • Richard D.

    We drove how far to come see this factory? What? The factory is now owned by "the man (Unilever)"? The thing that saves this place from getting a 1 star review is the fact that the tour is free with a yelp or foursquare checkin. But good luck getting phone service anywhere in Vermont. The tour was a bit disappointing since we were there on the weekend and nothing was running. We just got shuffled from room to room to watch 2 movies. But honestly, I didn't care. We all know the gist of how ice cream is made. I usually go to beer factories to get beer samples and just to say I've been there, not to open up my own beer factory. In this case, we got a small scoop of ice cream of an experimental flavor. I would not recommend anyone to make the trip just to see this factory unless you were a hardcore fan. They do have some nice displays and picture taking opportunities as well. You can also buy ice cream to eat there, and I think I saw some flavors I normally don't see at the super market.

    (4)

  • Stephanie Q.

    All ice cream lovers, gather here at the Ben & Jerry's factory to go on the ultimate ice cream tour of a lifetime! Its $4 for admission which is not too bad. Tours leave every 10 min. You start off watching a video about the history of Ben & Jerrys. They have funny names for different rooms in the factory, I remember that the elevator was called the Vanillavator. After watching the video, you go into a room where you can see the machines used to make the ice cream. Once again, there is a video to explain everything. Finally, you get to taste the ice cream. This is the best part of the tour, of course. We got to try a special flavor that consisted of chocolate ice cream and candy in it. Finally, you can go buy more ice cream if you haven't had enough. Of course I bought more ice cream. They had some special unique flavors that day, it was some sort of butterscotch ice cream. I opted for peanut butter ice cream with candy in it. One scoop was not cheap, about $5, I could have bought an entire tub for the same price. Also I learned that one cool perk of being an employee is that you get to take home 3 pints of ice cream each day. I would be obese if I worked there! There is also a souvenir store where you can get Ben and Jerry cups, water bottles, coffee mugs etc. I got myself a gym water bottle, how ironic.

    (3)

  • L G.

    Would I go a far distance out of my way to visit? No..it has no place on anyones bucket list. But, I have to say it is a nice little tour of a small scale operation. The tour begins with some cheesy jokes, you go in to a small theater and watch a 6 minute film on the history of the company, listen to more corny jokes, then you go into a room that overlooks the factory where more jokes and puns are made, then onto the tasting room where you get a sample. We had "milk and cookies" and it was great! The gift shop has everything you would expect from a gift shop. If your expectations are not to be blown away, then this tour is worth 4 stars at the most.

    (4)

  • Merrill H.

    I've been here twice and learned something new on each trip. I imagine if you lived nearby you'd be tired of all the tourists. :) Anyways, the tour is shorter than you might expect, but it is still informative. This plant is the smallest, so don't expect to see a ton of ice cream being produced on the factory floor. I think a lot of people are disappointed by that fact. You do get a free sample at the end, or you can order up as many flavors as you want at the ice cream store next to the gift shop. My fav part is the flavor graveyard, where they honor recipes flavors that hit their expiration date.

    (5)

  • David T.

    $4.00....five minute movie, five minutes looking at the factory from above, five minutes trying a sample that is already predetermined, and that is it! I love their ice cream, but the so-called "tour" was very disappointing. Also, we decided to extend our trip to Vermont by a day so that we could see the factor working on a Monday. But we got there and "they hadn't started yet", which would have been nice to know since that is the only reason we decided to go on Monday instead of during the weekend. However, the place was spotless.

    (2)

  • Sarah P.

    From the time I was a wee lass, I always wanted to visit the Ben & Jerry's Factory in Vermont. Fast forward twenty-five years and my dream came true! When my husband and I found ourselves road tripping from Quebec City to Boston, I convinced him that a stop in Waterbury was just what we needed to break up the drive. We rolled in around 1:45pm, walked right up to get our 2pm tour tickets (which are free if you check-in on Yelp), wandered around the gift shop area, took cheesy photos by their painted airstream, and then tromped through the tour. The tour was about 20 minutes, including a pun-heavy video, a few minutes where we learned about the ice cream making process and watched the machinery in action as they cranked out pint after pint of coffee ice cream, and then a stop in the tasting room where we sampled generous portions of Cinnamon Yum Yum, a delish test flavor. We were back in our car by 2:30pm. We learned a few nuggets of Ben & Jerry's trivia, but weren't exactly blown away by the experience. That being said, the fourth grade field trippers who were on our tour seemed super-excited, so it might be a bigger hit with the kid set. I'd say that it was worth doing if you happen to be in the area or have little ones to entertain, but I wouldn't go out of my way to seek it out.

    (3)

  • Tai F.

    Ice cream and I go way back. We're basically life partners. So I knew that if I was going to be driving through Vermont I ought to go to the hub of my ice cream love. The tour was $4. I wish I had known you can get in free with the Yelp check in. That's my bad. But, I would pay it again, it was fun. I liked the opening video. Ladysmith Black Mambazo was in it from their visit to Jimmy Fallon's show. That made me happy because I really like them. I found the tour itself to be very informative and I liked all the silly jokes. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and more than capable of answering all my questions. I definitely got my $4 worth. At the end you get to try a scoop of a test flavor. It was cool that the sample was a whole scoop, but I wish we could have tried smaller samplings of a variety of flavors. Like a mini ice cream flight. Once in the shop I had a hard time deciding which souvenir I wanted but ultimately settled on the Ben and Jerry's recipe book. I do love to make my own! Before getting back on the raod I walked around the flavor graveyard. It was a cute way to pay respect to some lost flavors. I can dig that.

    (4)

  • Jacelyn C.

    Love Ben and Jerry's. Went here for the tour. Nice to see where they make all the flavors (flavor lab) and see where they manufacture and turn milk into ice cream. Such a cool fun place! They give you a sample scoop at the end of the tour. Don't forget to check the graveyard where they had interred the previous flavors they had tried to market.

    (4)

  • Ari H.

    Echoing everyone else, the tour is short but informative; and you get a free sample of ice cream at the end. There's also a gift store to buy t-shirts, balls, and other trinkets. There's also a cafe that serves you name the kind of B&J ice cream. P.S. Get two tour tickets for the price of one when you checkin on Yelp or Foursquare with your phone!

    (5)

  • Debbie D.

    Free ice cream at the end of the tour?! HELL YEA!

    (5)

  • Plain White T.

    This is a tourist attraction with a half-hour factory tour that everyone should do at least once for the experience. During the tour they give out generously-sized ice cream samples at the end, and the tour itself costs only a few dollars. The day I went there was no ice cream production unfortunately, so definitely check what the production hours are if you are interested in seeing machines and people at work. If the tour is not your thing, there is a gift shop with B&J souvenirs as well as some general Vermont souvenirs. There is also an ice cream stand outside, but I chose not to wait on the mile-long line. There is plenty of outdoor and indoor seating. Overall a nice experience and something to do while visiting the area.

    (3)

  • Thomas S.

    An inexpensive but informative and tasty way to spend a couple of hours in this part of Vermont. Definitely visit the graveyard of flavors RIP. $4 for adult, $3 for senior over 60, and free for kid under 12.

    (5)

  • Christy T.

    If you are in Stowe (even if you are skiing), this is fun to go to and see how it's made. Granted the tours have gotten shorter over the years, but it is an operational factory that is producing food. Great for kids, because they aren't going to want a three hour tour anyway!!! If you are into vintage ice cream scoops, the collection will top any at home (yes, as I'm from Wisconsin, I do have a vintage scoop collection!) Sad to see the graveyard grow and know that I can never replicate the sweet, creamy, light but not fluffy, flavors that have moved on to make room for new flavors. If you are going out of your way, Stowe has so much to see and do. It is like Santa's Village in the winter and perhaps after a visit with the Trapp's (the Von Trapp's) you can go hiking and twirl in the mountains! (Winter is definitely celeb season though.)

    (5)

  • Olga T.

    Ehh nothing special. The tour is fun for the kids & the free samples are delicious. Make sure you check in on yelp in order to get the FREE tour. I was disappointed that the ice cream parlor only served a very limited amount of flavors. No fro yo or anything remotely healthy. Guess everybody comes here to be glutenous.

    (3)

  • Lili K.

    It's Ben n Jerry's-you have to come here!! I got some delicious ice cream before the tour (it was a 20 minute wait, so why not?). This place was packed and probably usually is. The yelp check-in gave us each a free tour, so we saved $4 each, yay!! The tour is just ok-you watch two videos, see where they work, and get about a half scoop of ice cream they are about to launch to the public (we had a chai type of flavor). Afterwards, you can check out their ice cream graveyard where they post flavors that didn't work out. Pretty creative there!

    (4)

  • La H.

    And the cheese keeps coming - oh wait, it's ice cream with a side of cheesy commentary. This stop was on the Bucket list and precursor to some time in Burlington. Daniel has been here four times. He loves it. It's a $4 tour to watch a dinky movie and eat a "new" flavor that will never exist because it's a test flavor. Our flavor was just vanilla with raspberry swirl and some hard ass frozen raspberries - lame sauce. If you check in on yelp, you get a free ticket, so the two of us went for $4. Tour is short and the tour guide is a cheese ball - I mean cheesier than both Daniel and gouda combined. I could live without this tour. The shop is nice and not as pricey as I thought it would be. The scoop shop is typical, but again pricier than a pint in a regular store. We saw a family of four get two pints (for chapter than store costs at the store, not the scoop shop) and split them - I'm thinking that's the way to go. Daniel and I took a romantic walk through the muddy terrain behind the factory to visit the ice cream graveyard - saying goodbye to those flavors they killed or retired or whatever. This is actually cute. However, they don't have all the dearly departed flavors. Backstory: Daniel and I used to eat From Russia with Buzz all the time in College. We wanted to pay our respects, but alas, it was not there. Sadness. Still something to see during your lifetime. A little history and ice cream never hurt.

    (3)

  • Christine A.

    As we wound our way towards beautiful fall foliage, it was imperative to have a snack. Ben and Jerry's signs popped up as we entered Waterbury and the trusty Yelp app guided us to the plant. My friend and I hopped out, skipped the tour, and quickly purchased servings of the Maple Walnut for ourselves and our men. Whoa-oh! What a perfect flavor for Vermont. We sailed into New Hampshire on a major sugar high.

    (4)

  • Wesley B.

    Great Ice Cream. Quick and friendly tour. The factory tour is really short, but the factory is really not that large. Very informative.

    (5)

  • Anna E.

    A nice time was had here by my guy and I. We went on the informative factory tour that included a video of a brief history of the company, a viewing of the production areas, and a small sample at the end. It was Triple Caramel Chunk when were were there! Yum. So good it inspired me to go out and get a pint from the grocery store when I got home. I enjoyed the trip to the Flavor Graveyard and revisiting old flavors that I've tried in the past (I miss you, Aloha Macadamia and Bovinity Divinity. Hope all is well up in ice cream heaven.) as well as learning about flavors I never tried but would have wanted to (Makin' Whoopie Pie). Also, the gift shop has some cool little finds for friends back home like pure maple syrup in a maple leaf jar. I also got myself a Ben & Jerry's magnet and a bookmark designed by a local kid. Good times, good times!

    (4)

  • Chuck K.

    The tour was a bit less than I expected, even though I went during the middle of the week the factory it self was no running. The really should let you know that before you pay for a ticket. But it was still interesting but by far the most fun is the "flavor graveyard" of retired Ben & Jerry ice cream flavors, it is not on the guided factory tour but it is easy to find, plenty of signs and it is past the playground.

    (4)

  • James F.

    I'm glad i visited and took the tour, but it was nowhere near the highlight of a day filled with the finest tours that Vermont has to offer. Yes, the video is hokey, but i actually found it entertaining and informative (i couldn't tell you the first thing about Ben and Jerry's before this tour). Maybe i missed some of the puns, but i found the tour guide to be fairly palatable compared to what i was expecting based on some of the other reviews. They were not making ice cream when we were there, but they do a good job filling in the blanks around the process. The tasting was great, and they let folks grab a second serving as there were many extras after everyone got one. Don't forget to check in on Yelp for a free admission!

    (3)

  • Rob W.

    Very fun tour except that we went on a Friday and were expecting them to be making icecream and they said they made their quota so they decided not to produce that day. I already paid for the tour but if you check in you get a free tour.

    (4)

  • Bernice U.

    No shortage of choices here. They even offer you a calorie intake list according to size of ice cream you get. 2 long list of choices. You can get a waffle, cup, sorbet, sundae, smoothie and shakes.

    (5)

  • Chris L.

    I'm biased because I'm obsessed with their ice-cream (i.e. I eat an entire pint in one sitting...more than once a week...), but this place is like heaven on Earth. First off - make sure you check in; you'll get a free tour of the factory! It's really a cool insight into the plant and the origins of the brand. There is a free sample at the end of the tour, and if you're lucky, they'll have extras. Just don't be shy about taking a second one, otherwise you'll miss out! Following the tour, you can visit the gift shop or scoop shop. Both are packed with Ben & Jerry amazing-ness. I have to admit, too, that the souvenirs are fairly priced! If you have time, make sure you head to the Flavor Graveyard. It's a short hike up the hill behind the factory, but what lies there (in peace) are some hilarious headstones that mark past flavors that weren't so hot. Some of them sounded pretty good and I wish they would rise from the grave. Others, however, died at a young age for very obvious reason. Overall, this is a great place to to visit if you're passing through the area. Be sure to check it out and get in touch with your inner ice-cream lover!

    (5)

  • P W.

    This place is super interesting! We went early in the morning for the tour. Arrived at nine took a walk to see the flavor graveyard, which was really cute, and then joined the first tour of the day and it wasn't too packed. The tour was interesting and the tour guide was great! Learned some really interesting stuff. And then received a free sample at the end! And not just a tiny spoonful, enough of a sample to really get the taste of the flavor! Defiantly worth going to check out!

    (5)

  • Deb W.

    If you check in to yelp you get a free tour. I am glad it was free because the tour was nothing spectacular. I went in a Friday afternoon so the staff was in production. It was interesting to see the workers packaging ice cream. We got a free sample of ice cream at the end of the tour. The factory was nicely set up with lots of information about the company and how it started. They have a gift shop and an ice cream shop. I visited here on the first day of spring and I guess it isn't a busy time to visit Vermont. So, I didn't have to wait in line to buy ice cream! I didn't have a chance to visit the ice cream grave yard though because there was still snow on the ground and some paths were un-shoveled. Didn't want to trek through un-shoveled paths to get there. Overall, I would recommend visiting here but definitely check in to yelp to save 4 dollars to spend on ice cream!

    (4)

  • Howard R.

    I was extremely disappointed in this tour. It was very short and there really isn't much to see in their relatively small production room which you get a so-so view of from a few windows of an overhead walk. The rest of the tour is a video on the history of B&J and then down to a room where they give you a small cup of ice cream of their choice. It really just seemed like a cash cow for B&J. Granted the fee is only $4 but There is a large (and overpriced) gift shop as well as an ice cream parlor, of course. Imagine that you drive for a couple of hours (because the factory seems to be the only reason to be around there) with kids in tow and then ending up with just a cup of ice cream. The kids will be yelling for more ice cream as well as trinkets from the gift shop and the next thing you know you've spent a small fortune. Shame on B&J who take great pains to portray themselves as a company for the common person rather than the big business that it is.

    (1)

  • T'sters M.

    I was so excited to visit the Ben & Jerry's plant. The experience itself was pretty anti-climactic. The tour was brief, which was OK considering it wasn't that interesting. The ice cream tasting was disappointing. We only got to sample one flavor, and it was one that is newly developed and being "tested" with visitors. I wasn't that wild about the flavor and would have loved to sample a few other flavors. Alas, you can buy a scoop or cup (or more) at the stand outside, but the $4 you pay to go on the tour should get you at least a couple scoops of ice cream. As other reviewers have noted, this is a nice stop if you're in the area, but don't make it a destination.

    (3)

  • Alicia G.

    Great tour! Love their mission and their ice cream!

    (5)

  • Maria B.

    A fun stop! The tour isn't very long, but it is informative and ya can't beat a free sample of ice cream at the end. Unfortunately, the flavor graveyard was closed for renovations when I was there, but one cannot complain too much when one gets a free tour ticket for checking in via Yelp. (Just beforewarned that cell coverage is spotty in that area, so pulling up the app might take a while.) Easy to get to, right off the main drag and not far from the freeway. I recommend it for families especially.

    (4)

  • Sox G.

    It was fun to tour the plant. I enjoyed seeing how B & J started their business and I loved getting the sample (ours was Late Night Snack, which I highly recommend). I also liked seeing the graveyard up the hill. Too bad those flavors didn't make it, but some of them seemed really gross, to be honest..... It's cheap to see the tour, and at $3 you might as well. On a side note, they don't make ice cream on the weekends, so you can't watch the workers in action.

    (4)

  • Mom E.

    The grounds of the Ben & Jerry's facility are lovely. The flavor graveyard was fun to check out and the kids loved the playground. Near the playground there is ample covered picnic tables for a picnic lunch before an ice cream and/or tour. There were fun (but expensive) activities set up around the facility (tie dyeing shirts, spin art, etc.) and a full B&J ice cream shop with expected high ice cream prices. Knowing that at the end of the tour we would be given a small taste of a predetermined flavor we decided to buy scoops while waiting for our tour to begin. $18+ later we had 4 "small" scoops - delicious as expected with Ben & Jerry's but for that price we could have each bought our own pint at the grocery store. The tour was so so. I think we are spoiled by multiple visits to the Jelly Belly Factory in California.That tour is terrific. This tour was short, cost $3 per adult and wasn't too informative. There are lots of historical bits of information around the facility but you see those for free. The gift shop was busy, crowded and mostly over priced. $18-20+ for a kids' t-shirt? Nope. Not interested. Overall it was fun - the kids enjoyed it (especially because they got 2 kinds of ice cream) but the adults are pretty sure it isn't worth the drive again.

    (3)

  • Kim K.

    I'm glad we were in the Waterbury area because I don't think a specific trip to the B&J Factory would have been worth it. Don't get me wrong, the tour is really cool and informative but it left something to be desired. Everything is pretty canned/scripted, they don't let you take pictures on the tour, and they only give one sample per person. I wanted more information on Ben & Jerry today and it seemed pretty hush hush, kind of random. $3 per person for admission seemed a little steep to me. The tour guide was great - knowledgeable and funny. Make sure to check out the Flavor Graveyard, it's pretty awesome.

    (3)

  • Sid A.

    GREAT BIG HASSLE This is a magnet for every fatty in the NE. Go directly to the gift shop and get a t-shirt and tell your friends you took the tour. 45min wait for next tour at 2:30PM. Not! Tour is 30min of which 10-15 min is a video. When getting ice cream they got my kid's flavor wrong after a 15-20min wait in line. Don't stop, just go to your local B&J. You're get better service and same product. Watch Discovery Channel for a tour of an ice cream plant.

    (2)

  • Esther B.

    We love factory tours, and this one did not disappoint. I love the fact that we came here totally unrushed, and enjoyed the property. The tour was fun, easy going and informative. The graveyard of discontinued flavors was very cute. There were people there mourning a few flavors that have passed on into ice cream heaven. There's a really nice playground. Also a great place for a picnic if you care to bring some munchies along. The property and grounds are well maintained and clean.

    (5)

  • Rob K.

    Ice cream lovers unite! The Waterbury Plant is a must stop on your Vermont food pilgrimage. Take a half hour tour for $4 and sample a flavor at the end. Hopefully you are more lucky than me and don't get the most boring B&J flavor they make, Mint Chocolate Chunk. If you think this will be a magical factory tour where you get to sample as you please and tourists mysteriously disappear, you're wrong, but it's still pretty sweet. The sample will be just a taste, but it allows you to save plenty of room for a stop at the scoop shop. I'll never forget the first time I had Schweddy Balls in my mouth. Who knew I would fall in love with the mixture of rum balls, malt balls, and vanilla? I'm not sure if you can find it at the scoop shop anymore; if you're lucky, you may be able to find it tucked away in the freezer of a random bodega. The gift shop has pints, key chains, post cards, ice cream cook books, mugs, etc. The best souvenir of all will be poking your head in the ice cream top and snapping a picture, or crying in the flavor graveyard. I MISS YOU RAINFOREST CRUNCH. I wonder if anyone ever puts flowers down next to the flavor graves. That will probably give the landscapers a good laugh. No matter the age, you will be remiss if you pass by the B&J Waterbury Plant.

    (4)

  • Christina O.

    We only drove 6 hours to VT for the Ben & Jerry's Factory and it was worth it. The tour was fun & enjoyable. The sample of the day was cookies and milk, which I liked a lot. For $20 you get the tour and a T shirt, or just $4 for the tour. After the tour the have a store front where you can order any ice cream you like. We got the Vermonster as we have seen on the Travel Channel. Its 20 scoops of ice cream, brownies, cookies, whipped cream and almost anything else you would want on it! For only $37 for 4 people to share was well worth the fun & pictures! However, we could not finish the Vermonter.

    (4)

  • Emma L.

    A must pit-stop for anyone visiting Stowe/Waterbury/Burlington area of Vermont. If you check-in via foursquare you can save yourself $3 for the factory tour. The tour was cute but S and I didn't think it was worth the $6, thank you Foursquare!! The free sampling at the end of the tour is great! Everything is just a little bit better when it's free :)

    (4)

  • Bryan M.

    Free icecream, great staff need i say more

    (5)

  • Diana H.

    A fun day activity or pit stop when you are on the road. I actually drove an hour to get here and it was totally worth it. I love Ben and Jerry's and it was neat taking the little tour (Thanks yelp for giving me a free pass when I checked in!) the sample ice cream at the end was a whole scoop! The gift store is neat, bought some fun things and gifts for people. The flavor grave yard is worth checking out, who ever writes the clever two liners on the tomb stone, well done! You had me and my family laughing a lot. They actually had someone making pizza outside that was quite good, and got to do some spin art for free.

    (5)

  • Nichole F.

    My husband and I made a pit stop at the Waterbury plant during a road trip. The parking lot staff and long lines gave us a sense that we were at the amusement park of ice cream. The theme park vibe continued on the grounds, with little attractions and photo-op stations throughout. There were people everywhere, which made it a bit difficult to relax while we waited for the tour. The time spent waiting for the tour was longer than the tour itself. Also, as frequent free brewery-tour goers, we were surprised by the entrance fee. The tour guide was thoroughly informed and punny, though he seemed a little too rehearsed. But we found the tour--especially the corporate video detailing the commodity chain--to be helpful for understanding why Ben and Jerry's ice cream is so great. We value social responsibility in our consumer activity, and we left with a sense that Ben and Jerry's is trying to live out their various missions. We enjoyed the sample at the end, but it would have been nice to chose a flavor to try on our own. We bought an ice cream scoop as a souvenir and remember our little stop fondly whenever we use it. Overall, it was a fun stop on our road trip. We will definitely be back again, but probably not until we have kiddo's who can enjoy the atmosphere.

    (3)

  • Joseph C.

    Huge lines on fall weekends for both the plant tour and the ice cream stand. More of a tourist attraction than a true artisan factory visit. Buy your ice cream at any of the Ben and Jerry's shops in the area and avoid the crowd.

    (3)

  • Megan E.

    This is an adorable little tour for $3 dollars. I mean essentially you are paying for the free sample at the end because the tour is a 6 minute video, 6 more minutes of them describing how the ice cream is put into the cartons. It is interesting to learn about Ben and Jerry's values and their goals for the future of their company. I wouldn't go out of my way to take this tour, but if your already in the area its definitely worth it to stop by. Very much geared towards kids.

    (4)

  • Timothy W.

    A must visit while in Northern Vermont. We came here with our 3 yo daughter and our teenage niece. They both enjoyed the tour. I was a little miffed that they actually charge you to take a tour of the factory. Yeah, yeah it's only $3 but I would imagine that it adds up if your going with a big group. We ended up getting one free courtesy of a Facebook check-in deal that my niece got on her phone. I thought the area outside and around the plant was more entertaining than the tour itself. There is a nice little gift shop inside and an ice cream stand outside. We had just eaten lunch before coming here, so the sample that were received while we were on the tour hit the spot. The fresh made raspberry lemonade that we bought outside really hit the spot on a hot day. The Ice cream itself is superb. There's not much to see in the actual production of it. A bunch of pint cartons moving down a conveyor belt. The tour is more about the history and sustainability of the company and the surrounding environment.

    (3)

  • Monica L.

    The tour was not bad. $4 is not too expensive in the first place but since you get the tour free when you check in on yelp, why not? The tour guide we had was nice and the film we saw was pretty interesting. The ice cream they gave us as the end was absoluteelyyy delicious! Cute place.

    (4)

  • Kimberly E.

    Fun place to visit, but the tour is SUPER SHORT and if they aren't making ice cream during the time of your tour then you lose out on a major part of the experience. The staff are friendly and upbeat. The tour costs $4 per person or if you pay $20 you get the tour and a T-shirt.

    (3)

  • Maddy K.

    This place is more of an experience than anything. It is super cute and all decked out in the cow/dairy theme. Absolutely adorable. The tour was shorter than I thought it would be but the sample they gave was larger than expected. It was well worth the $4 for the tour because it was fun, but they made up for the low cost of the tour with expensive gift shop items such as $26 t-shirts. It's cute, I would recommend it mostly for people with younger children.

    (3)

  • Dan S.

    As factory tours go, this one is a bit disappointing. Basically, a movie, then a view of the plant floor (which is quiet on weekends!) and then a tasting sample (of an ice cream that is already in stores). At least give us a product that isn't out yet. That said, it's a fun trip. There's an ice cream stand on site with a playground and wood fired pizza too. So, visiting B&J is now off our bucket list of VT things to do. Next time I have a craving, I'll just pop into the market.

    (3)

  • annie h.

    If you're in the area, you should totally do it. I'm not even a big ice cream fan (blasphemous, I know), and I recommend it. Our guide was good - he made some corny jokes, but that was part of the experience. You could tell that he loved what he does. The was a sample at the end. It was actually the other things that I found cool - the picnic tables and snacking area outside the store/ factory, the park across the parking lot, the graveyard of retired flavors... it's a nice area.

    (4)

  • B D.

    I had hoped the tour would be a highlight of my recent trip to Vermont, but all it did was serve to prove the power of marketing. Contrary to their hippie-dippy free love fair trade image, this place is about generating cash for a not-so-local-anymore company owned by Unilever. A $4 ticket allows you to watch a short movie, overlook a room full of powered down equipment (they gladly accept your cash on weekends when there is no production), and a chance to blow more dough on useless trinkets and ice cream in the lobby. Do yourself a favor and pick any number of other free tours in the area.

    (1)

  • Trish C.

    The drive & the setting are a part of the entire package. You learn a bit about ice cream making but the more interesting part to me was all the outreach these two men do for the community. The company is also very "green". It made me want to buy their products!

    (4)

  • Shirley Y.

    How does Ben and Jerry's not deserve five stars? I don't understand. They make and serve ICE CREAM. The plant is so picturesque. How often are the words "picturesque" and "plant" (not referring to botany here) used in the same sentence? However, Ben and Jerry's is nestled in the rolling green hills of Vermont, which you get a good view of as you walk towards the back of the property to the hilarious cemetery with tombstones of retired flavors. I would love to meet the creative poet who wrote the epitaphs. Along the way are the tanks of ingredients, with the largest one housing sugar. Go figure. It's a great Kodak photo op though, as you stroll back towards the ice cream line to peruse the menu. While perusing, we noticed a flavor or two that have been resurrected from the cemetery beyond. Hmmm...but more importantly, what flavor are we going to get??? We have to try something that is exclusively sold here...

    (5)

  • Jimy S.

    Not very exciting. I would not complain as we got free entry with yelp sign-in. But the tour was very short and the tour guide did not knew much and could not answer most of the questions about the history or the company. Free Ice cream as others have said, but I expected much more.

    (2)

  • Stella H.

    OK, I love me my Ben & Jerry's ice cream, but seriously I do not know what I was thinking when I decided to stop and visit their "plant." A true tourist trap. This is a place that was built for suckers like me who foolishly thought this is where they produce their product. OK, so they do make ice cream here, but you get the sense that the making of ice cream is truly for show, not for distribution or consumpton (other than the small dixie cup you get for "free" after the tour (and after you have spent $4.00 for the tour, which only lasts (thankfully!) about 30 minutes. Seriously, if you are travelling in the Stowe area with children, I guess this is as good as any place to stop and to some extent, I guess the tour along with the schmaltzy decor would hold their interest. As a adult? Nope. Also, the over-the-top tour guide just oozed sweetness and goodness, which was phoney and contrived - even the kids made fun of her! And her "jokes" - corny doesn't even begin to descibe them. She just made our short time there more unbearable. Come on B&J's you can do better than this!

    (2)

  • Shawn Y.

    Very informative and cool to see how ice cream is made in the Ben and Jerrys factory. Next time you are in the middle of nowhere you should definitely take the tour and try some samples out.

    (5)

  • Amber Z.

    So much fun! Free tour, with ice cream sampling at the end. Crazy flavor graveyard, fun things to do with the family, wacky photo-ops. Worth the beautiful drive through the country to get here!

    (4)

  • Christine K.

    NOTE: If you check in here, you get a free tour! I wish I knew this before I paid for the tour. It was only $4, but still. The tour was cute, but it was very standardized. It was basically a series of videos. I would have liked more involvement and information from the tour guide to personalize the experience. The free ice cream at the end was a plus. We grabbed some ice cream after, but the seating was right at the entrance and it was cold outside. In the summer, I'm sure it's nice, but a better seating area would make the experience more enjoyable.

    (3)

  • Tricia D.

    3 Mr. Washington's will grant you access to a tour of the Ben & Jerry's factory, where you'll watch a 6 1/2 minute video on the history of the brand, get an aerial glimpse on to the production floor, and go to the flavor room where you can inhale a free sample (triple caramel chunk when I went). Everything in this place is painted in bright, rainbow colors with countless cows on trucks here and walls there. I was in awe at the amount of B&J's apparel and souvenirs in the gift shop. There was everything from t-shirts to gummies and candles to pint holders. What a magical place.

    (4)

  • Toni M.

    Tour is free when you check in on Yelp! Go during the week so you can see the factory in action. They do tours on weekends but you have to watch a video of the process instead. At the end of the tour they let you try a new "test" flavor that hasn't been released yet :) Worth the trip!

    (5)

  • Kel S.

    It was fun to see where "the magic happens" -- but sad to learn that the indy ice cream company was sold to Unilever a few years back. Nevertheless, we took the short and sweet tour and enjoyed it along with the gift shop. I just wish I had brought my appetite so I could've sampled more than one type of ice cream.

    (3)

  • Kelly H.

    Um, Ben and Jerry's ice cream...does it get better, really? Seriously, this was a great tour. Quick, thorough, and awesome sample at the end. Nice little outdoor sitting space and gift shop. There was even a little play ground near the cemetery. I learned a great deal on the tour and became an even bigger Ben & Jerry's fan!

    (5)

  • Ju L.

    Pros: Flavor Graveyard. Rather large sample of specialty ice cream made specifically for tour groups. Seconds for smaller groups, which are usually the morning tours. Cons: Over-priced, uninformative tours with guides rushing groups through. Displays in the waiting area provide more information than the tour. The large timers ticking away is quite distracting.

    (2)

  • Dave B.

    Fun! It's a great diversion for everybody of all ages, the tour is fun and you get a very good sized sample of whatever they're making that day. If you still want more ice cream, they have a whole shop operating here. When we came they were still rewarding Yelp check-ins with free tours, so check in with your smartphone app when you arrive!

    (5)

  • Teena F.

    Free with Yelp check in; other wise $4,00 per adult. We had a good tour guide named April who made it fun. The tour was short and "sweet" and then you get to try out and review a new flavor that they are trying in the test kitchen.

    (4)

  • Jason L.

    Cool tour, plant was smaller than I thought. Blueberry, white-chocolate sample was delicious. Not much else to do here other than take the tour and stuff yourself full.

    (4)

  • Jennifer L.

    I made the mistake of going on a holiday weekend. Tours were sold out and the line for ice cream was 20-25 minutes. So, considering that I have children, we opted to purchase ice cream from the freezer. Then, we needed water. Well, the water could not be purchased in the store. So, I had to wait in the ridiculously long line for water. Perhaps they could leave the water station open after 5 pm or offer it in store? Perhaps they could also offer more ice cream windows on holiday weekends? My children were excited to go and we left disappointed.

    (2)

  • Niki S.

    The Tour is a bit cheesy...even for kids. We checked in on Yelp! and FourSquare to avoid the tour fee. It was crazy busy, but fun to say we went. I'd pass on the tour and hit the store and maybe get some ice cream.

    (3)

  • Kevin D.

    Tour was lack luster but still moderately interesting. Had to pay $4 to go on the tour--hey thats one less pint of ice-cream--and you only get a shot sized sample of one of their more popular flavors. flavor grave yard was cool

    (3)

  • Ian J.

    The tour is okay, but the wait makes it a bit underwhelming. The ice cream... well, it's Ben and Jerry's, it's never been bad. You can't complain about that. Ever!!! Visit and you'll enjoy, even if the tour and the lines make you mad. It's without a doubt a tourist trap, but it's supposed to be. So go, eat ice cream, learn a little bit of history, deal with an annoying tour guide, it's fun. It's Vermont.

    (4)

  • Kevin H.

    Was great! Got in free with my check in! It was my dads b day they gave him a pin! Went with my whole family brothers sisters significant others and nieces. It was fun.

    (4)

  • Shannon B.

    Free tour of the factory when you check in on Yelp! The tour was fun, guide cheesy and the free scoop at the end delicious!! I'll definitely take out if town guests!!

    (4)

  • Sarah G.

    Flavor graveyard??? Ben and Jerry, you already have the most creative ice cream flavors ever, and when I show up here you also are creative enough to have your own flavor grave yard?? You are amazing! But I did have to take a picture next to my beloved one, who is no longer with us---Coffee, Coffee Buzz Buzz BUzz....You will be missed....A moment in silence, everyone...................... Okay, but to cheer you up on your way from the graveyard to the factory is the giant cow painted ben and jerrys travel truck, which makes for a great photo op!!! And then comes the line to buy your tour ticket...even if you stop here just to get ice cream, since yes they do of course have a full service ice cream parlor here, YOU WILL be standing in some sort of really long line. Kids running around all hyped up on sugar, parents running around trying to catch their kids....It can be kind of nuts! But for a tour that costs $3 and you get a pretty decent size sample of ice cream at the end of it, it is no wonder why so many people come here. Our tour guide didn't have the best of cow jokes though...She tried...but for a place who lives off of cow humor, they should do some google searches heh. You watch a movie, and then walk onto a look out over the factory where they explain to you how they only make two kinds of ice cream a day, the cows they use are all in Vt...etc. You actually learn a lot, but I wished the tour was a little longer, especially because we had to wait over an hour for our tour time since all of the times were sold out already when we got there. And you should definitely go on a day when the factory is actually making ice cream. I regret not seeing the factory in action....But I guess that means I'll have to take another trip up to Vermont then! And hope for no lines that time!

    (3)

  • john n.

    It is now a tourist trap with huge lines and zero to do with Ben and Jerry any longer. In fact, this has become the opposite of what B and J stood for. My son and his friend ordered Mini Vermonster sundaes......it took so long that you'd have thought that we had ordered pulled pork sandwiches (they don't serve sandwiches). This is no longer the real Vermont. Take a back road to nowhere and show your kids some real cows and spend your money at a local ice cream stand. That's the real Vermont. Green Mountains and trees and farms and hiking and forests. Not here at Ben and Jerry's cash cow that's been conglomerate owned for years.

    (1)

  • Ali K.

    This is the Ben and Jerry's factory that everyone raves about and its certainly lives up to all the acclaim. Obviously everyone knows about Ben and Jerry's and their unique and tasty flavors. So for my girlfriend to take me to the plant i was super amped. I came in the summer and the place was pretty packed so if your going to come i suggest doing it when the doors open. I was a big fan of how everyone that worked there was super friendly and just laid back, i couldn't imagine dealing with all those people day by day and having a smile like that on my face. We bought tickets for the tour (not sure how often they do them it may be every hour or every 30 mins) and the cool thing was we got some ice cream (Cake Batter) in the lobby area and they allow you to bring it with you. Our guide was this pretty nice elder gentleman def knew everything he was talking about and gave us a comprehensive tour. But obviously at the end of the tour and what every1 gets super amped about are the free samples they have out. My group was fortunate enough to get the "Stephen Colbert Americone Dream flavor. Oh my god!!! i cannot tell you how good i thought this ice cream was. Ahh freshly just made to , so amazing, they had some many samples and people were so full, but since i have a huge appetite i was able to go through about four extra cones to help out the cause. It was definitely my favorite flavor until a few days later i went into the supermarket with my gf and she bought the Red Velvet Ice Cream cake which is by far the best flavor i've had of Ben and Jerry's! Also on a busy day the line outside to get ice cream is extremely long, your going to be waiting for a while, so hopefully you don't get bored easily, but it's worth the wait to get a Vermonster bucket, the next time i go i'll be grabbing one, people seemed to be in foodie heaven while eating having them.

    (5)

  • Morris M.

    A very lovely place!!! So that means it's good for kids. The ice-cream tour was cheap because there were not many things to see. But the tour guide was very nice and the short movie gave a brief on the history of Ben & Jerry. The ice-cream was awesome. Perfect temperature, tasted very soft, not too sweet though the line was very very very long as well.

    (4)

  • Amanda R.

    We used this as a pit stop on our way to Maine. It was really full and didnt want to wait around for a tour. We just bought some ice cream and let our daughter run around on the playground to get some of her energy out. Since it was a Saturday, I doubt we missed anything not going on the tour since they aren't in production on weekends. The ice cream was delicious!

    (3)

  • Stephen T.

    A fantastic experience! I cannot recommend this enough. They don't try and gouge you for the tour. Make sure you check in using YELP and you'll get one free admission! What a great success story! You watch a very short video at the beginning and then tour the facility. The people working in the factory wave and show off a bit while you're looking in on them. We learned a lot from our guide and he answered all of our questions and then some!

    (5)

  • Marcela H.

    The tour itself was mediocre at best but the drive across New Hampshire from Portland, Maine made it all worth while. They don't make ice cream on weekends so if you're looking to see some action, try and get there M-F. Tour is like $3 and you get a sample of their choice of ice cream at the end of the tour. I wouldn't go out of my way to check this place out again but I guess it's pretty cool to be able to say that I've been there. From now on I might just settle for stuffing my face into a pint of B&J from the local gas station.

    (3)

  • Phil L.

    This is a great place to come and spend 30 minutes to do the ice cream factory tour. Since we came in during the winter festival we got tickets for free. You also get free tickets if you check in on yelp. They do tours every 30-60 mins or so and the last tour leaves at 5:00 PM. They take you upstairs, let you watch a video about the founding of Ben & Jerrys, take you to see the production line, and give you a free sample of their ice cream.

    (3)

  • Ronny G.

    Great tour and great ice-cream. We went a few hours out of our way during a recent road trip to do the tour and check out the Vermont country-side. We loved the ice-cream and friendly environment of the B&J plant. Taking off 1 star due to the cheesy tone the gal used during the tour which made me uncomfortable, but I would definitely visit again!!

    (4)

  • Paul B.

    I wasn't overwhelming impressed with the factory tour. I was expecting more. Be prepared to hear a lot of bad puns. Save your $4 and just spend it at the Scoop Shop. As always, the ice cream was amazing. Be sure to visit the flavor graveyard.

    (4)

  • Crystal P.

    from the second we planned our trip to Vermont I knew we'd go here. I love Ben and Jerrys and of course we had to go here. cute little place to take pictures outside too. we had fun. I can imagine when we have kids one day taking them here and they will love it.

    (5)

  • Crystal J.

    I truly enjoyed the tour, and loved the ice cream! If you're near the factory, you have to stop! The tour is only $5, and you get a sample of ice cream! You really can't beat that!

    (5)

  • Peggy Sue R.

    Who could mark this anything less then 5 stars its icecream!

    (5)

  • M T.

    Did NOT do the tour. Why?! Because I had to wait 45 mins for the next tour. What can I say? I really had no patience for a tour that has a sign posted on the front door noting "There is no produciton of ice cream today". Also, there were loads of people and cars everywhere. Also, previous yelpers noted that this tour was not that great. I will rate the grounds since I can vouched for that. The mister and I stopped here because we just came from the nearby Cold Holllow Apple Cider Mill and Grand View Winery Tasting Room. Those places were worth the stop. As I entered into the plant, I noticed that there was a very long line to purchase an ice cream. The line was 100x longer than the line to buy tickets for the tour. If only these people knew the secret to buying B&J ice cream was at buying the pints on sale at their local supermarket. The store had some great souveniers. There is a sign posting the top ten best selling flavors sold in the supermarkets. See my pic. Kudos to #1 - Cherry Garcia. There was a brick oven pizza stand outside. At least there was something to eat besides ice cream. There is also a heavenly playground for the kids. Yes, I will say kids will love this place and it's not due to the ice cream. And lastly, the flavor graveyard, a mini cemetary for the discontinued flavors. I paid respects to my old favs: rainforest crunch and cool britannia. This is a place for the kiddes and die hard B&J fans. I would say to come on weekdays where you can see the ice cream in production.

    (2)

  • Douglas W.

    I won't bother describing the tour, since the other reviewers more than covered that. I will say it was really fun to see this place, and, of course, to eat some of the best ice cream ever, but I can't say the tour is worth a special trip (sort of disappointing, really). We happened to be staying in Stowe, only 20 minutes away, so we actually went back one evening just to get dessert, mostly to be able to tell the story! If you're in the area or passing through, by all means make it part of your trip. Be prepared to wait a while for the tour (we waited 40 minutes, however it was nearly empty at our second visit, a cool Wednesday evening), but there's a gift shop and a few other things to see there while you're waiting. Oh, and if absolutely necessary, try to force down some of that ice cream while you're there.

    (4)

  • Apolinaras S.

    This was my second time at the plant and some things got worse. The whole tour has gotten less fun. What happened to all the colorful guides? :-) And how about some experimental ice cream samples? One good thing is that you can still buy some flavors not usually available out there in the retail. Oh and if you check in on Yelp, they let you take the tour for free :-)

    (4)

  • Ellen F.

    Informative tour is a mix of a video about the history of the company and a through-the-glass tour of the factory. The 30 minutes was just about the right amount of time. The tour concludes with a generous sample of a flavor that is being tested at the factory. We visited in the winter but you could make more of a trip of it in the summer by enjoying the grounds, which include picnic tables, a playground, and a "flavor graveyard" homage to retired flavors. Regardless of the season, you can stop in for a treat at the scoop shop which serves every flavor.

    (4)

  • Catherine H.

    Be sure to check in on Yelp, Facebook, or FourSquare - then you don't have to pay the $3 for your tour. It was an interesting and somewhat informative tour, but you're behind glass and really far away from the action. Our guide was friendly, and the "free" sample was OK (chocolate covered potato chips aren't as bad as they sound). Probably a better place if you have kids. For a couple of adults, a nice short break in a beautiful setting, but not worth a special trip.

    (3)

  • John S.

    Just a bit hokey for my tastes, but an informative tour with free ice cream at the end. I wouldn't build a whole trip around it, but pair it with the Cabot Creamery Tour and maybe some other stuff and you have a fun day in the Montpelier/Waterbury area. Of note, the gift shop is delightfully touristy and the Flavor Graveyard will bring back all sorts of memories.

    (4)

  • David T.

    Definitely worth it! Whilst it amazes me that some people I know have been here 15+ times, it is a cool place to visit at least once. I don't know how anyone can say negative things about this place; sure it is a bit corny in an overly touristy kind of way but how can you not be happy when surrounded by delicious icecream? The tour is cheap ($3) and, once you get over the family of Russian tourists with 100 (okay, 3) kids that pushed their way to the front of the line and ran all over the place, it is quite informative and enjoyable. Even though it was a weekend and thus icecream was not being made it was still cool to see THE room where it all happens and be talked through the process by the friendly guide The end-of-tour sample was much bigger then I expected (a small cup) and it was fun to be able to try the new Boston Creme Pie flavour. Glad I came on 4th of July as the crowds were not too bad. We did not have to wait at all to get a cone at the shop out front and it was a lovely day to walk through the grounds to the flavour graveyard. I can imagine it is normally quite busy though so prepare yourself.

    (4)

  • Laura C.

    I've never been a fan of Ben & Jerry's ice cream but we were close to the factory so we went. Glad I did! Missed the factory tour but was able to indulge in one of the best flavors ever - chocolate-peanut buttery swirl. OMG so very good! Although the store was crowded there was no wait for ice cream as there were at least 4 windows open. I'd go back just for that flavor...yum!

    (4)

  • Phil M.

    Yelp.com check in offer is amazing. $3 for a tour, that is good. This place is what Willy Wonka would be, if it were real. Great place for kids. This place is fun. Free samples were awesome. The flavor graveyard is funny as all heck

    (4)

  • Vincent C.

    My girlfriend and I won a trip for four night to ben and jerry's and I loved every second. We made our own ice cream flavor, we got to meet one guy who thought of the flavors and of course did the tour " In front of the long line". Something that I thought was very shady was when I made my ice cream which was a vanilla base ice cream,caramel swirls and chocolate covered cashews. Then months later I see my ice cream in stores called turtle something. They changed it up a little but it was pretty much the same thing but I named my Vincent's Day Dream. But I really don't care but they could of at least told me that they were going to do that. But overall I had a good time.

    (4)

  • Chris P.

    Others in my party might disagree, but I don't think this place merits the trip. If you happen to be in the area, swing in - but it's not that exciting honestly. We also went on an "off" grey day, so the crowd wasn't that bad. $3 gets you a 30-minute guided tour - I got the impression that our tour guide had given the speech a few times. His jokes felt old and I hadn't even heard them before. The herd goes to watch a 6-minute PR video, then into a glass mezzanine to see the production floor (which doesn't operate on the weekends). It was interesting, but there's not much to see when it's not rolling. Lastly, you get something from the sample room - the interesting part being that you get what they give you to sample! You know the little paper thingies you put ketchup in at restaurants? You get one of those full of a flavor you don't necessarily like. Then you're done, tour over. You have the option of going to the scoop shop before you go. Overall the best part is the ice cream, and if that's all you want then why make the trip here? Go to your local Ben & Jerry's!

    (2)

  • Zared G.

    This tour was much shorter than i expected. I don't really know what i expected, as i've never been on an ice cream factory tour before, but i expected more than 3 rooms and 1 scoop. i wanted many spoonful size samples of ice creams i've never seen before. I wanted to watch them make the goods (ok, it was a weekend so no one was working). But it was a nice time, and i didn't dislike anything about it.

    (3)

  • Jennifer S.

    While driving to Burlington I realized the Ben & Jerry's factory was on the way so my entourage and I decided to make a stop. We didn't end up on the factory tour because we really just wanted ice cream, though it seemed like fun. They charge for the tour, $3 I think. But we were able to watch a video out in the waiting area without paying for the tour and learn most of their history and what they do anyway. The mini Vermonster was the best choice we ever made. 4 different scoops of ice cream, hot fudge, bananas, brownie, cookies and 4 choices of toppings. It was a hot mess, but delicious!

    (3)

  • Patrick B.

    Cute tour, but best for kids. Free sample was nice, but long lines at the ice cream concession.

    (3)

  • Tuan-pi T.

    I and my date were quite let down by the whole experience at the Ben and Jerry's Factory. It seemed like such a good idea; we'd see how everything was done, we'd eat ice cream, we'd get Ben and Jerry's swag! All were let downs. The place itself was quite small. This doesn't take away from the experience but I was expecting something bigger and more interesting. Also, the crowds of people - especially kids - were sometimes difficult to navigate. We went on a weekend so the factory wasn't running. I don't know how big a difference this makes; I enjoyed seeing the factory. What was a bummer was the tour itself. It was poorly delivered by a bored tour guide making terrible puns while spouting information I could find on wikipedia. One third of the tour is a video - how is that a tour? I wouldn't be surprised if I found that online, too. Lastly, the ice cream samples were just that - samples. And you only get one. I thought for 4 dollars (which is an admittedly low cost) I'd at least get a small cone. A small cone itself is about 4 bucks, I know, but I came all the way to your fraking factory. You'd think it would be a little bit more festive and hospitable. Swag was limited and super expensive. I didn't find anything worth buying. But perhaps this was because I was underwhelmed by the tour itself. Save yourself some time and money: stay home and look up Ben and Jerry's on Wikipedia while eating a pint of your favorite flavor.

    (2)

  • Lauren T.

    Definitely something fun to check out while in Stowe! Short, fun tour-our tour guide was funny and informational. Enjoyed our ice cream sample and the browsing the gift shop.

    (4)

  • Katie O.

    It's cute for what it is. Make sure you check-in on Yelp so you can get in at no charge. Yummy tasty treat at the end!

    (3)

  • Phillip Y.

    I was a bit disappointed with my visit. Granted I was in high school, my expectation was getting samples of every flavor like Cranberry World in Plymouth, MA. Well, this is not sample heaven like Cranberry World. You get a tiny little cup of the latest flavor and a short video about the plant tour. Better luck just going to the ice cream stand outside the factory and buying a cone. I think I appreciated the Cabot Creamery plant tour more because you actually got to try out different types of cheeses before buying cheese to bring home.

    (3)

  • Katie R.

    I've been here twice. It is definitely worth stopping in the tour is "free" i believe it was a two dollar donation to charity. The tour is short and to the point so kids won't get bored plus there is a (tiny) free sample at the end to bribe them with. Make sure to take a walk around the building up the hill for the flavor graveyard. Great picture opportunities. Grab a grown up sized ice cream on your way out at the shoppe.

    (4)

  • Craig B.

    First you think it's a great idea for a road trip. Load up a car full of friends and drive off to the Ben and Jerry's factory. With free samples, there isn't any downside until you arrive and realize that you just pulled up at Vermont's biggest tourist trap. It's only $3 and the tour is a bit of a let down, but, hey, stop in. First is a short film about the history of Ben and Jerry's. They worked day and night to make ice cream, gave a lot of it away, supported local causes, then one day sold out to a giant company and now sit on a beach somewhere in Hawaii. Then you go to a single room where they actually make the ice cream in a series of machines. Actually make it around the clock Monday through Friday. I was there on Saturday, so if you are there for the weekend you are just looking at a room full of unused machines. Either way, watching mass produced ice cream is probably not something that is going to add any charm to the food. Then, yes, you do get a "free" sample, or is it a $3 dixie cup of ice cream that comes with a short movie? The tour actually made me realize something that I never consciously put together. During the film they mention that either Ben or Jerry has no sense of taste so the other guy actually doubled the flavor so that he could taste it. This is why the stench of flavor hits you in the face as soon as you walk into any Ben and Jerry's shop. That's when I realized that I just don't like it. Actually what is worth seeing is the ice cream graveyard in the back for any of the discontinued flavors. Cool Britannia and Sweet Potato Pie? They each have tombstones.

    (3)

  • Francisco T.

    The Factory tour was kinda cool, but if you go you need more than just teo people and the Graveyard...man what were they thinking of when they chose those flavors

    (4)

  • LuckieMaounds P.

    So we flew and then drove out to BFE to come see this place and it was totally fun. A nice (albeit 3-hours-in-one-direction-but-I'm-from-L.A.-so-­this-is-an-easy-Tuesday) drive with BEAUTIFUL scenery through Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. The factory tour is short - a short video, you get to look through the window at the machinery and the workers wave at you, and then you end it with a free scoop of whatever they have handy that day. You really get a good history of how the company started and the what's really cool is that you get to see what makes this company so unique, and how well the employees are taken care of. It's just a feel-good experience from beginning to end. The "Flavor Graveyard" is corny, but it's interesting to see what went into some of the flavors they used to carry (some you wonder why they stopped making, and some you wish you could pummel the idiot who thought of it in the first place). At the ice cream shop itself, they had this heavenly ... delicious... coconut-walnut-caramel-chocolate ... THING... Ice cream flavor... that nearly gave me the sugah-diabeetus. Can't buy it in stores. Good thing, too... I could take a bath in that stuff.

    (4)

  • Aubrey R.

    Family friendly, tour was short but interesting. Flavor graveyard was closed when we were there (end of January), would have been cool to see. Definitely a place to stop of in the Stowe/Burlington area!

    (4)

  • Julie C.

    How cute is this shop! Very touristy (obviously) but it is fun and certainly worth a stop. I've been twice. Once alone and I did the tour... it was a good time but not necessary. I did enjoy the two free samples of mint chocolate chip ice cream,. I went on a weekday and it was slow. My favorite part is the flavor graveyard. It is thanks to Ben and Jerry's that I know my birthday (the day and year) is a day where the stock market crashed. B&J had a flavor dedicated to it. I came back last Saturday. We didn't do a tour but we bought ice cream to eat. I had the SNL flavor called late night snack. It included chocolate covered potato chips. Luckily I do not believe they sell it in the stores so I can keep my jeans. Worth a visit when you are in the area.

    (4)

  • Linda C.

    Perhaps my passion for B&J's ice cream had me a little over-syched for the visit, but it was only ok so far as factory tours go. There is a movie on the history of B&J's - which I had already read much of on their website, followed by a factory floor observation deck, and then a free sample. I should have figured that - being a food factory, and a frozen food factory to boot - it would be a one-step removed kind of tour! Duh! Regardless, it was fun. The ice cream flavor grave yard was cute, and they have a little playground for the kids. Overall, it was nice but since it has become such a destination (the place was packed!) I would have expected a little more "to do". Still worth a stop as part of a bigger overall Vermont tour.

    (3)

  • Sue B.

    Should be free. Most boring tour I have been on. So pre-scripted and timed you feel like you are on a factory line. Also the free sample at the end is at their discretion (no choices) so if that isn't your flavor, you are out of luck. Lines were too long to buy ice cream and prices too high. Their ice cream should certainly be cheaper for people who have bothered to travel to this site.

    (1)

  • Matt C.

    Worst factory tour ever. First, they make you pay $3 for the tour, which is absolute bullshit, Factory tours create brand loyalty, and given that the tour consisted of watching Ben and Jerrys propaganda for 10 minutes and then getting a fucking GLIPSE of the factory floor (which was, admittedly very cool) and then ushered out like cattle (lololol a cow joke. Be prepared to hear every bad cow pun ever thought of on the tour). Terrible tour, highly not recommended buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut They have an elaborate scoop shop here with alot of rare flavors, and walking around to the farm to the flavor graveyard is very cool, and I enjoyed it greatly. My recommendation? Grab a large waffle cone, walk around and stay the fuck out of the factory.

    (2)

  • Melissa M.

    It was a very short tour, but growing up with Ben & Jerry's ice cream, was a great place to finally visit. You can check in on your phone through Yelp and receive a free tour, which is what I did. They gave out a generous ice cream sample. The tour guide was great too! You are not allowed to take photos in the factory area, which is understandable, but as a photographer, I was a little disappointed. All in all, a great experience.

    (4)

  • Jess H.

    Ben and Jerry's is a fun place, so long as it's not your only stop in the area. That is, unless it's the Winter Festival, which is worth a drive. You basically get to take the tour and eat samples until you go into shock. There's live music, local food, and snow sculptures for 5 or 6 hours. Tons of fun for FREE. Back to the tour review. Sure, they make you yell "MOO!" to start the moo-vie, but it's more fun if you let loose and participate. There will always be annoying children hopped up on Chunky Monkey being loud and obnoxious on your tour, but roll with it. The tour doesn't last long (maybe 10 minutes), and you can see the countdown as your guide scrambles to speak quickly enough. Then you get to eat just a small bit of ice cream. Mine was Hannah Teter's Maple Blondie, which I didn't really love. Overall, it's worth a visit, but consider how far you're willing to go for a 10-15 minute tour. I would give the Winter Festival 4 stars, but for the factory and tour itself, 3 stars say it all.

    (3)

  • Jason P.

    If you're a big Ben & Jerry's fan, you may want to check this place out. This place has expanded over the few years to accommodate the masses that come here. Walking around the facility, there are a bunch of displays showing the history of Ben & Jerry's. For what used to be free is now $3, you can also go on a 30 minute tour. If you check the schedule, sometimes there are festivals where Ben & Jerry's will give complimentary tours. We were fortunate to have gone on one of these days (March 7), so there was no charge. Curious what the 30 minute tour consists of? First the tour guide will get up on a stool by the tank room and introduce themselves, tell you a little about Ben & Jerry's, and then show you the window displaying the Tank Room, which is the only room that cannot be seen from the production floor. After a 5 minute speech, you will be guided to walk up a flight of stairs with tons of cartoon drawings on the walls of cows and the pasture lands. There is also an elevator on the side, for those that are handicapped. At the top of the stairs, just to your left is the new Cow Over The Moon Theater room, which you will watch a 10-minute video on the history of Ben & Jerry's. After the video, you will be taken to a room where you can see all the operations (stations) of how the Ben & Jerry's ice cream is made (they no longer let you take photos here). After the tour guide explains the process of how the ice cream is made, you will walk down a flight of stairs into the sample room, where they will give you a mini-sized scoop of ice cream in an Italian ice-like paper cup. Any questions will be answered here. And the tour ends here. On your way out, you can check out a few more displays, as well as the QA department, where they test the ice cream for quality. Back in the main room, you can buy a bunch of souvenirs, most of which are overpriced, but afterall, they are souvenirs. Pints of Ben & Jerry's can be bought for $4.25 in the store. Otherwise, you can walk just outside the souvenir shop, where a small narrow room with several lines to purchase ice cream by the scoop/cone/etc. Yum! Take a gander outside, as you will notice a few things, like a replica of the Ben & Jerry's truck, and some other objects that are photo-perfect moments. Is it all worth it? If you're a Ben & Jerry's fan, or just craving ice cream, definitely check it out. At least you can say you've been to the Ben & Jerry's factory!!!!

    (3)

  • Mark T.

    If you come to Vermont, this is a must see. I mean, it's ice cream - who doesn't love ice cream? I have to admit that I have been here many times and after one trip, you really don't need to take the tour again. The cool thing is you do get to see potentially a new flavor and free samples at the end. If you have taken the tour before, just head up to the rather lengthy line and order a treat from the window. The flavor graveyard is one of my favorite parts of the plant. This is a "cemetary" for flavors that have since passed on and been discontinued. What about that ramp walking from the parking lot up to the plant? Yikes! All in all, it is a must see experience, at least once.

    (4)

  • Craig H.

    I've been on more extensive "factory" tours but still, this one was interesting and how can you pass up a stop at Ben and Jerry's!

    (3)

  • Chas K.

    Ultra-premium ice cream. Scoop Shop only flavors like Bonnaroo Buzz and Mango Mango Sorbet. Test batches like Spicy Chocolate with Moroccan flavoring. And free spin art, just like on the boardwalk at Seaside Heights, NJ. What is there not to love about this place? Nothing!

    (5)

  • Tina G.

    I'm not a big fan of B&J's ice cream when it's been sitting in a supermarket for a months, but you CANNOT miss tasting the REAL Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Delish.

    (5)

  • Kimmy N.

    Thank you Yelp for getting us in for FREE just for checking in! Being from Houston- the tour was very similar to that of Blue bell. The atmosphere at Ben & Jerry's is a lot more playful though. The place is verrry crowded so get there early as you will have to wait for your tour. They have tours about every 20 minutes or so though so the wait isn't too long. They had a lot of other activities going on while waiting (gift shop, tie dye your own shirt, spin art, ice cream shop, lemonade, pizza, and photo spot). It was a fun tour and of course ended with their yummy ice cream. The flavor grave yard was interesting to check out- the sayings were very clever and got a chuckle or two.

    (4)

  • Julie C.

    Wow -a tourist trap if I ever seen one. The place is a zoo esp on the weekends with the kids running around or crying cuz they cant get ice cream. Save your $3 and dont go on the tour. On the weekends they dont produce ice cream and all you get is a video and seeing the empty production floor. You then get a sample which is only a tease and then you are left with buying ice cream on your way out. But dont even think about it. The line to get ice cream is sooo ridiculous! You are probably gonna wait like 20 mins for a cone and lets face it, you can get Ben and Jerrys almost anywhere now a days. I am glad I came here but never again...not even if i can get free ice cream!

    (1)

  • Madeleine M.

    If you love Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and if you love copious free samples of their ice cream, then you have to visit their factory. The tour of the factory itself is pretty darn rad. You get to watch a short movie about the history of the company (don't worry -- it's nifty, and they seem to change it every few years presumably so frequent visitors have something new to enjoy), watch the factory create oodles of tasty ice cream, and sample their flavour of the day (and, if you linger, the tour guide will let the hangers-on finish whatever samples are left -- c'mon, everyone loves a little frozen-treat gluttony). The gift shop is pretty cute, too, and the area around the factory is full of nifty, like a beautiful view of the mountains and the Ben & Jerry cowmobile, just to name a few. Definitely, absolutely a sweet stop for any ice-cream lover.

    (5)

  • Jaima S.

    This was a fun tour. Unfortunately the day we were there they were not in production on the line so that was kind of lame, but the huge sample at the end was worth it. Kids would like this colorful, fun and relatively short 30 minute tour. We love Ben and Jerrys so this was fun for us, particularly at $4 per person!

    (4)

  • Christine E.

    If you're a Ben & Jerry's fan like me and you happen to be in Vermont, you must take a tour of the Ben & Jerry's factory in Waterbury! The experience left me feeling like a kid again and certainly brings those funky flavers, labels and pint cartons to life. Be sure to take some photos once you arrive as the founders, or by the cow display. The tour itself is inexpensive - $3/adult and doesn't last too long. It starts with a brief video about the founders and how Ben & Jerry's started as a small operation and grew into a global sensation. You get a good idea of how and why the founders and their flavors have so much personality! Followed by the video, you enter the second floor viewing deck where a tour guide will give you a step by step explanation of the Ben & Jerry's ice cream is made from cow to freezer! Unfortunately, since it was a holiday weekend, the workers weren't around and we didn't get to see the factory in motion, but the viewing deck had monitors with video to demonstrate. The factory has a cute gift shop and of course an ice cream counter! I think going once is all you need for the experience.

    (4)

  • Neva N.

    Over rated...but I enjoy the chunky monkey.

    (3)

  • Jonathan S.

    Ben & Jerry's is the quintessential Vermont institution. If you visit the state, then you can't be far away. Tours run every half an hour and cost $4 as of 2012. Start with a 6 minute video, and then move up to a walkway over the factory floor with your guide (ours was John, who kept things light and jovial). You will get a description of what is going on down below, step by step. Afterward, you will get a sample of an ice cream flavor that they are promoting. There is a small gift shop on the site, and there are, of course, many flavors of Ben & Jerry's ice cream to purchase in cups or cones.

    (4)

  • Jennifer R.

    Interesting tour of the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream plant. For $3 you get to learn the history of the company, see how everything is made, and sample a new flavor. In and out in approximately an hour. My favorite part of the tour is the history of the ice cream scoop exhibit in the lobby. The different shapes, sizes, metals used, and experimental 'machinery' intrigued the historian of the obscure in me. Sugar Bear's favorite part was ordering ice cream from the shop at the end of the tour. There was a family that had 4 boys, and they ordered a gigantic (like for a store) sized ice cream for those kids. It was amusing watching them all dig in. They finished that puppy too! Beware that this tour is very popular and will be crowded even if you go on a rainy weekday like we did. There are lots of pricey items for sale in the gift shop when you finish your tour.

    (4)

  • Lisa M.

    Lots of fun stuff to see about the boyz from VT. History & tour was fun but go on a day the factory is in production! Ice cream is so fresh & so good!Loved the huge free sample at end of tour! Only $3 for tour & you can't get a fresher scoop of Ben & Jerrys anywhere else.

    (4)

  • Bethany S.

    A visit to the Ben and Jerry's factory is a fun way to spend an afternoon. They offer factory tours where you can watch them make the ice cream and sample their flavor-of-the-day. They also have several tents set up outside where you can participate in various activities like tie-dying, spin art, and painting. They have a flavor graveyard, where you can pay respects to discontinued flavors of the past. Of course, they also have a huge gift shop where you can by tons-o-merchandise with the B&J logo. Fun and reasonably priced. Worth the trip.

    (4)

  • Brandon S.

    Had a great time on the tour. Everyone is very friendly and even as an adult love the silly jokes. Great job Ben and Jerry's and your ice cream is amazing!

    (5)

  • Upstate Y.

    It's an icecream factory. They give a tour. You get icecream...what else is there to say. Its good!

    (4)

  • Stephanie L.

    Such a cute tour - will bring out the kid in anyone! Be sure to stop in the flavor graveyard and pay your respects to all the goofy flavors that have gone before us... ; p *TIP: Check-in on Yelp and get the tour for free!*

    (4)

  • Scott H.

    I came here back in the late 90's and recall Ben & Jerry's being a more modest and 'mom & pop' type place. When I returned in June with my wife the place had more of the feel of an amusement park and was really just a giant tourist trap. Huge groups of families and kiddos signing up for a tour times as posted on LCD screens behind the counter. A large gift shop and ice cream stand are free to peruse, but we opted to skip the overpriced tour. Sadly it seems like the place has lost a bit of its 'natural' mojo over the years, but it's still definitely a favorite for tourists in the area. I think you'd do just as well visiting one of the many Ben & Jerry's ice cream stands around New England and save yourself the lines and the hassle.

    (2)

  • Robert Z.

    Traveling with a 6 & 8 year old. We had a blast!

    (5)

  • Ken M.

    Not the best factory tour experience I have been on but, definitely the longest wait time. We had to waited over an hour (We arrived at 2:45PM, didn't get a tour till 4:00PM).Tour is mostly just them showing you a short video and then standing on an enclosed catwalk which overlooks the factory floor. They did not describe much on the tour other than the history of the company which most people have already read on the walls of their local scoop shop. The sample they gave at the end of the tour was mostly melted in its small paper cup. The gift shop was slightly overpriced. Children's and Toddler shirts were as much (if not more than) adult sizes for shirts. Also, the lines for the scoop shop were ridiculous! It was about a 45 minute wait (which we did not wait for) on a Tuesday! Save your time for other tours or attractions in the area.

    (2)

  • Rina C.

    yeah. it's worth it to come here. got a taste at the end of the tour for the blueberry chocolate ice cream it's really good. there were a lot of people but it wasn't a long wait.

    (4)

  • Rachel K.

    Hit the last tour of the day and had extra samples! Also, the yelp check in = free ticket to the tour deal was phenomenal. We loved the tour, the moo-jokes, and the facility was very friendly.

    (4)

  • Jonathan P.

    always worth a trip to the "factory". a fun tour and a free scoop of the days special ice cream. what could be bad about this.

    (4)

  • Kathleen H.

    We were traveling with friends and had 4 adults and 4 kids ages 7-12 between us. We enjoyed the tour, and it was one of the less expensive activities we had planned. Like others have mentioned, you see a short biopic of the company, then get to head up to a hallway overlooking the production floor, where there's another short video. My kids got a big kick out of the factory workers waving to them. It's the little things. :) Then you head down to the tasting room and get to try the flavor they're sampling that day; we got Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream (yum!). The decor is fun, and there are a lot of great items in the gift shop. I bought a pint to take back to the condo where we stayed, and the cashier asked me if I wanted a spoon with that. "Really?!?" I asked. "You'd be surprised," she replied, smiling. The flavor graveyard is a must-see, thought it's a short hike up a hill behind the building, so it may not be for anyone with limited mobility. There are lots of colorful photo opportunities, too, including a replica of the RV Ben and Jerry used to start their business.

    (4)

  • Shenny S.

    Not much of a tour, but it's only $3. My tour guide didn't even check tickets! No wait when I arrived around 3pm. Tour consists of a video, then the factory where you weren't allowed to take photos; but my tour guide was one of those whatever types who used to work at the factory (he said it was a choice between being in the cold or this). Then a sample of the flavor of the day. My favorite part of the plant wasn't the tour, but the Flavor Graveyard. Oh how I miss you Cool Britannica! Afterward, went to Cold Hollow Cider Mill.

    (3)

  • Tina C.

    Great place to stop in for not only for some yummy ice cream but the tour is pretty neat.

    (5)

  • Jennifer G.

    I think going to this place is more about the novelty of the experience, not exactly the experience itself. They offer tours of the plant which are cheap but not overly impressive. I think everyone enjoys the free sample of ice cream at the end (many people on my tour ended up getting two samples of it) If you're a big fan of Ben & Jerry's it is the place for you.. there a large gift shop with memorabilia and there is an ice cream shop to of course get ice cream from (expect to wait in a looooong line though!) Particularly interesting, I found, was the "flavor graveyard" out by the parking lot, honoring old flavors that are no longer produced. They each have a tombstone and a cute little poem. Very cute. If you're looking for something to do and you're in the area, stop on in, but I don't think it's worth a trip from anywhere far away simply to go here.

    (3)

  • Michael E.

    Pros: You get to see how the magic is made (and get to try a little magic too!) Cons: The tour costs money and that's just one of many indications at the factory not so inconspicuously alluding to the nature of the now mega-corporation bought out brand.

    (3)

  • Tina C.

    I wouldn't go out of my way to do this, but if you're in the area and have a hankering for ice cream, this fits the bill. The movie theatre was not operational the day we stopped by here on our way from Stowe to Burlington, so the tour was even shorter than usual (it was also free that day due to their technical difficulties). Children abound in each tour group, which can make the acoustics somewhat difficult, especially if you have a soft-spoken tour guide. Video clips made up for some of that. Super-clean facility still hanging on to their edgy, bohemian roots even after acquisition by a mega-corporation. No pictures allowed, since for all they know, you might work for Haagen-Dasz. Get your free ice cream and then hike up the hill for the flavor graveyard.

    (3)

  • Jeremy K.

    lets see, how can this NOT be a fiver here yelper, well the distance i guess, but if your up in the burlington area, you NEED to check it out. i happen to be up here for work this week and on my way back to homebase, needed to stop for myself. sure this would have been great to take the wife and kid to, but they werent here, so it was solo. the plant isnt as busy as it was say 8 years ago, but if you go during the week you can see the production in full force. i guess due to the fact they now have another plant in rutland (?! wasnt paying too much attention, wanted my ice cream!) they downsized the production, but not the personal. i know that cause i had a tour guide who spend 22 years on the line and in the freezer. he was lax as they come, telling the crowd (mostly bluehairs on tour from iowa) all about his exploits back in the day and up on the hill, needless to say i was picking up what he was putting down, drinking warm Tennessee mud for the buzz, climbing up the freezer racks, pillaging the burlington hotels for afterpartys, etc. i saw the insides of the operation, the whole thing took 30 minutes and cost a low low price of 3 bucks! at the end i got a sample of mint chocolate chunk, pretty tasty, didnt stop for an actual cone as i had a long drive ahead of me, but i did stop in the gift shop for items de jour for the kids! side note, i wish they had onesies that said 'vermontster' but alas, no dice. had to skip the ubitquious cutout of my face in the b&j lid picture and the graveyard, but ill be back up here one day and its not going anywhere. insert closing quip here.

    (5)

  • Alysia D.

    Dragged the ever-patient boyfriend here, hoping to do a factory tour. Upon arrival to the extremely busy, extremely loud visitor's center, we were told that they were not making ice cream on a Saturday, and the next available tour (to see all the machines, I guess) was in an hour. I've done the tour before. It's decent, I guess, but I didn't feel it was worth waiting an hour in a cramped visitors center for, so we skipped it. We did get to walk around and look at the flavor graveyard. We also stopped to get ice cream and managed to find a seat as far from the door as possible. It was cold out, so I didn't really want the draft on me. We got to watch a video of the founding of Ben & Jerry's while eating ice cream, so I think I saved myself the cost of tour admission. A win for me, perhaps? Ice cream was on the expensive side, but it IS Ben & Jerry's, so I shouldn't have expected better. Every member of the staff that I interacted seemed annoyed to have to talk to me. I don't think I saw one employee smiling the entire time I was there. Save your precious time and find something else to do in Waterbury. I think there's a Shaw's down the street that was probably less busy, more informative, and with cheaper ice cream.

    (2)

  • Fabian P.

    drove all the way from nj to the ben and jerrys, I love the ice cream so it was fun. The tour could have been longer but it was a chance to see the factory and how the ice cream is made. Worth going at least once in your life.

    (4)

  • Doreen L.

    I've been here at least three times. The tour is always too short but since the place is small, it is understandable. I enjoy the new additions to the tour: the screens across the viewing windows that say 'do not peek'. Its adorable. I enjoy the updated video about the owners, the updated and newly painted decorations as you walk to their mini theater. And I enjoy that this plant and tour is family friendly. There are distorted mirrors for children to peer in, tunnels for them to crawl through. The decorations outside of the factory allow you to photograph your face as Ben and Jerry via a wooden cutout. Our tour guide was sniffling but he was trying to be cheerful. He was knowledgeable about the machines: recalibration times and what the karma machine was used for. He must work in the factory as well as being a tour guide. And who doesn't love their fresh fresh ice cream. Their tours now cost money (Boo!) but it always includes a free sample of their ice cream. And the ice cream at the tour tastes of sugar and cream. Mmmm. Delicious. Makes me want to buy straight off their assembly line.

    (3)

  • Peter D.

    Had fun on the tour and especially enjoyed the movie with some history on the company. It is all pretty quick. Plant was not running when we were there, so that was a bit less exciting, especially for the kids. Would agree that the flavor graveyard is worth a visit. We also visited with the cows outside. Worth a visit if you're in the area or have a special affection for the ice cream duo.

    (4)

  • Kelly K.

    I tried to check in while here to get the 4Square discount but my phone wouldn't access check-in function. Paid full price for some ice cream. Bought a few souvenirs in the store and skipped the tour. Toured other ice cream plants in the past. Did try the wood fired pizza being sold outside near the main restrooms of all places. It was okay.

    (3)

  • Tray F.

    I love their ice cream but next time I'll pass on the factory tour. It's like a 25 minute tour but 5 minutes are spent watching a short film, 15 minutes are spent looking at a little piece of the factory that you may not even see because there are too many people crammed up against the window and like 5 minutes spent eating a sample of a flavor you don't get to choose (luckily it was a flavor I knew I liked already). The Flavor Graveyard (an area dedicated to all the flavors that have been discontinued) is down the sidewalk, past the restrooms, up a hill, past the children's playground, past a big tent and further up the hill. When we finally reached it, it started to rain. Great! I'm sure it's great for others but I couldn't wait to leave.

    (2)

  • Jacqueline M.

    I was really impressed with the factory and what the company does for their employees and the area. Plus, you get FREE tiny scoop of ice cream! When I was there they had a ice cream and drive-in movie nigh. How fun is that?! Super fun. I mean it's Ben & Jerry's, it's good eats and fun. The area is cute and is worth the drive. be sure to check out the area because there's a lot to do and to eat!

    (4)

  • Viraj P.

    The tour is fine, but definitely not worth the long wait. I appreciate that, during the peak of the summer tourist season, they have plenty of activities for people to do as they wait for their tour. However, you really barely get to see anything and it only lasts a few minutes. The site of the factory is quite scenic and we really enjoyed taking pictures there on the last visit, but my family and I all agreed that the tour was not very well done and did not actually include much information about the process or company. My favorite part was the flavor graveyard, which was very well done! Now all they need to do is amp up the actual tour...

    (2)

  • Morgan R.

    Free tour with check-in. Very popular place, swarming with children.

    (4)

  • Christopher M.

    Yup, it's pretty damn goofy. It's a short, fairly unimpressive 30 minute tour filled with lots of bad cow puns, most of which is spent watching a movie, ending with a small free sample of the "flavor of the day." It's a fun thing to have done, just so you know that you've done it, but don't go in with high expectations. There are TONS of other great things to do in the area, so make a point to mark off an hour of your day and check out the home of the world's greatest ice cream.

    (3)

  • Marjie T.

    If you happen to be in the area this is a good place to take a small detour. The tour itself is only 30 minutes and wraps up with free ice cream. It only cost $3/person. The tour starts with a 10 minute video about the history of Ben and Jerry. Then your guide takes you up to the factory where you can watch the ice cream being packaged. It's pretty cool. I was surprised at how small it is. There's a gift shop and ice cream parlor on the main floor. We went on a Thursday afternoon and walked right up and caught the first tour. However, we were just ahead of a busload (literally) of oldies so it filled up shortly after we got there. There's not a ton to see, but like I said if you're in the area it's pretty interesting.

    (4)

  • Jac C.

    The tour isn't free, but it's only three dollars. You get to watch a video about the horrors of rBGH. The HORRORS! You get to walk on a mezzanine above the factory floor and look through windows at all the workings of hippie ice cream production. You're hermetically sealed from the factory so forget any fantasies you have of running amok around the machinery and combining Phish Phood and Chunky Monkey to make a new super flavor. You find out that employees get to take home 23 pints of ice cream a week for free. I think it's actually more like six, but it was enough to make me consider moving to Vermont in hopes of gainful employment in an ice cream factory. You get to ask the tour guide person some questions and eat a tiny sample of ice cream. You find out that Ben & Jerry's is actually owned buy the giant Anglo-Dutch consumer product conglomerate Unilever, and not two hippie dudes. Your dreams are crushed. Thus ends the tour. There is a scoop shop where you can buy more ice cream. I see what you're up to, Unilever! Trying to get people to spend their hard-earned money on your delicious, Earth-friendly products! Well it won't work on me! Also there is a graveyard where you can mourn your favorite discontinued ice cream flavors. One guy was still really broken up about the demise of Dastardly Mash. This part does not cost anything.

    (3)

  • Ryan A.

    We had a great time at the Ben & Jerry's factory. We arrived at 3pm and got tickets for the 3:30 tour, so the wait was not long at all. If you check in on Yelp, the tour is free! The ice cream stand on site had huge scoops at reasonable prices, plus they had flavors you can't get other places. The factory also has the flavor graveyard and a playground that's great for young kids. All in all we spent about 2 hours there and really enjoyed it.

    (5)

  • Tom M.

    This is a must see for all those headed to Vermont. I disagree with a lot of the reviews that the tour is not informative or helpful. It's a factory that makes ice cream! There is great history and you get a free sample! The staff doing the tours isn't always college kids but many happy Vermonters proud of their hometown ice cream. Definitely check out the flavor graveyard for retired flavors no longer in production. For those tourist from out of town wanting rollercoasters, light show, swordplay and other fake and Americanized excitement, think again. This is an amazing company that is making ice cream. You came here for the amazing ice cream and where it was made, not counting down the minutes on how long the tour was. Enjoy it for what it is, a once small company with a great cause making an amazing product. Enjoy it and don't expect a rollercoaster and furry animals walking around to entertain your screaming kids. Enjoy the ice cream!

    (5)

  • CJ G.

    Ben and Jerry's! Where do I start? Living in VT I had never gone here until this past summer! Last 2 weeks of the summer we did alot of the factory tours here in VT As you drive in to park they have ALOT of room. The day we went they where pretty busy! Alot of people! Service: Service was pretty good! We got inside to buy our tickets. After going to the counter we sat in line maybe 2-3 minutes on a busy day. We got there at 2:45. We ended up getting in the 3:20 tour. The person at the counter was very nice and the place was kept clean. It was very fun to walk around the shop to see all of the merch they have, Some of it was pricey and some of it wasn't. Tour: The tour is pretty short! Not that this is bad. The setup is pretty good though. You all walk into a room. You watch a short film on the history of the ice cream and founders of the company. The film is a good 10-15 minutes. Then you walk up these stairs where you can see them making the ice cream and packing it. The cool thing is here unlike other tours we have been in the room is pretty much silent. So you can hear them talking. They made it very easy to follow by putting signs down in the factory. They will light one up so you know where to look. Then they talk about said area. They then turn your direction onto another sign. As they are talking about the factory they do toss in a few cow jokes here and there. Some of them make you laugh but for the most part they are for the kids. After the factory they bring you back down stairs into a small room for any questions you may have. We had a few. As they answer the questions they have a few more people getting the ice cream ready! You get to taste the flavor of the day. Ours was a "Chocolate cowchip" Just some chocolate chip cows in vanilla ice cream. Not very new but it works! Ben and Jerry's flavor cemetery: This was kinda cool! Its not to big but they pretty much have a tomb stone for each flavor they dont make anymore. Showing the year of ice cream and how long it lasted. Plus what it was made of. Outside the Factory: Now the outside they have people cooking food and serving other local products. We like this! Selling local goes a long way in VT! They also have play grounds for the kids to play on in you happen to be waiting for your tour or want a short ice cream break! Price: For a low $3 a person you get some good fun for a few hours if you go an look at everything. If you have been before the girlfriend told me (Who had gone a few times before me this was my first time) not much changes over the years. So its good for one visit! So if your in the area or dont mind the travel I say go for it!

    (4)

  • W S.

    It was a fun short tour of the factory AND you get a free sample at the end!

    (5)

  • Pauly C.

    It's pretty cool. Note on the weekends they do not make ice cream so you stair into big production rooms that are not doing anything. The tour is better depending on your guide. Dairy air....hahaha kills me

    (3)

  • James C.

    Save your 4 dollars for a scoop of ice cream, the tour consists of a cheesy 5 minute commercial, a viewing room of the plan and a sample of a new flavor. All in all about 30 min. There was a free yelp coupon that gives you a free tour but realized it after I checked in. It was a nice stop to check out their gift shops but as far as brand tours goes it was a little underwhelming

    (2)

  • Shannon G.

    This place was disappointing and boring ! The only thing good about this place is the free sample and the delicious smell.

    (2)

  • Bruce C.

    The tour started out with a short historical movie, and then moved into the production line where you could view how the ice cream is produced, followed by another short video. The best part of course was the ice cream sample at the end of the tour. While it was only $3 per adult, this was all kind of boring. I could maybe see kids enjoying this as the tour guide was kind of corny / childish, emphasizing the moooooing of the cows, but even they might get bored. The gift shop provided some nice souveniers and you could buy some ice cream, but there were no special flavors or anything, so it was no different than what your local grocery store carries. I would probably go again, just to say I was there, but other than that, don't go out of your way to plan your trip around it.

    (2)

  • Frank N.

    What a fun place to visit! plus you get to eat TONS of ice cream! Very cool place for adults and kids. Who doesn't like Ben & Jerrys ice Cream!

    (5)

  • Matt T.

    Pretty fun overall, the tour is a couple of bucks and pretty short. You get to see a quick movie (6 minutes) and see the production floor. The waits can be long and tickets for a showing can go quick but they your til late so if you have the time it's no issue. Very much geared towards kids but very fun.

    (4)

  • Richard J.

    We went on a non production day. The tour was still well done and my 12 yr old had fun. Your guide was fun. We did the deal with the Tshirt for 20 bucks. Recommended. Wonderful views!!!!

    (4)

  • Carolyn B.

    What a fun and informative tour of this Ben & Jerry's plant. They were making ice-cream and we got a very generous sampling of what they were making. Absolutely delicious! It's quite interesting to hear the background story about this company and how much they give back to their community. It was refreshing and uplifting. Highly recommend it!

    (4)

  • Michelle ..

    I was looking forward to this stop on our trip. However, after visiting the plant, I felt underwhelmed. We went here on a Thursday night; there was a decent crowd of us for the tour. The tour was $5. It featured a video and a stop at the top of the plant where you could view workers in the factory. At the end, we got to sample a flavor of the day (cheesecake). That was it. Meh. After the tour, we ended up spending $ on larger portions of ice cream. We also walked around the flavor graveyard, which was cute. The grounds here are lovely and are well-maintained. Here's my question...people visiting here are obviously going to buy ice cream cones/sundaes and spend money. WHY do people have to pay 5 bucks to go on the tour? If they're going to charge 5 bucks for the tour, I feel like you should get an "ice cream flight" and be able to sample a few ice cream flavors.

    (2)

  • Ingrid C.

    I think the key to having a successful trip here is managing expectations. It's a working factory, and they've done a good job turning the property into a compelling tourist destination. I would also suspect that it's more fun to visit on a weekday, or when the factory is actually operating (which is what I did). Having said that, it's a good place to spend an hour, not an afternoon. Pro tip: you get one free tour admission with a Yelp check-in. For me, this meant I had a free mini scoop of ice cream for breakfast. (Don't judge.) You can also get a free admission by buying a t-shirt beforehand (they combine this into some sort of value pack). There's a playground out back so kids can work through that sugar high, and the Flavor Graveyard was fun to look at, but surprisingly small. My tour flavor was Strawberry Blitz - strawberry ice cream with white chocolate bits. I like those things, but I'm sure chocolate people would've been disappointed. It definitely seemed like more of a tame flavor.

    (4)

  • Beth L.

    This place is awesome. We went on a 4pm tour with Bob and he was very funny and entertaining. We learned all about the history and the social message that the company promotes and of course we got to sample free ice cream, we had triple caramel crunch and it was delicious!! We also got in free with our Yelp check in!!!

    (5)

  • James H.

    Like most factory tours, Ben & Jerry's involves a movie about the history of the company, a great deal of displays of old marketing and packaging and newspaper clippings, and most importantly, a free sample of product at the end. The movie itself was pretty informative and entertaining (with the small bonus of being subtitled for my mother, who prefers to read captions to help her English). Because we took the tour on the Fourth of July, the factory portion was not operating, sadly, but our tour guide explained (with the help of another movie) the basic details of ice cream production. Unlike, say, the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, however, it's not exactly all-you-can-eat/drink here. Despite what some other reviewers have stated, we did receive a pretty sizable scoop of ice cream, and in spite of the large crowds, our tour guide urged us to go back for seconds and thirds (noting that she gets three pints for each day she works--this may or may not be exaggeration). There's the requisite gift shop, and of course there's an ice cream shop. Ben and Jerry's Factory Tour is of particularly great value if you're into social media--with their current specials with Yelp and Foursquare checkins, my family was able to score four tour tickets for $3.

    (4)

  • Steve S.

    Next time you are cruising through Vermont scoping out some fall foliage, be sure to swing by the Ben and Jerry's ice cream plant. It is a neat little factory that has all sorts of B&J related items in their store, as well as a fully loaded ice cream shop attached to it. The tour is fine. It is really quick. 6 minute video; 10 min to have tour of how ice cream is made, then sample. The sample is a good size. Many licks and if you are not an ice cream slob, more than enough of a sample to get your fix. They make it fun going as well. The lady leading our tour had a great personality. At the end she said the flavor we would be trying was broccoli and cheddar with kidney beans. The kids all moaned and groaned. Then she said she was kidding and it turned out to be triple caramel. I am not a huge caramel fan, but this was good. Rich and really creamy. Two important tips for the tour: 1) BE SURE TO CHECK IN ON YELP TO GET A FREE TOUR PASS (SAVE $4 DOLLARS PER TICKET) 2) BE SURE TO STAND IN THE FRONT OF THE SAMPLE ROOM. PEOPLE WILL KNOCK YOU OUT OF THE WAY TO GET AT THE SAMPLES. THERE IS ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE PEOPLE, AFTER ALL, IT IS THE FACTORY.

    (4)

  • Graham H.

    Perfect for toddlers and kids. Just 10 minutes off the highway when traveling from Boston to Lake Champlain.

    (3)

  • Dexter V.

    Seriously everyone has to come and visit this place at least once. The tour is a must and for $4 a pop its a steal. They take you on a guided tour, with a very knowledgeable staff member, on a step by step process of how they make their ice cream. My ADHD usually prevents me from paying attention to a tour guide for more than 1 minute but I actually paid attention for the whole half hour! And then they end it with a FREE SAMPLE! They had one flavor to try that day (sad face) but I took more than one sample (haha jokes on you Ben & Jerry!) cause I'm just awesome! The employees were cute and I even had a chance to give 'em just Jersey lovin! Any-who I was still so craving some Ben & Jerry's after the tour that I had to have more, and luckily they have a store that serves up some fresh ice cream outside. Gift shop is kind of expensive but hey I had to buy myself a souvenir (total tourist shame!). Anyways come and experience why Ben & Jerry's is one of the best ice cream around. Just don't say you're a fan of Haagen Dazs!

    (4)

  • Marin C.

    It was interesting to see the work and learn about the steps involved in getting ice cream from cow to supermarket freezer. I appreciate the different aspects of their business model- quality/taste/social responsibility. The gift store is lots of fun also. My mother and I did the tour while my dad waited outside. Tour is short-ish, doable for kiddos. The sample at the end was pumpkin on our visit, yummy! I think it was 4$ for adults, my momma got me the 20 dollar one that includes a t-shirt. I paid her back, but I kinda love my purple t-shirt with cows on it. Good times.

    (4)

  • Sam N.

    We specifically came here for the tour of the Ben & Jerry's Factory. We learned that the plant was not running because they stop production on weekends. For $4 you get a movie of the company's history, quick tour of the icecream making process (you don't actually go into the plant but you see through the window of what the machines look like, and at the end get decent size scoop of icecream. We got a sample of the Blueberry icecream with dark chocolate chips (I hope this one makes the cut because it was delicious!) That's about it... they do serve Ben & Jerry's icecream outside and there were some specials, so be on the lookout for that. Overall, a fun experience if you have never done it but we would probably not come back for a second visit.....

    (4)

  • Chris F.

    Meh, The tour was underwhelming and overpriced. They show you a boring video about the history and bring you into one small room where you can only see some of the equipment from high up. Dont go on the weekend because nothing is happening and no work is going on... At the end they give you a shotglass size of some random ice cream flavor that may or may not be good... So basically your paying 4$ for a shotglass of ice cream. This place could potentially be a decent stop if they at least let you try a few flavors of different ice cream at the end of the tour. For example the sam adams brewery tour lets your try 4-5 different flavors and the tour is FREE (they only require a donation to a charity) Even if they sold ice cream/sundays at a discount out front or gave you a huge serving. But even the ice cream out front is over priced just like the pints are! Even more-so because at 5$ a pint at least your getting a PINT! the ice cream at hte window is like a 1/3rd of a pint for 4$... In all honestly unless you happen to be in Waterbury VT for some unknown reason this place is not worth the stop. Thinking back on it, this factory tour actually made me dislike Ben and Jerry's because they seem all about the $$ and dont even give a discount at their Factory tour...

    (1)

  • Clyde R.

    I've been a fan of Ben & Jerry's for a while now. Their factory is next to Stowe in the sleeping town of Waterbury. It's definitely worth visiting if you're in the area. On the factory site, is a large ice cream stand, a gift shop, factory tours, a kiddie-area where kids can play, benches and swings strategically set here and there that offer great views of the green mountains in the distance, and a flavor graveyard in the back. Sure, some of you may be wondering how an adult male, like myself, can get worked-up over visiting an ice cream factory, especially one so far from home. It's just nice being there. It's relaxing and peaceful - even when there are lots of kids making some serious noise and making mischief in the kiddie-area. There are some flavors that are offered at the factory in Vermont that I can't find on the West Coast, such as Mountain Blueberry. This has got to be my all time favorite Ben & Jerry's flavor. But, it's not available here in California. It's creamy and rich and has that tart and tangy and subtly sweet flavor of blueberry that I crave. I hope the Mountain Blueberry never makes it to the flavor graveyard. That would pretty much kill it for me.

    (4)

  • Benjamin C.

    If this were free it would be 3-4 stars. Corny short movie, decent window view of packaging line, and maybe a 1/3-cup sample - which was delicious! But $4? That's absurd. Should be free. $1 token fee max. Yes, I got in free with Yelp, but many in my group didn't. Wise up, Ben & Jerry's. I love your ice cream, but this tour was negative PR as far as I'm concerned.

    (1)

  • Rebecca G.

    I took my family (husband, kids, parents) to tour the factory, and we all had a great time! The tour was quick enough to keep the kids' attention and interesting enough to keep the adults' attention. The cost was super reasonable ($4 for adults, $3 for seniors, kids free). In addition to the tour, there is a flavor graveyard, a scoop shop, a large playground, and a fun free art activity. We loved it!

    (5)

  • M A.

    There isn't much out here, but if you're passing through or visiting in Vermont, you can't pass up the Ben & Jerry's tour. What's that? You're lactose intolerant? Take a Lactaid and go - seriously, it's that amazing. The very idea of a tour may sound boring, but the guides keep it fun and interesting the entire time. The facilities looked extremely clean and it was good to find out that B&J's tries to get local Vermont milk from the farmers in the area to make their ice cream if at all possible. Supporting local farms and making great ice cream? B&J's is my hero! That's not all you get on this tour, though. You get a sample of ice cream too! My group was lucky enough to try an unreleased flavor at the time - creme brulee. Creamy vanilla ice cream laced with crispy brown sugar that all melted in your mouth and left you in a diabetic coma... mmmmmmmmmmm... Super fun and a total road trip stop if you're in the northeast! I did mention you get a big sample of ice cream at the end and the chance to pop through a giant purple slide and pose with fake trippy cows, right?

    (4)

  • Rick S.

    Fun for the kids, fun for the adults. Tour was definitely informational and short but sweet.

    (4)

  • Jennifer H.

    So fun! Cute little tour and delicious ice cream afterward. Had a great time!

    (5)

  • Naoyuki T.

    I cannot believe that, you go to Ben and Jerry's and leave anything other than 4 or 5 star review. Boston has quite a few good ice cream shops in town, and all of it very good. At the mother ship of Ben and Jerry's, the premium ice cream is fluffy and yummy, especially the samples at the end of tour. (It's very different from your local super market pints.) For people with weight problem, it's a guilty pleasure. There aren't many ice cream shops better than Ben and Jerry's but there are some, so I cannot give it 5 stars. (like Toscanini, Harrol's, etc.) Tour is not worth $3 admission but it's fun to know what goes into your pint.

    (4)

  • Soren C.

    Good tour but costs 4 dollars. Since it is basically free advertising, it should be free.

    (1)

  • Doris W.

    You may kill me for this, but I'm not a fan of ice cream. I like ice cream, but I don't LOVE it. But our trip to Vermont wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Ben and Jerry's factory. By the parking lot, you'll find the flavor graveyard. I assumed it would be much larger but it was awesome to see what flavors didn't survive. I've only heard of a few and there were others that sounded awesome. Why didn't I know about those flavors back then? Plus, what were people thinking?! It was actually busy for a Friday afternoon. Lots of families with kids so if you're not into that type of atmosphere, well, that's too bad for you. We paid $3 for the factory tour which I thought was a great price. Our group was very boring. When our guide told people to moooove forward and no one budged. So the guide had to convince people he was serious and people eventually mooooved. Gees. My friend told me that the guy next to her was talking on the contrary whenever the guide asked if we were having fun, etc. Definitely not worthy of the tour and sample. The tour begins with a film of the history of Ben and Jerry. You can tell it was made sometime in the 90s but it was very informative. Next, we went to see the production site which was SMALL. I can't believe a plant that size produces all those flavors. Must be a very efficient system they have going on. It was awesome seeing the production in action. Definitely worth checking out. At the end, we get to sample whatever flavor they choose. Our group got to sample the Chocowlate Chip which is vanilla ice cream with cow-shaped chocolate chips. It was really good and the samples were actually generous. It's a great way to sucker people into buying more ice cream at the scoop shop afterward, which was what we did. Instead of going with a small cup of one flavor, I got suckered into getting 3 for $3. I got the Boston Cream, Coconut Seven Layer, and Peanut Brittle. The Boston Cream was actually disappointing because I thought it would have been better if they used a fudge swirl instead of flakes. The Coconut Seven Layer wasn't bad but something tasted weird about it. The Peanut Brittle was actually good. Loved the saltiness of it. Maybe having all three flavors in one cup wasn't a good idea but I was so full that I wasted it. Next time, a kiddie cup. Definitely make the visit to the factory if you're in the area (especially on a weekday when they're in production). I'm very happy we did despite the sugar overload.

    (4)

  • Len S.

    Interesting factory tour and you get to sample some as well. Always fun seeing how things are made, especially if you have some kids in tow. Flavor graveyard is a "must-see" up the hill from the factory. Very funny to see/read the tombstones. Definitely stop here if you are in the area!

    (3)

  • Pamela A.

    Its all about the ice cream - In terms of getting an education on the manufacturing process, the tour is not very good.Its pretty quick and they don't go too far into detail. But I don't think anyone visiting this place is there to really learn about how Ben & Jerry's makes their ice cream. The tour itself is not very insightful, nor educational. Its not even entertaining. The tour guides are local teenagers who are in obvious pain from having to actually work! Sacre bleu! Our tour guides were clearly not that into their jobs but who cares?!? You get FREE ice cream at the end. That is the only reason we were really there - ice creams, corny jokes, and novelty photo ops. Oddly enough after seeing how they mix in the flavorings into the ice cream, the batch of cookie dough ice cream I got had NO cookie dough in it! Whatev! I still love Ben & Jerry's and it was awesome to visit the mothership!

    (3)

  • Ryan K.

    My family drove up here from Boston on Memorial Day weekend. We thought the lines would have been ridiculous and were a little worried about being able to do the tour. However, the tour was still running, and the lines were not that bad. They really know what they are doing. I only gave it 3/5 stars because I really dont think the drive was worth it. This is a good stop if you are driving from Boston to Burlington or Montreal though.... Just not a good day trip... kinda disappointing in that sense.

    (3)

  • Kelly C.

    $3 for a tour and a hefty sample? Yes please! A fun stop if you are in the area, and you can taste the newest flavors not even out on the market yet! We missed the winter festival by a day, but they were carving ice out front, which was a little bonus! i also love how socially conscience they are at B&J!

    (5)

  • Ann T.

    Short, sweet (haha jokes) tour with a free ice cream sample. We sadly went on a weekend when they don't make ice cream, but it was still a fun thing to do for a half hour. Surprisingly, though, the ice cream shop at the factory doesn't have all the newest flavors! Weird.

    (4)

  • Lucy W.

    Many a stop here while traversing I-89...who doesn't need an ice cream break while on a road trip? Factory tour is just ok- we all know we go here for the ice cream and the Ben-and-Jerry-experience- get your tie-dye t-shirt and Vermont souvenirs in the gift shop, buy a waffle cone and enjoy the surroundings. Love the flavor graveyard- I always visit the White Russian head stone.

    (4)

  • Jason G.

    Good tour and ice cream at the end. Also close to a micro brew if you like IPAs

    (4)

  • eric v.

    Like a lot of places in Vermont, this place looks like it hasn't been updated since 1985. The propaganda movie looks like something I saw in grade school on an overhead projector and the walls and murals were probably cool during the Reagan administration. I wouldn't make a special trip to this place but if you happen to be in area it might be worth $4 if it's not too crowded which it often is for some reason.

    (2)

  • Solomon C.

    Take what you want from this review. Pay $3 and wait for your tour to start. Tours are every 10 minutes, you can be waiting 30-40 minutes depending on how busy it is. The tour lasted a whole 10 minutes, it went like this: 1-watch a video on the history of two men named Ben and Jerry from Long Island, NY 2-walk up into a room that has large windows that overlooks the manufacturing room and see automated machines spitting out pints of ice cream (3-5 minutes here) 3-walk downstairs into another room and get 1 scoop of whatever is being made that day. Tour Ends Here. You determine how far you want to drive for that.

    (3)

  • Mimi S.

    I gave it 4 stars just because you get to taste free Ben & Jerry's ice cream during your visit. Other than that, the tour is just okay. LOCATION: Easy to find. The drive is about half an hour from Burlington, VT. Visitors park free at a gravel-filled lot beside the factory. The factory isn't humongous. I've been there twice, both during the winter months so I cannot speak on how much crowded it can be during the warmer months. The facility is small & the tour is short-- senior-friendly and kid-friendly. It's best to VISIT during the weekdays when the manufacturing lines are in progress and you can watch the workers in action from above. (Photographs aren't allowed up there.) Otherwise, you settle for a quiet view of the work area and a video to explain how the ice cream is made and packed. ADMISSION isn't expensive and when you're lucky, you might arrive on days when they have festivals and so admission is free. Factory STAFF are friendly and helpful. There are lots of seats & tables for people who want to eat and rest. And during the warmer months, kids can play in an outdoor playground (by the parking lot). Try asking for "fresh-from-the-line" ice cream (ice cream before it's sent to the freezers) and you will definitely be a bigger fan of Ben & Jerry's. MOO! Last visit: 2/08

    (4)

  • Dan M.

    Total tourist trap. Really kind of ironic if you choose to think about it. But we had a good time. Our tour guide, Owen, was very friendly and endearingly geeky and did a good job explaining the production process. You get to sample the latest flavor at the end of the tour, so that's cool. I would not call this a must-visit, but if you like Ben & Jerry's and don't mind capitalism for the sake thereof, there are worse ways to spend your time/money.

    (4)

  • Sha L.

    Unfortunately, I would love to give 4 stars for Ben & Jerry's story, but I was left disappointed when I found out they no longer own the company. We actually were visiting Maine and decided to take a drive out to Vermont. We made a few other stops so we really didn't mind driving 2 1/2 hours (one way). The atmosphere was like you stepped right into a carton of their ice cream. Very colorful and cartoon like. Although, the staff's delivery of "Moo" jokes weren't as bright. "Ready to start the moo-vie..." But, like I said, the Ben & Jerry story was fun to listen to and enjoy a free scoop of the Oatmeal Cookie Dough ice cream. They had this fantastic monster bucket for sale, but unfortunately there were only two of us that actually like ice cream. Much too big for us to handle. We ended our factory tour with the grave yard of retired flavors. Pretty amusing. Would only recommend if you're in the area.

    (3)

  • Jesse R.

    If you like Ben & Jerry's it's a must. Also they did film a scene of Me, Myself & Irene here. The tour is fun & informative oh yeah don't forget the free samples.

    (4)

  • Kim M.

    Our tour guide was great. We loved the history and taste test. The flavor graveyeard was very funny. We enjoyed ourselves and would recommend it to anyone.

    (4)

  • Lily C.

    Love this place! Came here for the factory tour and it was just awesome. Our tour guide was Blaire (spelling?) he just made it a really fun experience and I even got to eat ice cream off the factory line which was amazing. It is like the best ice cream you ever tasted. At a perfect 22 degrees it is just perfect.

    (5)

  • Austin B.

    I freaking love ice cream. Also, their flavor graveyard is awesome.

    (5)

  • Cathy S.

    Considering you're paying $3 for a tour, it's not very interesting. You basically just watch a couple of VIDEOS and get to see the factory floor from above. Then you get your little sample of ice cream. And that's it. I know that they must get a ton of visitors every day, but it was such an impersonal tour that I felt like I was on some ride at a theme park. I've been to other smaller (and free) tours of breweries, chocolatiers, and candymakers where you really feel like you're getting a sneak peek of what goes on behind the scenes. Because of this, I guess I may have had higher expectations. The flavor graveyard was cute, but kind of hokey. Sadly, the best part of the tour was crawling through a little children's hole to get from the tasting room to the hallway--and that's just because it was ridiculous to see my adult friends and I act like fools in public! Overall, if you're REALLY close by, then I would say go ahead and spend half an hour here, but I wouldn't make the trip out just for this.

    (2)

  • Paul H.

    While I was SUPER EXCITED about this leg of our Vermont trip, I have to say that I was under-whelmed by the factory tour...despite the free ice cream at the end. I would have liked something more than a brief video that essentially recaps the information presented in the entry hall followed by a brief walk across a sky-bridge over the factory floor. It all seemed very quick and a little lifeless. Maybe I had different expectations of life at the Ben & Jerry's plant...as if it would be something similar to the acid-trip of a factory tour shown in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Stupid corporate America. As expected, the ice cream was good. The company store was also interesting - who knew they had so many knick-knacks with their logo on it??? Sadly, the flavor graveyard was closed for the winter (all of the tomb stone were gone and we were left with a muddy field.) If we weren't going this way already, I'm not sure if I would have made the trip.

    (3)

  • kathleen c.

    It's worth a visit just to learn about their business practices (which they are intentionally transparent about) and their social and environmental goals. I love that they support small, local farmers to raise cows the right (and normal!) way, I love their funky names, I love the fact that the founders were deadbeats and med school rejects. I was under the impression that there were free samples galore, but there was just one. It was AMAZING--Chocolate Therapy is a definite must-try!!--but greedy me wanted more!! The flavor graveyard makes you wonder why some flavors got retired, or why they even bothered in the first place (sweet potato ice cream? blech!), but is kind of fun to look through.

    (4)

  • carrie s.

    You jut have to go. You get to taste new flavors, hear the story of how they started. The tour is worth it. The flavor graveyard is just fun.

    (5)

  • Ramzi B.

    The girl and I decided to visit on our way from Montreal to Boston. I don't know why, but I was expecting a fairly long tour of the property with lots of fun, insider-y information. Instead, for $3, we got a quick glimpse of a surprisingly underwhelming ice cream manufacturing facility, an overly-brief synopsis of how the ice cream is made, and a small sample of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream. Don't get me wrong, it was completely worth the $3, but I was a bit surprised to find out how little there was to do at this place. A few notes: there is no photography allowed in the manufacturing portion of the tour. A bummer considering this was the coolest part but understandable nonetheless. Also, the flavor samples vary day-to-day based on what they're making. Definitely worth checking out if it's on your way to somewhere cooler, but I couldn't imagine driving out of your way JUST to visit this factory. This is just one of those places that are worth going to just to be able to say "I've been there."

    (3)

  • John M.

    C'mon - do you really need a review of this place? Let me make it abundantly clear - it is EXACTLY what you expect it to be. 100%, no deviation. The ice cream is silly good. Awesome, in fact. And there are all kinds of liberal environmental, social conscience, do-gooder messages everywhere you look. There are videos to pelt you with guilt over your comfortable life. Yet...there's the unmistakable taint of "evil capitalism" everywhere. These guys are capitalists at heart - and I'm good with that. The "help the world, help everybody, etc." message is there but it is clearly subservient to the "make money b/c we are a business" approach. Again...I'm good with that. Just go in with your eyes open and you'll get it. Just realize it is about fun and making money. And the spilled ice cream containers they have (you'll see them if you look in the gift shop) are spectacularly well done. Oh, and if you think you can blame "big corporate America" for buying them out and making them want to suck the money out of your wallet, you also don't get it. They've always wanted to do that. As you might expect by now...good with that, am I (Yoda agrees, too). Oh yeah - if you're expecting a "power tour" you are not getting it. It is a rather nothing tour that comes with ice cream samples - and that is the real deal. Why 4 stars? I'd feel guilty for giving such a capitalistic enterprise 5 stars when other companies are out there that can't even get 2. (That's a joke for those of you in Port St. Lucy unable to get your nuggets).

    (4)

  • Sarah H.

    It is the Ben & Jerry's Factory! They have a whole cool area outside where you can eat and do activities (or let you kids do them). It's easy to get to and of course - tons of parking. The tour is cool seeing everything that has to happen to make one of their little yummy cartons of heaven. Once when we were there this humongous woman kinda pushed my kid aside as she went up for a 2nd sample. Hey lady - there's a couple counters out front if you have money. You can of course buy cones there but the absolute coolest thing is the gift shop. As many know this is a very eco, earth 1st, Vermont cows for the milk, green kinda company. The gift shop is full of stuff they have purchased from villagers around the world. There are families in 3rd world countries living a better life cuz you just bought their rainmaker, doll, nick knack, etc. Go and check it out at least once in your life.

    (5)

  • Lauren R.

    This tour is really a waste of time. Park, check out the Flavor Graveyard, buy some chatskis in the gift shop if that's your thing, and then keep moving.

    (2)

  • Bob C.

    We last visited the area in 2002/2003 and sadly to say the tour hasn't changed much in 7+ years. There is a minimal charge of $3 for ages 12 and up. Assume this pays for sample plus salary of tour members. However I don't believe this is a good value. You start off with a short witty presentation of how Ben and Jerry got started with the company (with a bit of propaganda thrown in). I don't remember the presentation but wife said it is the same one from our last visit. Then they take you to a room over looking the factory. The host goes so fast explaining things (which is coordinated with a movie that for the average person it is difficult to understand how icecream gets made). Also because you are high up and crowded its difficult to see anything. Also nothing about quality control was mentioned. In the past the tour guide went slower and gave a better description than the movie. The sampling room has only one sample now. Back in 2003 there was 2. No spoons available either so everyone is sticky at the tours end. I also found the ticket taker and presenter to be a bit unfriendly (more smiles needed please) and the whole tour a bit rushed. Ben & Jerry's is a fun place but the whole tour needs to be revamped to focus more on ice cream production. I didn't learn a thing.

    (2)

  • Emily B.

    I was very excited to go to Ben and Jerry's and learn about the ice ream making process. It's a short tour that's lasts about 20 minutes or so and costs $3. If you do not want to do the tour you could have some ice cream there instead for the $3 dollars but its was interesting to see the factory and they showed a short film about how Ben and Jerry met and how they came to make ice cream. I know some people are disappointed that Ben and Jerry are no longer working the everyday operations but come on , it's called retirement! The shop is great there many cool things to buy for ice cream lovers. Ceramic B&J pint holders (so ur hands don't get cold) , umbrellas, bumper stickers, toothpick holders , magnets, and my personal favorite ice cream flavored lip balms in a mini pint container. SO CUTE! I did miss out however on the ice cream flavor graveyard. It was closed that day due to the rain. This graveyard has tombstones for all the flavors that they no longer make.

    (3)

  • Tolga E.

    The original hippy ice cream. This is the Ben & Jerry's mothership. And if you have kids (unlike myself), it's a fantastic stop in the middle of Vermont. Endless ice-cream, a psychodelic acid trip of a factory tour, and lots of ice cream. Of course, a billion screaming kids getting high of the sugar that has seemingly dissolved into the air and is being snorted like a never-ending pre-adult caffeine high makes things difficult for those who visit without families (and those who do, for that matter). But, when in Vermont, you gotta do this. Extra kudos to the "flavor graveyard". They have a fenced-off section over by the parking lot where dead ex-flavors lie complete with headstones bearing the descriptions of their experimental flavor and a witty, poetic verse about their demise. Pretty awesome.

    (4)

  • Julian S.

    this was an alright place to check out on a rainy day. i remember coming here when i was much younger and it was much bigger to me back then. the tour was nice, the guy was knowledgeable, and the free ice cream was nice. however, buying ice cream a the scoop shop was a ripoff; just try to eat as much free ice cream as you can!

    (3)

  • Thomas D.

    OK, it is a tourist trap. But it is a nice tourist trap. Everyone was friendly and we got to try some cool ice cream.

    (4)

  • Kelly G.

    Ben & Jerry's Factory is a go-to spot for taking out of town guests-- especially if said guests have kids-- but not exclusively. I've taken pretty much every member of my family and many of my friends. It's a neat little piece of Vermontia and you get free ice cream at the end. There are some cheesy parts about it, but mostly it's good, clean fun. Be sure to poke around in the flavor graveyard before you leave. It's one of my favorite parts. Also, if you happen to be there on free cone day, it's one of the shorter lines in the state. But speaking of lines-- on the weekend in the summer it can be super swamped, so plan accordingly.

    (4)

  • TJ F.

    I don't understand why this is the top destination in Vermont. I love ice cream and am a huge Ben & Jerry's fan not only for their ice cream but also for their philosophies, but this factory tour was very disappointing. It's really just a sales pitch. The tour is short and really only gives you one overhead look at a room in the plant, but you can't actually see what's going on. The graveyard was a creative idea, but not up to the hype. We regretted going out of our way to visit.

    (2)

  • S W.

    Such a fun thing to take the kids to do if you are in the area. Very interesting hearing the background on the compnay and they did a great job with activities while you wait for your tour. If you are waiting for your tour and you are hungry TRY the stone fired pizza they make it right in front of you... seriously the best pizza ever. Back to the icecream... yes it is soooo good. I have been grocery shopping a few times since going here and have only purchased ben and jerrys since, each family member has a requested flavor now haha

    (4)

  • Amanda S.

    This place is so much fun! When we decided to vacation in Vermont, this was definitely at the top of our list. The tour was interesting, although short, and we got to taste test a new flavor. Make sure you stop by the flavor graveyard -- too funny!!

    (5)

  • Gregory R.

    We're factory tour people. Unfortunately, this hardly qualifies as a tour. It's more of a marketing experience that they trick people into paying for. Dude, at least give me $3 worth of ice cream. If you want a real factory tour, head to Otter Creek/Wolaver's brewery over in Middlebury. They do this crazy thing where you actually get to go in to the factory.

    (2)

  • Chika K.

    omg when you think of a free sample you would think something small.... not here! again being in the waterbury vt area stop on by here... and thanks to yelp i got a free tour!!! you get to see the background story of ben and jerry's and how they came to be. it is just a wonderful tour and oh the sample is the size of a one big scoop of ice cream! they will tell you what has nuts and peanuts in it which is a big help for me!!!

    (5)

  • Sara S.

    Based on their gift shop and ice cream store alone, the Ben & Jerry's factory is pretty great. So much Ben & Jerry's random paraphernalia like shirts, hats, magnets, mugs with utters, and other stuff you certainly don't need but have to get at least one because you just have to show off you visited the Ben & Jerry's factory! The ice cream is just like plain ol' B&J goodness. I got a Half Baked frozen yogurt shake which was delicious. They had nearly every flavor imaginable and were more than happy to offer multiple samples! I wouldn't make the Ben & Jerry's factory a destination, but if you're in the area, you have to stop!

    (4)

  • Kimberli M.

    We took the 30 minute tour of the facility to see how it all works...although sadly our visit coincided with the OSHA safety training day (which they didn't tell us before we bought the tickets and I think they should have.) That said, our tour guide was good and they provided fun videos with more info as we went through the facility. The tour ends with a sample taste. Yum! From there we walked over to the Flavor Graveyard... I needed a moment to pay tribute to the best flavor ever made...and sadly discontinued Dastardly Mash.

    (4)

  • Dana B.

    Pretty much everything about Ben and Jerry is awesome. Their ice cream, their committment to social change, the hard work and dedication they put in to make their business successful. Add their ice cream tour on top of that. For a measly $3, you get to tour their facilities in Waterbury, VT - their first factory, which still turns out barrels of two flavors a day. The tour contains a short video and then observing where the ice cream is made. On the weekdays you'll actually see people churning out ice cream and on weekends they show you a video of how its all done. Either way, you still get to see where the magic happens. After, they put out a tray of samples and you are encouraged to eat as many as you can, because you can't leave until they're all gone. My friend and I each put away two awesome samples of Strawberry Shortcake - worth the $3 alone!!

    (4)

  • K S.

    This was an exciting stop for us on our Vermont vacation! it was relatively quick and with the $5 tour, you get a free sample (single scoop) of the flavor of the day. if you're in the area and need something fun to do, do this!

    (4)

  • Jeffrey K.

    Come on, what is better than a tour of an ice cream plant, followed by free samples? Mind you the tour used to be better in its days before Ben & Jerry sold out to Unilever -- although it has not changed drastically, it was -- in my opinion -- a better tour back in the day. It is still fun for both the young and old, and the samples are still plentiful in the tasting room at the end of the tour (they generally do offer up two flavors). And of course they have a full ice cream shop downstairs if you have not gotten your fill on the tour itself. And there is there gift shop with plenty of great t-shirts, stuffed animals, coffee mugs and other housewares. Don't miss the Ben & Jerry's flavor graveyard -- where flavors such as Purple Passion Fruit, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Economic Crunch, etc. -- go to rest in peace. They also have a great little playground nearby for the kiddies (just off the parking lot). And lastly, if you are vacationing in the during the summer, generally on Saturdays, they have a free outdoor showing of a major motion picture at the factory itself. Bring your own blankets and/or chairs to sit and enjoy movies al fresco. Check out their website for tour hours -- they vary depending upon the time of year. Cost: Adults: $3.00; Seniors $2.00; Children 12 & younger are free.

    (4)

  • Carrie L.

    For 3$, you get to take a glimpse inside the Ben & Jerry's factory. At first, you have to sit through a short video of the history of B&J. Then you walk in further into the factory where the whole ice-cream making process takes place. When I went there, they were cleaning up, so there wasn't much to see except for the machines that were used (around 4:30pm on friday). At the end of the tour, they gave out small samples of the new flavor of ice cream. The tour was cute. I guess I thought they would have specialty flavors that are not sold in local supermarkets but they are the same ones that we can normally get.

    (3)

  • James W.

    there is a heaven. and it's in waterbury, vermont. think about it. with a flood light behind them and you suffering the effects of a massive brain-freeze from scarfing down several pints of b&js, those nice folks in the white lab coats would look an awful lot like a choir of angels ( images.clipartof.com/sma… ). only these angels are (or were, when i was there) mixing caramelized sugar into custard-flavored ice cream and making creme brulee ice cream. and that's pretty heavenly stuff right there. a short tour for only $3 and you get to see the behind the scenes of the greatest little ice cream place on planet earth, learn about ben & jerry's 3 part mission statement - social, product & economic (surprisingly different from my 3 part plan - make ice cream; take over world; rule with iron fist), and it all comes with a free sample at the end. well, actually, at the end there's a gift shop, but you get a free sample second-to-the-end. take a short walk up behind the factory and check out the flavor graveyard. chunky monkey (a college mainstay for me), white russian (actually drove up the price of kahlua), holy cannoli . . . ::sniff:: . . . they're all here. resting peacefully. pour out a little milk for your homies. if you find yourself in the area and you like ice cream, ben & jerry's is definitely worth a detour.

    (4)

  • Michelle S.

    Awesome! Can dye your own shirt for $12 - very cool! Lots to look at and very interesting history. A great company founded by great people, supporting the community, environment and their happy employees. This is how a successful business stays successful! Way to go guys. Oh - and the Chocolate Therapy cone was de-lish!!!

    (5)

  • James W.

    A great place for everyone. Not only is the tour free with a Yelp check-in, but the guides are very well-informed, play off each other well, and take the time to answer all the questions. A plus are the large grounds, with plenty of walking around to be done, and the "Graveyard" where retired flavors are buried, complete with lyrical headstones. A definite place to stop by if traveling through, or as a yearly excursion for locals.

    (4)

  • Dale C.

    Is it worth driving all the way across New England? Yes! It's not a long tour and not a large gift shop, but you really have to love the corny jokes and the flavor graveyard. The best part is the excuse to have more than one ice cream cone. After all, this is the REAL Ben & Jerry's!!

    (4)

  • Brian C.

    Stopped in here for a tour. $3 gets you through the door to see a 6 minute movie and some sights. Free ice cream at the end. If you are a B&J fanatic, it is definitely worth seeing how it works and sample some ice cream while you are at it.

    (3)

  • John O.

    Amazing! Who doesn't love Ben and Jerry's?

    (5)

  • Andrew K.

    The brand that the company has maintained, even though they were bought by Unilever, is amazing and magical. It's the Disney of ice cream. The tour was fun, and done by a local teenager who knew (seemingly) everything there was to know about the ice cream making process. We even spoke with one of the gift shop girls about the "3 pints a day" that employees get when the plant is operating, and she said that her mom bought an extra freezer just for the overflow ice cream. My favourite flavour is Peanut Butter Chocolate and Claire's is Peanut Butter Cookie Dough. Orange Cream and Chocolate Mint Chunk were also good. Strawberry is tasty, but what you'd expect. We had so much fun. Make sure you get a souvenir!

    (5)

  • Sarah M.

    I'm not a huge ice cream fan, so I may be biased, but I know a good factory tour when I see one, despite the product they're making. This is not a good tour. Jelly Belly, Celestial Seasonings, Chateau Ste Michelle winery, (I can go on and on I love tours)-great tours-free, free samples (all you can eat/drink), informative, longer than 5 minutes, led by actual guides. Ben & Jerry's-not great tour-$3, one sample at the end that you do not get to choose, ours was Half Baked. (they do give you another option if you're allergic to anything in that one.) A video shown by an uninterested teen leading the tour, that hypes Ben and Jerry's to be this great philanthropic company with a great story-Ben and Jerry are not even involved in the company anymore, they sold out. Minus the videos and you're there for about 5 minutes. What a let down. Stop by if you're on your way to Stowe and want to kill a little time, but don't bother going out of your way. We went on the tour, and left immediately. This is not a destination.

    (2)

  • Peter A.

    i don't know how you give this place anything less than 5 stars but that's just me...its the BEN & JERRY'S FACTORY people, come on! we came in mid afternoon and got on a tour immediately. it was only $3 a person and i guess only downfall was they weren't making ice cream that day but not like we missed much. we still got the taste at the end (peppermint shtick). the main reason we wanted to go was for the Vermonster and boy we were not disappointed. i have never seen anything so glorious, and yea i know you can easily make it at home, but the atmosphere of being in the factory...people taking pictures of us...and our tour guide getting his next door to give us an applause was amazing. we finished it in 17 minutes between 5 people and i am happy to state that any day! go try it people!! so much fun!

    (5)

  • H L.

    We drove about 2 1/2 hours from northern MA to visit, and we were not disappointed in the least. We spent about two hours there. Factory tour was fun for both kids and adults - especially if you're interested in the history of B&J's. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and answered all of our inane questions. The free sample at the end of the tour was Late Night Snack, which we had never tried. We bought two pints later that week and introduced it to the rest of our family - they loved it! Flavor graveyard is clever. Take time to read the poems eulogizing the departed. Not exhaustive, so don't be disappointed if your favorite dead flavor isn't there. Picnic tables abound, which worked out well for us since we packed our lunch. Nice little playground for the kids to work off their sugar rush.

    (4)

  • Dora F.

    If you check in here on Yelp, or if you have a military ID, you get in free. I checked in and my husband has a military ID, so we took the tour for free. Our tour guide was really nice, but I think she may have had a cold or something -- she definitely seemed a little stuffy/out of it. It didn't really take away from the tour, but I did feel bad for her. We went on a Sunday, so the factory wasn't running, but it was cool to look down on the machines anyway. The free sample was yummy and there were extras so kids on the tour were able to get a second sample. The gift shop was the best part: I particularly liked the ice cream bread mix (though a bit pricey), Christmas ornaments, and interesting array of postcards. The flavor graveyard was also fun to visit, though it's not part of the tour -- just outside the factory, up the hill. I learned a lot about the company and its mission, so I'm glad I went, but I'm also glad I did it for free. I feel like $2-3 might be more reasonable.... but then again, Ben and Jerry's does strive to pay their workers a fair living wage, and $4 for a tour is probably what helps them do it!

    (4)

  • Tatiana D.

    One of the must see stops on our Burlington trip. It's fun for the whole family. In fact, I wish I had a child with me because they have a really cool playground and grass area to run around on but if you're an adult, the most you look forward to is the free ice cream sample. The tour is very short if you come on a weekend because they don't make ice cream on the weekend so you can't see the machines in action. The gift shop has cool stuff. It's fun to go to if you're a big Ben & Jerry's fan or if you have friends that are fans you can declare your bragging rights.

    (3)

  • Mike I.

    Before Ben and Jerry's was sold to Unilever, I really enjoyed the tour. Came back recently. The girl giving our tour lamented that she couldn't stand to watch the movie yet again and left during the showing. Then, she couldn't get the VCR to work in the observation deck and gave run down herself (despite that the production line was off that day for cleaning). Samples were, of course, good. Don't know if they still do this, but years ago, they used to lower a bucket down on a rope from the observation room and the workers would fill it with chilled, but not fully solid ice cream that they were making and send it back up for sampling. That was very cool. Now, not so much, but OK if you're driving by on the interstate and want a stop. I wouldn't drive out of my way again to do this.

    (2)

  • J. R. H.

    In the Transcontinental Ice Cream Safari of life, this is Mecca for all those who take their ice cream seriously. (Bias Spoiler -- Into the 2nd decade with mate successfully courted while visiting scoop shops out west in the late 80s.) I first came here back in '92 before the originators sold out years later. I will continue to recommend the pilgrimage here, as every year it gets a little better. The tours are first rate along with the ice cream. And tours end with plenty of samples--get tickets as soon as you arrive. Pack a lunch if you need more than ice cream to sustain yourself for a meal or two. The wooden bench swings atop the hill offer a nifty little view. And there's a decent playground for the young and young at heart. That said, I've had to tolerate a lot more commercialism than its proletariat soul first contained. Yet the original soul is still there. The B&Js workers there keep it real. They're making product that is part of their pay package--work there and you take pints home, but I digress. About the ice cream...still the best of the best and much has already been said. It's nice to know that things can be mass produced and still be done well. What I'll add here is a link to Cows on Prince Edwards Island--the Canadian Cousin of Ben & Jerry's...both are winners. I'll have to think back too much in the Flavor Graveyard for absolute favorites--Georgia Peach, Rainforest Crunch, Wild Maine Blueberry, Tennessee Mud...I could go on. Jamaica Me Crazy is the current favorite. More updates to come...

    (5)

  • Jessica J.

    peace + love + icecream I am a huge ben & jerry's fan. We were driving down Vermont from Canada on our way to Boston and I saw a note on the map "Waterbury home of Ben & Jerry's factory". I couldn't believe my luck. It was super crowded and we didn't have time for a tour (they were all sold out anyway) so we waited in the ridiculously long line for ice cream. Of course it was delicious, and they had a couple flavors I have not seen before; Coconut Seven Layer Cake and Peanut Butter Cookie Dough. Overall the experience was unimpressive, but I am glad I went.

    (3)

  • justin p.

    Yay! This was always a fun place to take out of town visitors. And it's such a pretty drive to Waterbury or Stowe or whatever. Haven't been since B and J was bought out... hope it is still as nice!

    (5)

  • Crissy H.

    This past Sunday, my boyfriend and I decided we would visit the Ben & Jerry's Factory while we were in Vermont for the day. I mean how could I pass this up?!?! I have never been to Vermont before and I love ice cream not to mention Ben & Jerry's ice cream...so this was a no brainer. We got there early in the morning, so there was basically no line for the tour. The tour is about a half an hour. The tour is basically cut into three parts. First part - They bring you into a room where you watch a 7 minute video on the history of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Second part - They bring you into the upper deck of the actual factory and describe how a typical week at the factory plays out. Since it was Sunday there was no one there that were actually making ice cream, but if you are lucky enough to go during the week you can see them at work. Third Part (AKA the best part) - Sampling of the ice cream. Now of course I couldn't just stop with one sample, I had to get a huge scoop, okay okay double scoop of phish food ice cream in a homemade waffle cone. It was delicious. The ice cream tasted like it was extra creamy/smooth and was much much richer than it the store. Not to mention they do not skimp on the ice cream. They gave us so much that I was not able to eat the whole thing. I had to have my boyfriend help me out...now that is something you don't ever see happening!!!! After you get your ice cream you can walk around the graveyard were they have all the retired ice cream flavor or you can go look around their gift shop which is very unique. I usually don't buy anything in gift shops but I couldn't pass up buying a lip balm that looks like a mini pint of chocolate chip cookie dough. This place was defiantly someplace I wouldn't mind visiting again!

    (5)

  • David A.

    fun. filled with free ice cream and interesting tid-bits about the company and process.

    (4)

  • Robert K.

    Great for the whole family. If you use Foursquare you get in free!

    (5)

  • Tom E.

    B&Js is all about the flavours. In the Western world, the delicious ice cream creations that emanate from this small countryside factory hold their own in both popularity and sales with the Nestle's corporate monster - Haagen Dazs. How do they do this? With the super-sweet, fun, imaginative (and occasionally over-egged) flavours. And where better to go to taste the latest flavours? Right to the cow's udder of course - to B&Js FACTORY. Yay!! I didn't take the tour but had a good look around the gift shop, read the history and tasted two of the newies - "Bananas on The Rum" and the wonderful "Pumpkin Cheesecake". This would be a great place to bring the kids and makes a good detour if you're up here leaf-peeping, skiing or just driving through. I'll risk a riot by saying I prefer HD ice cream any day (the purity!) but I loved looking at all the B&Js flavours, especially the celebrity-endowed ones. A great game to play is trying to guess what famous person will get a flavour next. I'm thinking Al Gore has a shot... but what flavour would he get??

    (4)

  • John N.

    Not sure why we want to the Ben & Jerry ice cream plant but I guess why not. The line was pretty long so we had to wait 45min for the next tour. Meanwhile I order a couple of ice cream cones to eat there. I got the cherry garica and the peanut butter cookie dough. Normally I just like the classic but I say why not. The ice cream was ok but their were ALOT of touist and I can't believe so many people love Ben & Jerry. The tour cost $3 each plus you get a small sample of the ice cream they make that day. This whole tour remind me of the Magic Hat Brewery Company tour. Overall it was ok, nothing special but if u need to waste a hr of your life then u should go check it out.

    (3)

  • Darby T.

    Drove an hour out of my way to visit the Ben and Jerry's factory. Very disappointed. You wait an hour for a 12 minute tour. At least you get a very small taste of ice cream after the tour. Not sure it was worth the drive or the $3 admission.

    (2)

  • Liza M.

    3/27/10 we stopped in but the tour ($3) was sold out and we couldn't wait 30+ minutes for the next one. the ice cream line was super long, so we skipped that too. we can get B&J's at home so we figured it was OK to skip this. we did browse the info in the long hallway which was a good self guided tour in itself.

    (2)

  • Paul P.

    Overall this tour was good they charge you $3 to go to 3 different rooms . Highly suggest not going on the weekend as it really is a waste of money because they do not make ice cream on the weekends. The ice cream sample was absolutely great but they should really make custom 1/2 pints the sample size was very small considering we paid for the tour. If they are going to do small sizes they really should do multiple flavors as you get this in the "flavor Room"

    (3)

  • Jennifer L.

    I got a photo of my head in the lid! I went on the tour ($3)! I had a sample! I got an extra sample on the tour for having come the farthest! They have a new flavor out for their 30th birthday/anniversary and it's called Birthday Cake or something and OMFG it's yellow cake ice cream with a chocolate fudge frosting ribbon and can you even believe it?!

    (4)

  • Kim G.

    Would have been ok if you had kids with you, I guess. There were hundreds of them, running around unsupervised. We skipped the tour because the factory was not operating on the weekend. We skipped buying a cone cause the line was out the door. We skipped touring the grounds and the flavor graveyard, because they take that down in the winter. We did taste, but what is the point of coming here for a spoonful of ice cream. We left asking ourselves, why did we come here?

    (1)

  • Kelly K.

    I thought that our 22-month old would be ok during a tour of Ben & Jerry's, but he wasn't. :( You have to watch a short movie (it WAS interesting, but not to my son), then you get to watch the workers make ice cream (sooo not interesting to my son). Then you get to sample the flavor of the day! Unfortunately that's when my son decided it was time to go, so I didn't get my free ice cream. Oh well. It wasn't a flavor I love anyway (it was Chubby Hubby). A plus- the credit card machine messed up when we paid, so the girl let us get in free.

    (3)

  • Rowena D.

    If you love Ben & Jerry's ice cream you must make a visit to the Ben & Jerry's factory. I was lucky to visit the B & J Waterbury Plant when I went out to Vermont for a wedding. The factory is sooo cool. I took the tour and was treated to a free sample of the Half Baked ice cream at the end. And, the sample wasn't just a tiny sample, it was huge! Everything about the factory was so cute. The highlights for me were the gift shop and flavor graveyard.

    (5)

  • Strath W.

    Great for kids

    (5)

  • Layla P.

    Don't come all this way just to see the Ben and Jerry's plant or to get lots of free ice cream, and you will be satisfied. I would say this is a good pitstop if you are on your way to Stowe or Burlington. You get a little tour with a video and see the workers filling the ice cream which is entertaining. Although we all know that what we really want is the free sample. So, you really only get one scoop of the ice cream of the day, but on out tour they made a lot extra and so we had 3 scoops each! Then we bought a cone at the scoop shop outside which had the newest B&J's flavors.

    (4)

  • Michael C.

    C'mon, how can Ben and Jerry's Flagship Plant not get a perfect score from every visitor? So what if they charge a little for the tour, you get the tour! You get free ice cream at the end of the tour! You get to spend a considerable more amount of money in the gift shop and the ice cream parlor. It's all for a good cause, Ben and Jerry. They're hippies, they're humanitarians, they use local organic cow milk, they're retired. Most importantly, their ice cream is amazing!!! Been on the tour twice in 10 years, once on my honeymoon, as a first stop from New Hampshire on a driving tour of America. Once with my kids about 1-year ago. And during both visits, the plant was not operating - who cares! It was good enough just being near the machinery that produces this stuff. It's Ben and Jerry's!!! My wife loves this place, my kids love this place, I love this place. This place should be an institution! This place is American culture at it's best. The Chinese can't touch this place. Made in America, Made in Vermont! Enjoy!

    (5)

  • reese w.

    It's one of those places you want to go to just once, just to see what it's like. The tour is nothing special, but you do get to do some tasting at the end. If you really want to eat ice cream, just buy it at the counter or at the closest grocery. You could just go there to walk arond the grounds. They're really quite nice.

    (4)

  • Crystal K.

    Okay so the tour is really interesting, but it's nothing terribly exciting overall. In a way it's very much like their ice cream stores--you pay a lot for just a little taste. Granted, it's only $3 but if you are short on time, I would skip it. And I'm the hugest ice cream fan EVAH.

    (3)

  • Katie H.

    so we stopped by for a tour and tasting after sitting at the magic hat bar for what might have been 16 straight hours. it was freeeeeezing out and due to the 23 inches of snow they received the weekend before, the flavor graveyard was not accessible. so we ran straight in and got all geared up for the big tour. we were ready, man. being liquored up helped the experience. and taking the 4:20 tour upped it as well. the mini scoop at the end, while on the small side, was luckily a flavor i had never had (triple caramel chunk) and since i don't really like ice cream all that much anyway, i thought it was the perfect amount. i was bummed out thinking that they served hubby hubby in honor of vt legalizing gay marriage...but it turns out it was only a sunday, not a pint, and only served for the month of september. at least they still have gay marriage. the tour sucked. i actually preferred the video more than the teenage girl with no interest and zero personality, snapping her gum and rolling her eyes at everything she said. as we were leaving the theater, julia p. dropped her hat. homegirl didn't say a thing but a half hour later, while julia p. was looking all around and asking employees...she says, while rolling her eyes "oh yeah. i saw you drop it in the theater". thanks sweetheart. the best employee we met was the janitor (they might have a cutesy, ben and jerry type name for his position...like the ice cream trash gobbler). he was this adorable old man with a french accent sweeping the floors and emptying trash. he told us some old back in the day stories and a few jokes. then he showed us a vermonster...20 scoops of crazy goodness. i can't wait to go back to see the graveyard. but i might skip the tour. unless it happens to be 4:20 again...

    (3)

  • Jessica E.

    Don't do the tour, it's a waste of your money. There's a brief propaganda film that makes you despise the company because they repetitively mention that they are owned by Unilever and Ben and Jerry have nothing to do with the company at all anymore. There were a few subtle drug reverences (and not so subtle ones) that made me chuckle. The ice cream is super fresh so just hit up the stand and chow down. Playground in the backyard for the kids.

    (2)

  • Kenan F.

    Go during the week if you want to see the manufacturing plant in action. $3 buys you a 30 min tour and free samples of their "flavor of the day". The video of how Ben and Jerry got started was so inspirational and what they do for the community. Not to mention when they issued stock, they limited buyers to only local Vermonters who have an interest in seeing them succeed. Pure genius!! Too bad Unilever took em over and it will be almost 10 years since so things might start to change soon. :(

    (4)

  • J P.

    the tour is a total waste for $4. you watch a short 6 min video, then second short video while over the factory floor, and then have one very small sample at the end. it must bring in the profits for b&j, but not much else. visit the place if you want to see the flavor graveyard, buy a ice cream with your $4, but stay away from the tour - i would think the founders, b&j, would be quite ashamed of the tour business being run at their old factory.

    (1)

  • Jav V.

    A fun tour for ice cream fans. Unfortunately, ice cream is only made 4 times a week, so we missed that. I think Tues-Friday are the days. They give you free samples, which is where I discovered strawberry cheesecake, my new favorite. They have a cute gift shop and of course you can by ice cream (scoops or pints). They also have a flavor graveyard which is neat. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area... and only $3.

    (4)

  • Ed L.

    Thank you Yelp for the free factory tour when you do a check-in on iPhone or any other mobile device. So, I was here checking things out, since I did hear that it was the thing to do while in Vermont. It was about an hour's drive from Burlington to Waterbury and it was a gorgeous, scenic drive. The place was packed and I thought the factory was bigger than it really was. Maybe they do have a basement and that's where they do their thing and show tourists the simple stuff The Ben and Jerry's factory is located in Waterbury, which is a good 2 hour drive from Burlington, which I was staying. The facility is pretty awesome and I got to know the history of how this company came to being. The factory tour tour last about 30 minutes and cost $4 for those without Yelp apps. First you get to see a historical documentary of how Ben and Jerry's came into existence. It was cool to learn how they chose Vermont as their starting point, versus anywhere else in the country. After that, we saw how the inner workings of the factory. Since I was there on Memorial Day, we did not are the factory come alive, bit that was ok though. It's nice to hear how Ben and Jerry's ice cream get made - step by step. Lastly, we got to taste one of their newest creations and the tour guide opened it up to q & a before ending the tour. The B&J factory also has a gift shop inside and an ice cream store outside for hungry patrons who come here from all parts of the world. I decided there that I was going to try the Vermonster. Yes. How can I be that insane? Well, I manages to rake that down in 2 1/2 hours. I was so sick thereafter, that i managed to puke in my rental car on the way back to Burlington. I will never look at ice cream the same again. They also have the replica mobile bus that the founders used to promote themselves in th early days. The most interesting thing there was the cemetery of crappy creations. It was silly way of seeing a cemetery motif of Ben & Jerry's flavors of ice cream that never really did catch on with the public, so they canned them.Overall, good experience, although the Vermonster got me in the end. There was not much of parking while I was there, but there it is a big lot to park. I guess this place is as popular with the locals, as with the tourists - like me. Although I thought the tour itself was kind of blah but informative, it was good to see this place and take down the Vermonster before heading back after have done the 2012 Vermont City marathon the day before. It was a nice reward for me. Support local! A+

    (4)

  • Chris L.

    Decided to come out here during a weekend of snowboarding when we were too tired to ride on our second day (Sunday). We got a free entry to the tour with a yelp check-in (woohoo) and waited for a few minute till the next tour started. The tour itself is a bit underwhelming but that's probably because we went on a Sunday when the machines are not going. Would be nice to see everything in action. Also the tour is really geared toured little kids so good for families but not amazing for adults. They did let us try a new flavor which is nice...and found out about some new flavors that are coming out...Liz Lemon flavor. The liz lemon is pretty damn good.

    (3)

  • Trevor G.

    Well worth the stop-- for the sample alone!

    (4)

  • Karen R.

    Not a very long tour, definitely try to go on a weekday so you can see things happening in production. Still fun, because who doesn't love ice cream? Definitely something to do once in your life, but not quite worth the drive for me.

    (3)

  • Adam L.

    Seriously, you're gonna visit Vermont and NOT go to Ben & Jerry's?! From beginning to end, Ben & Jerry's met and exceeded my expectations. It is a cartoon-ish, wonderful atmosphere walking in, with a dose of ice cream and company history. There is an absolute heaping of things to read and look at. From historic scoops from around the country encased on the wall to replica posters of events they have held, you get a real idea of Ben & Jerry's place in ice cream lore before the tour even begins. Unlike the ice cream, the tour is light. Like the ice cream, it is silly and interesting. Loved the video talking about the company. A quick aside about factory tours- it should be more than about production. This is the presentation of the company to the consumer, and I love how Ben & Jerry's come off here. The video they show really gets their passion for ice cream and general do-good-y-ness across very well. What else? Ok, love the ice cream graveyard, a true highlight. Dont leave without seeing it. Oh right- the ICE CREAM!!! Look, if you like ice cream, this is the place. Not only do you get a taste of an experimental ice cream on tour (ours was chocolate covered vanilla wafer nougat- delicious!) you can also get some tastes at the shop. There was a "Test Batch" on tap at the scoop store. Cinnamon Cereal Swirl. It was very good, but lacked any cereal! In conculsion- what else can I say? GO HERE!

    (5)

  • Jae L.

    Oh, what to do when your extended family comes to visit you in Burlington, Vermont, but doesn't want to ski? Take them to Waterbury! Is it the most amazing factory tour you'll ever take? No. WIll it end with fabulous ice cream? Absolutely. The tour was okay and somewhat interesting, but I find the free video in the front lobby more interesting, actually. There's a fun little store with gifty things for the folks back home, and the ice-cream store has flavors you can't get elsewhere, like the 7-layer coconut. And they have a nifty little set up with a local outdoor store that gides you on snow-shoe tours and other activities. I had never been snow showing, and neither had my family. Even though it is not run by B&J's, I thought I'd mention how nice it was so you can call ahead when you are planing your outing to Waterbury, Vermont. (You can also go to the nearby Cold Hollow Apple Cider Factory (best cider, amazing cider donuts when hot) and then to The Alchemist, if you find you have any room at all after all that ice cream and cider donuts. See my reviews and lists for more info.)

    (4)

  • Heather J.

    The tour was great to get to know the back story about how it all works. The tour was packed and so was the area but I think it was because it was the weekend. Bummed that we did not get to see anyone working but still interesting. Thanks for the free checkin coupon Yelp!

    (4)

  • Jeremy K.

    After hearing about it from friends in Vermont and seeing on the Travel Channel multiple times on the "Ice Cream Paradises" show, I had the opportunity to go there on the way back from Montreal with four of my friends. I had the idea as we needed a place to stop on our drive back and this is about halfway. And I also figured, hell, who doesn't like ice cream? So off we were leaving our neighbors of the North and headed South to the small city of Waterbury. Luckily our GPS took us right to the very plant easily and right into their spacious parking lot. We walked up a big set of stairs and proceeded to walk right in. To our right was the scoop shop and the gift store. Directly in front of us was the counter were we could get tickets to one of their tours. One was starting in just over a half an hour and we got tickets. Instead of just sitting around we decided to get some ice cream as we waited. The prices were pretty good and we each got our own thing. I got two scoops of Fish Food, my favorite. And before we knew it, it was time to take the tour. It was a Sunday and the plant wasn't actually in production mode on that day and instead we got to see videos of what if would look like if they were in production. Disappointing but had to see it coming on the day of sabbath. We snacked through a series of rooms and were made clear that no pictures were allowed. At the very end of the tour we were allowed to eat free samples of the flavor of the day, which in our case was apple cinnamon. Before leaving we decided to walk up a small but muddy hill to check out the flavor graveyard, a place where some of the Ben & Jerry flavors are retired and 'burried'. I found it to be the best part of the whole thing actually. It was a lot of fun to check some of those out and some of the grave plaques were quite funny. Overall it was a nice place to stop but it was very tacky, a bit expensive and not as great as I had hoped. It was decent though and it probably would be great for kids. The tour left me wanting more though to be honest, it wasn't nearly as informative as I had hoped.

    (3)

  • Tara L.

    It's Ben and Jerry's, you have to stop. I am just bitter that my NY Super Fudge Chunk only had fudge and not all the other good stuff in it.

    (3)

  • lt g.

    I give 2 stars for the tour and delicious ice cream. The overcrowded areas and small portions of ice cream for the price was not worth it. I can get a pint cheaper in the store than a small sundae cost at factory. They need to expand area and give people the benefit of coming off highway then parking in a field.

    (2)

  • Leo O.

    One excellent tid bit, use your yelp check in and show it to the admissions person and you get one FREE ticket =D Saved us $4. The tour is really quick and painless. They do make a lot of "Moooo" jokes. You'll get over it =D The factory is really small. It's an interesting experience. I would recommend going once and that's it. Not worth going a second time. Only thing I wish they had was more rare/exotic flavors for you to buy at their food store. Not that many choices to choose from. A little disappointed. Another huge disappointment was the smoothie. I specifically ordered the strawberry lemonade smoothie and what I got was an icee. If that's what you call a smoothie, then they Failed!!

    (3)

  • Dan M.

    If in/near Waterbury, then this factory tour is a must. It is short and very sweet and gives you the history and encouragement to continue enjoying Ben and Jerry's premium ice cream. You learn their good to farmer and natural traditions, and their continual inventive creations as well as get to view their retired not so good creations in the "flavor graveyard". The tour is only 30 minutes including a 7 minute movie and at the end you get a free sample of a new flavor they are trying out. On my tour we enjoyed the interesting trial Strawberry Cotton Candy with real cotton candy pieces and it was awesome. I do hope they decide to make this a staple. After the tour you can sample and purchase other scoops at their walk up counter. Oh, and be sure to checkin on Yelp as you may get a free tour offer out of it

    (4)

  • Ben D.

    Ridiculously busy. Plan for this to take a while. If you have a Ben and Jerry's fetish, then come here and spend half a day. Otherwise, just go to the store and buy their ice cream and eat it at home.

    (3)

  • Raymond I.

    I love their ice cream but the tour is fair at best. They give you a golf ball size portion of ice cream at the conclusion of the "tour". Not worth it. Put the $4 tour fee toward a pint of ice cream at the grocery store.

    (2)

  • Yelp y.

    Fun and informative plant to visit and experience the making of an American treasure. Good place to visit especially with kids. Recommended if you visit Burlington VT

    (5)

  • Jen R.

    How anyone could give this place less than 5 stars is beyond me! My husband and I raced to get into the last tour of the day and were rewarded with atmosphere, stories, history, and yummy ice cream samples. I am so impressed with how this company operates and their philosophy of making a great product while maintaining integrity. I was happy to note that my favorite Ben and Jerry's is in the top 4 best sellers and is not remotely at risk of being discontinued in the near future, haha! And most importantly, I will never again ever squawk at paying upwards of $4 or $5 for my pint of extraordinary ice cream. They are worth it. P.S. the factory itself is an explosion of bright and happy. The kind of place that makes you smile just walking inside. And the tour guides obviously love their job and their company.

    (5)

  • Jessica S.

    I give this place 5 stars because this was seriously a dream come true. I have been a B & J fan for years. I had an awesome experience here. The tour is pretty short but you get free ice cream at the end and you can't beat that. I came here in the summer during 2007. There was a large group of us and the staff was super friendly. I left with a few souvenirs, that I still cherish.

    (5)

  • Chris W.

    What a great stop in Vermont. A must do! Great tour with a Free one with Yelp Check in. Was a great day with things to do for Adults and kids....

    (5)

  • Sally K.

    OK, I might have told a little white lie to my husband, but I have to be honest with you guys: The only reason I arranged for the hiking/nature trip to White Mountain and Vermont was because I knew it would bring me to Ben & Jerry's original factory. Don't get me wrong, I truly like waterfalls and nature and hiking and all that - but I really, really love Ben & Jerry's. Seriously, at the factory you get to see how the ice cream is made, sample on new experimental ice cream that may or may not end up in the shops - and then there is the flavour graveyard where old flavours that went out of market are 'buried' with tomb stones and all. The tour is quite quick and fun, and after the ice cream sample kickstarts your taste buds you can go crazy in the ice cream stand outside. If it's summer make sure to come for of the late events: At dusk, the back yard turns into free outdoor cinema with families curling up together with their ice creams watching the latest blockbuster. How sweet is that :-)

    (4)

  • Phil M.

    The tour was free, but meant for kids and crowded. I grew up on a dairy farm, so I expected nothing more than assembly-lines, antics, and free tester ice cream (chai ice cream-excellent!). It was strange the bored, fumbling employees expected people to know how ice cream was made and did not expect you to know their political mission. At least the video pointed out the differences between Ben & Jerry's and better ice cream. What I really did not like was the ineffective crowd management, especially around the scoop counter. As the line seemed to start at the door to the scoop counter and run into the tourist entryway of the Waterbury Plant, we barely knew what to order when we got to the counter. Like others, I did think the flavor graveyard was fun!

    (3)

  • Jason M.

    Ya know those bucket lists people have? Things they have to do before they die or turn 40 or get married or whatever? Unless touring Ben & Jerry's is on your bucket list, there is no reason to go. You'll pay $4 to watch a punny movie, stand in a room and watch another punny movie and then eat a free scoop of ice cream. The entire tour lasts no more than 20 minutes and contains more awful jokes than you can shake a cone at. "Are you a Hagen-Daaz spy?" "Let's get this tour mooooooooooooooooooo-ving." "Why do milking stools only have three legs? The cow has the udder." You will have a better time just sitting on your couch in your underwear eating a pint you bought at the grocery store down the road.

    (2)

  • Yohanis A.

    We stopped here on our way to Burlington. I loved this tour! We had a great tour guide, Miles, who was passionate about the Ben and Jerry's mission and the ice cream! The ice cream at the end was delicious.

    (5)

  • Mike E.

    The tour was a little disappointing. It's a short video about the history of Ben & Jerry's, then a short presentation looking at the actual factory floor, then a sample of whatever flavor they are giving out that day. There's also a small flavor graveyard if you walk up the hill. Maybe in addition to the current cheesy version for most tourists, they could offer a more detailed tour to go more in depth about the company, how flavors get decided and tested, etc. If you are in the area, you might as well stop at the Cabot Annex just down the street where you can basically sample every flavor cheese they have.

    (3)

  • Kelly F.

    Yep, I love ice cream. I love ice cream so much I wrote up a business plan to start my own artisanal ice cream place in california - but alas the numbers didn't make sense and I am currently just an eager ice cream consumer. The Plant - good tour for a good price. Tour comes frequently so that is nice. Lots of cheezy cow/ice crem jokes but that is to be expensive and even a bit entertaining while in Vermont. I wish at the end they had maybe 2 different flavors to choose from, as I didn't like ours and new I wouldn't so the taste at the end didn't really do anything for me. We did get some ice cream on our way out which was yummy! There was lots of construction on the grounds/graveyard so we couldn't really enjoy that either. If you are nearby - definitely go. If you have kids - definitely go. If you need to plan a trip from another state and it is out of your way - i'd say just buy some in your local grocery store.

    (4)

  • Nancy K.

    So much fun! I was in Montpelier Wednesday for an appointment and my friend, who was staying with me for two nights in Burlington, suggested we visit the factory. Not gonna lie: I love Ben and Jerry's. Love. And so, it goes to say, I was pretty psyched about a visit to the factory. Just two exits from where we were in Montpelier (up I-89). When we arrived we were helped to find parking by some nice employees. After a quick walk down the hill and through the playground we decided to check things out that were set up outside. First? A stop at the tie-dye shirt stand. While some are on display, you can opt to make your own with the help of the friendly staff working the tent. I opted to make a shirt for my husband, who misses VT and couldn't make this trip with me. I called him and said, "Favorite colors?" To which he replied "Blue" so I said, "And?" and he said "Red". I hung up on him and got to work. It was fun to make a shirt, and I was surprised it was only $12. After I finished my shirt we bought tickets for the tour ($3/each). The gift shop is a fun place to spend a little time before the tour commences. They have all kinds of stuff: pins, bowls, games, calendars, games, clothing... some Ben and Jerry's themed, other Vermont-themed. The tour itself is simple, but fun. It starts with a movie about Ben and Jerry and the company and its mission. The staffers are very well-versed in the ice-cream making process, make lame jokes (including some priceless puns) and the floor-workers (non-union... I was surprised!) wave and smile at the crowds gathered. While watching them work there are lights that come up over various stations to show you what each step is - there's also a video running in case you can't see. Then it's off to the original taste kitchen where everyone gets a little sample. The flavor we tried was Chocowlate Chip - vanilla with little fudge cows inside. Very yummy and the perfect size sample. My friend dyed a shirt when we finished the tour and then we got some lemonade (yum). Before going back to the car we stopped to see something I thought only existed on the website - the flavor graveyard. It was so much fun to check out the failed flavors and read their poems. If you're in Vermont make sure you make some time to check out the Ben & Jerry's factory!

    (5)

  • Chrissy L.

    This was fun. :) We checked in on foursquare so we didn't have to pay, which was a nice surprise! The tour is given by a guide who really milks the cow puns (haha!) by saying things like, "And now we'll moooove into the next room..." It was an entertaining narrative about how the company got started and how ice cream is made. We got free sample (that day was the Jimmy Fallon Late Night Snack with the chocolate-covered potato chips!) before being shown to the gift shop. The gift shop prices are kind of inflated, but you have to expect that. Out on the patio you can buy ice cream at the scoop shop. I don't remember being able to buy anything more substantial, so I'd recommend bringing a lunch in a cooler in your car or something so you're not only eating ice cream for a couple of hours. But that's just me. ;) Finally, stop in at the flavor graveyard and pay your respects to some of the flavors they just don't make anymore. Love the epitaphs!

    (4)

  • Craig D.

    Tip: show up before 11am - that's when it seemed to get pretty darn crowded. It was a fairly quick interstate drive from Burlington to Waterbury to visit the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Plant in Waterbury. As a former paper mill tour guide, I was a bit underwhelmed by the depth of the tour. It started off with a 6 minute movie, after which you head over to the room where they're packaging ice cream, and then finally to the FlavoRoom for a taste of the day's sample flavor. The entire tour felt like it couldn't have been over 15 or 20 minutes long, including the movie. Outside, there is an eating area, a decent playground, and the Flavor Graveyard, with tombstones for the retired Ben & Jerry's flavors. It's all kind of cute, but probably not worth putting in a great deal of effort to visit. On the plus side, our 3-year old had a very good time on the playground. It was there to play on at no extra charge. If you stop by this factory, be sure to zip over to the Park Row Cafe for a quick deli bite to eat afterwards.

    (3)

  • Shibs K.

    We knew we wanted to visit Ben & Jerry's to pay tribute to our favorite ice cream...and the 1 hour experience was jam packed with fun. Snow-shoeing: We found a special snow-shoeing tour through Umiak.com that was $15 per person (includes a free B&J tour) for 30 minutes on the Ben & Jerry's hiking trail. Our guide, Caitlyn, was extremely knowledgeable on the local trees and foliage, and it was an added bonus to learn about the forestry of Vermont. B&J tour: Our tour fee was included in the $15 snow-shoeing fee, so this was a steal of a deal! The tour began with a video history of B&J, took us through a tour of the factory floor, and ended with a tasting of a new flavor. After the tour and tasting, we enjoyed going through the giftshop and making sure to fill up on ice cream from the scoop shop...LATE NIGHT SNACK is the BEST!

    (5)

  • Ju L.

    A really quick tour, but I just love Ben and Jerry's! They make great ice cream, smoothies, helps communities and local farms, use natural ingredients, and the ambiance is just adorable! It's great to see how they make the ice cream, even though the tour is a little short. It's not that much of a deal anyway because we got a free tour ticket by checking in on yelp! Our tour guide was wicked cheesy, but so chipper and happy. She had me in a good mood.

    (4)

  • T C.

    Tour was boring and should be free. You can find same info on their website and take your $4 to your local grocery store and buy your favorite pint. It consisted of 2 short videos. Best part was small sample of 1 flavor at the end. It's definitely not located conveniently and not worth going out of the way to visit.

    (3)

  • Jamie F.

    No trip to Vermont is complete without a visit to the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory. It's like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. This place was a mad house on Columbus Monday. The 30-min tour consisted of a brief video on the company history, corny cow jokes & puns, view of the production floor and a free sample at the end. No photos/video allowed. Our guide was very rehearsed and monotonous - can't blame her; she has to deal with hungry hippos all day long. Flavor of the day was "Maple Me Happy" - so creamy delicious..I would buy a tub of this. Like most yelpers, my fave part was the Flavors Graveyard (outside of the factory) that honored discontinued B&J flavors in a fake cemetery - how creative (and morbid)! RIP beloved flavors... I was too impatient to wait in the long line at the scoop shop, thinking I can just buy a pint at my local grocery store and eat it in the comforts of my own home. Except now I'm reading other reviews that I missed out on resurrected flavors from the dead!? Don't be like me - brave the long line of paparazzi tourists and little sugar addicts (aka. children). Hopefully, it's worth it.

    (4)

  • Michael C.

    I love Ben & Jerry's. Stop by their HQ for a great little tour where you can sample some classic flavors as well as some new ones. While not worth the 3+ hour drive from Boston if you are in the area it is a worthy stop while in Vermont.

    (4)

  • Josh M.

    There was a wow factor and a disapointing factor to the Ben & Jerry's tour. What wowed me was how it was situated, right in the mountains, it was like something most places would show in an ad as where they were located when reality is much different, very nice. The outdoor seating was awesome too, what a view. I had never toured an ice cream plant before and love Ben & Jerry's so since I was in the area I figured why not. For some reason I was expecting a much larger operation, nice to know they really do make things in small batches but still it seemed really small. The tour also was very short and didn't show you all that much, and you have to pay for it. It didn't cost that much but I'm not used to factory tours costing money. You get a free sample at the end of the tour but it was the tinniest scoop of ice cream I've ever seen in my life. I'm still glad I went though, and the scenic drive through the Vermont Mountains as well as the factory scoop shop with the breathtaking mountain view is definetely worth the travel.

    (3)

  • Michael D.

    I LOVE factory tours, but I like em knowledgable, low -key, and personal. Ben and Jerry's on the other hand, was the complete opposite. HUGE groups of tours moving in and out every half hour.. we simply saw the machinery the use to make ice cream, but we didn't learn pretty much ANYTHING about the ice cream making process. I guess we did get a chance to learn about Ben and Jerry's Story (But haven't we all heard of that?) A little out of the way and always crowded. Not a fan of this combination. BUT, i guess a tiny bit of "free" ice cream is served at the end..

    (3)

  • Mike B.

    Took the tour with some relatives while in town. It was short, but somewhat entertaining. The kids got a kick out of the flavor graveyard. I would say it is worth the trip if you do not need to go out of your way to get there.

    (3)

  • Chunnu B.

    Ah, the MAIN B&J's factory. For those who share a passion for ice cream (yes, those who consume it in the peak of winter, I'm talking to you) this is ice cream heaven. Unfortunately (or should I say, "fortunately" based upon these other reviews) I missed the last factory tour. I hear most of it was watching the video they were playing outside in the sitting area and you get some sort of freebee at the end of it anyways, so no big deal I suppose. The plant is still pretty fun displaying historical facts of ice cream, the history of Ben & Jerry's, funky-fun B&J's tables, and my personal favorite: The display of all the different ice cream scoops ever used. You can also stock up on all the B&J's apparel, accessories, and other nick-knacks you want in their gift shop. The scoop shop? Also pretty sweet (as were the scoopers!) If you're indecisive or just have a hard time in general making a decision, good luck when it comes time to picking which flavor ice cream you're going to get. There are just so many to choose from, more so because of all the rare flavors the shop has. For the record, I indulged in not 1, not 2, but 3 kid scoops - Spicy Chocolate, Late Night Snack, and the Coconut 7 Layer (the latter 2 of 3 being the winners.)

    (4)

  • Pete V.

    Love their ice cream and fro-yo. Tour was extremely quick. They do not let you take pictures of the actual factory floor. One sample was included at the end of the tour. Would have been great if more than one sample were included (even if it meant smaller samples). Great stop, definitely worth your time if you are in the area. Tip: check in on your help app for free admission to the tour!

    (4)

  • Debrin S.

    Whats not to luv luv luv?! Ice cream makes the (or maybe just mine) world go round! Does everyone leave slightly sick (in a good way)? Oh! one cant help themselves! May faves are Coconut 7 Layer Cake & Rainforest Crunch & Peach Cobbler. Take the tour, buy a t_shirt or a beach towel & then do what you "really" came here for....to eagerly consume some of the best & imaginative combinations of ice cream! This is just a great time- cant help but smile!

    (4)

  • Sandra B.

    This was a fun little tour to pop in for since we were in the area on our way back to Maine from Canada...The tour was $4 per person and they leave every 30 minutes or so...basically just consists of watching a video and looking into the plant with a brief narrative from the tour guide but then you get the best part...a special ice cream blend just for the tour groups! Ours was called inside out chocolate mint and it was delicious! I can only hope that they decide to market that flavor because we will be the first in line to buy it! It was neat to see the process and hear the story of the two founders but the sampling of the flavors only available there was my favorite part...oh and the "flavor graveyard" was fun too. I would say it's a go if you happen to be in the area, but I would not make a special long trip for it...but then again, the Scotchy Scotch, Scotch was what dreams are made of...HA.

    (4)

  • Ramzi A.

    Drove from NH while exploring VT. The tour was quick and powerful, the ice cream delish and the guy giving the tour clearly worn off from telling the same cow jokes 20 times a day (he has all my sympathies). Pros: - The ice cream at the end - Having a peek in B&J's awesome history! - The Graveyard will at the fallen flavors - Free entry if you check in on Yelp. Cons: - Crying kids. - The smell of diapers and baby barf in the main lobby. - The burnt-out and/or bored teenage personnel. - Humongous line if you want to buy some of the specialties at the bar outside. Bottom line and tips: - Go on a workday if you want to avoid too many bundles of joy and see the factory in action. - Check in on Yelp = free tour = free ice cream! - Only worth the detour if you were in Vermont anyways; you'll be outside the plant in 30 minutes, so you'll feel stupid if you drove 5 hours just for that.

    (3)

  • PatrickJ T.

    Visiting the factory was a dream come true for me! We made a day trip from Boston, and it was so worth it! The factory tour took about 30 minutes, and it was fun & informative. Plus we also got free samples at the end of the tour! By checking in on yelp, you get a free tour pass. It was also fun seeing everything around the factory. The flavor graveyard was cool. Too bad, though, that there was no tombstone for the Wavy Gravy flavor. I wish they still made that flavor. The prices at the ice cream shop here are cheaper than other Ben & Jerry locations. I've now crossed this off my bucket list, but if we're ever in the area again then we will be back!

    (5)

  • Shane G.

    I guess I was thinking the tour would be bigger based on what I saw on TV, but actually it's pretty short. You watch a video, you walk down a hallway with windows where you can watch people stand around between runs, and then you go eat a small cup of ice cream in their "tasting lab" before exiting to the gift shop. The tour was pretty cheap, so no complaints there. The employees must feel at least a little bit like they're working in a fish bowl, though. There's a bar where you can buy some ice cream, and allegedly, a few flavors you can't find anywhere else (tip: the mango sorbet is awful). The flavor graveyard was cool, but also very small and there was at least one flavor there that was being actively sold at the shop (Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz). Coffee zombie... mmmmmm. Beeeeans... I mean... braaaaiiiins. The employees were supposed to be dressed up as their favorite flavors. For instance, one girl had a snorkel mask and Phish tie die on (Phish food) another was dressed in business casual garb with thick rimmed hipster glasses (chocolate therapy) and another wore an Irish flag as a cape (something something mudslide... I dunno). If you make the trek from any distance you'd be remiss to not visit nearby Montpelier, a friendly little downtown with a very cool, eclectic crowd bustling about.

    (3)

  • Ali B.

    nothing quite like ice cream in the middle of december. normally $4/person, yelp check-in brings the price down to $0! free ice cream! while the line wasn't running that day, our guide Jon was more than helpful in describing the process and showing videos that helped walk us through from cow to freezer. delicious and fun. was told appx 100 visitors per day in december vs 2400-2500/day during summer months. stay sane and go in the winter.

    (4)

  • Melissa H.

    We stopped at Ben and Jerry's on our winding drive from Smugglers Notch back to Burlington on Sunday afternoon. The tour runs every 30 minutes, costs $4 per person, and lasts about 30 minutes. The tour starts with a 5-6 minute video on the history of Ben and Jerry's, followed by a talk about the ice cream making process while you look down at the production floor, and ends with a sample of an ice cream flavor they are testing to visitors. The flavor you try may or may never actually go into full production - it depends on how it does with the tasting to visitors and their feedback. If you want more ice cream, you can follow up with a stop at the Scoop Shop on the way out. Unfortunately the only thing we could not do on our visit was see the Flavor Graveyard as the stairs leading up to it were closed due to snow and ice. In general, I thought the visit was fine and I couldn't see any way they could make the tour longer (I like ice cream, but anything more than a 15-20 minute discussion on its production would be too much for me). Our tour leader was very knowledgeable and tried to inject humor throughout the talk. Unfortunately the major turnoff for me was that the group sizes are large and we had some real jerks who kept talking and were generally rude. The flavor we tested was "Breakfast in Belfast" (irish cream flavored ice cream and a few other things that I forget now)...I loved it. I really hope it does well and eventually goes into full production, although according to our guide, that might not be until 2014 or 2015. After the visit, we stopped by the Scoop Shop for two small cups of ice cream ($3.90 per cup). The serving size is generous and was more than enough for me. If in the area and want something to do for a little bit, it is worth a stop. However I wouldn't go that far out of my way to stop by.

    (3)

  • Richard M.

    No trip to vermont would be complete without a stop here right? While that's true for the photo ops, the tour itself was surprisingly short and simplistic. The factory doesn't run on a weekend and $4 for barely a guided tour seemed like a charitable donation. Maybe they can open the floor up or slow down the speedtalking guide. Overall, good if it's a stop on your day tour, not a destination in itself.

    (3)

  • Mensa M.

    Extended my trip for this!!! Plus: Flavor Graveyard--super clever, cool, and catchy headstones! Big samples! Dreamiest texture ever...BEYOND soft serve Cool stuff surrounding factory (spin art, ect) Neg: SUPER SHORT TOUR (movie was broken--free entry, yay! so we only saw the plant and went down for samples. 10 mins maybe? GETTING THERE--I'm guessing 85% of people there are visiting from other states, 60% of which FLEW in (and to surrounding cities), so we don't have access to cars. Suggestion: Have a free (or $2 shuttle) from the Park & Ride/Burl/Sowe bus stop to the factory, and possibly to the Cider Mill, and cheese factory. I had to walk 20 mins back along a dangerous highway, only arriving 2 mins before the last bus back to Burlington. Talk about good luck!!

    (3)

  • Viva C.

    Fun tour, but almost not worth the ticket price. Free ice cream samples at the end of the tour.

    (3)

  • Blake I.

    Free ice cream, fun little tour... what more could you ask for?

    (4)

  • Laura R.

    I am no stranger to factory tours: Coors, Celestial Seasonings, Pilsner Urquell, Moser crystal and the Skoda car manufacturer. I visited the Ben & Jerry Ice Cream Plant with my parents and daughter a week ago and it did not disappoint. It was a perfect summer day in Vermont. What a lovely location! B&J have been promoting the importance of hormone-free diary and non-overly processed ingredients ever since they decided their ice cream had something special going on. It was nice to visit the factory of a company that has nothing to hide and lots to teach regarding corporate responsibility. The tour was a bit cheeky and we enjoyed every minute of it. We really had fun visiting the playground with the little one and the 'Ice Cream Flavor Graveyard' way up on the hill behind the factory is worth visiting if the weather is nice. Don't forget to do a Yelp Check-In for one free adult tour.

    (5)

  • Grace H.

    I am a big B & J fan, so I decided it is time to visit it since it is on the way from my drive from DC to Montreal. It is only half an hour, and it runs 7 days a week, except a few days a year, like Christmas. The tour start from 10 am in the morning. It is $4 per head for adult. No ice cream are made during the weekend. So if you visit on Saturday or Sunday, you will not be seeing any production. There is a huge carpark for visitors. The information is interesting, I never realise there is production in Canada, Holland and Israel. I have been eating all the B & J produced in Holland while I was in UK and thought it comes from the states. There is also a cemetery for favours that are no longer in production. All in all, it was a fun short tour.

    (4)

  • Emily C.

    Great stop off the highway on our way to Montreal. It was a quick, 20-30 minute brief tour of the Ben and Jerry's factory with a free sample of ice cream at the end. By checking in with Yelp you also get to do the tour for free. You'll be led through a hallway that overlooks the entire factory and the tour guide gives you a short overview of the entire ice cream making process. There was also a cute video that provides you with the company's history. This was an awesome break from a long drive, however I would not recommend making a vacation out of it. It seems like any poor reviews were from people who expected a longer more extravagant tour. Don't expect this to be anymore than it is. Its fun, quick, informative, but isn't something I would drive out of my way to go to.

    (4)

  • Jeffrey S.

    We did not go on the tour, but of course tried some ice cream, by way of a pumkin pie shake and a chocolate shake. Both very good.

    (3)

  • Kirby G.

    The tour was cheap, informative, and we got a free sample! What's not to love? They weren't making ice cream when we were there either, but oh well. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot to do in Vermont, so this is really all we found! We stopped by on the way to visit Montreal haha. The blueberry and chocolate chip ice cream was strangely good. I enjoyed the flavor graveyard as well. My mom would say she was excited that the Chubby Hubby was not in the flavor graveyard, but equally saddened that we couldn't order Chubby Hubby at the scoop shop either. Ben and Jerry's - Can we please have some Chubby Hubby!?

    (4)

  • Bill R.

    One of the better factory tours in Vermont. The factory is feels like the Willy Wonka factories of ice cream. The tour is free if you check in w/ yelp but it's usually only $2. They start with a pretty funny history video, give you a bird's eye view of how it's made and then you get to sample a fresh batch of ice cream that may be a produced flavor or a test flavor. When I went it was pumpkin pie and it was really really good. All in all the tour takes about a half hour and then you can enjoy a sundae at their scoop shop which has some limited edition flavors that you can find anywhere else.

    (5)

  • Miles S.

    came here while in vermont for the weekend and went on the tour. the tour itself was pretty quick and informative and filled with corny jokes, which is always a plus. at the end of the tour was a special free sample flavor exclusively for tour groups - in our case apple pie ala mode, which was delicious. the factory would be a great place to take your kids (as many people did) to get some ice cream and explore a bit. the flavor graveyard was cute and had funny poems about flavors past.

    (4)

  • John A.

    Ben & Jerry's Waterbury plant is a cool landmark in Vermont. I mean, who doesn't want some Ben & Jerry's ice cream? They have a great scoop shop, where they have a serious variety beyond the traditional offerings. My favorite is the Coconut 7 layer bar (coconut ice cream, with coconut, caramel, walnuts, chocolate pieces and graham cracker)...it tastes like a samoa girl scout cookie. For an extra $3, you can tour the facility. During the tour, you will learn all about the social responsibility and corporate direction of Ben & Jerry's, visit the production area, and get a free sample at the end of the tour. I have to say, after taking the tour twice, it is not tailored towards children, although popular among kids nonetheless. Both times I've gone there is no activity on the production floor. So...that was a bit of a let down, twice. And then I found out that almost all of the production occurs at the St. Albans plant, perhaps that is why? Anyway, it's cool to see if you haven't ever seen it, and the scoop shop is fun.

    (4)

  • Shannon N.

    We were completely disappointed by this tour - for $3, we were shown a brief video and then led by a kid who really didn't care about us visitors. At the end, we were given two very tiny samples of pre-selected ice cream flavors - my guest doesn't like chocolate, and was really disappointed that both samples were of chocolate ice creams! There are much more fun places to visit in the area and we wouldn't recommend this place at all. Apparently the tour has really gone downhill since Ben & Jerry's sold to Unilever.

    (1)

  • Matthias J.

    This is clearly a good stop along the way to stretch the legs, but scarcely worth a detour of more than 10 minutes from your route. We visited the plant over the holidays and while it was "open" for tours, there was no activity on the factory floor itself, so we got to see an empty factory. You get one flavour tasting (not of your choice) and within 20 minutes, 8 of which were spent watching a corporate movie, you are at the gift shop on your way out. The store, which I would have assumed carried ALL the B&J's flavors and therefore would allow you to try those varieties you have only admired in the supermarket fridge but never actually bought, had only a few standard flavors, many of which were "store only". What is the point of that? If you like them, you won't get them again.

    (3)

  • Ticia G.

    this is one of the best factory tours i have been on (wellll, except the heineken factory but we don't do reviews of german places so i will leave that for another day). they don't make you follow behind on an interminably long, torturous tour where you can't see what they are talking about or see over those in front of you. kids 12 and under are free, over everyone is $3. you get a cute small ben and jerry's pin and then they herd you up stairs that are all very sweetly painted in vermont farmland scenery. first stop at the top of the stairs is a room with some theater style benches and a large screen. the film is about B&J's history and is slightly amusing, the kids all enjoyed it immensely (that may have been because they knew there was free ice cream at the end of course) after around 6 minutes, the lights come back on and everyone files out into another room. there are some large windows with shades that they electronically raise so that you can view the factory rooms below. there are two large tvs on either side of the rectangular room so everyone can see/hear. the overview is brief and concise and still interesting about the process of making and freezing and shipping the ice cream. they pretty much keep you hopping and don't give time to lose interest or for the kids to get rowdy. and then back down to the free samples which are actually of a very nice size. they only put out one kind tho so if you don't like what they are offering, the only option is to inform them of an allergy to get another kind. of course if you just want to be an honest and patient person, you can get a small spoonful of any of the flavors outside. the server was talking about his appendix bursting when we went out to buy the kids (we had 9 of them with us!!) ice cream and as a result, he wasn't paying attention to the One scoop i had requested and the cones/dishes were Huge. everyone was jealous. of course several ended up on the floor and as it is B&J's they would have replaced them but it was time to move on. we went to their nice playground above the factory, there are plenty of nice adirondack style chairs for parents to chill on til the kiddies get bored and then on to the flavor graveyard. all in all it is a great place to take the kids but it doesn't take a long time so you may want to add the cabot outlet to the agenda (we did. yummy.)

    (5)

  • Giuseppe V.

    Dude. Free ice cream. Than there is more ice cream outside. What tight wad is giving this place a bad review. Its Ben and Jerry's. What are you really expecting from an ice cream factory...ice cream and a musical. Calm down and enjoy the chunky monky....tight wads.

    (5)

  • Erin G.

    yesterday i took a $3 tour of ben & jerry's factory and if nothing else i got a phish food sample and was fat and happy. the tour is brief, as it should be, and the videos and tour dialogue is calculated but very amusing and if you learn only one thing from it, it's that both ben & jerry were failures in the educational system and only started making ice cream because the machine was cheaper than a bagel machine. i was surprised that after getting free samples people were bellying up to the ice cream bar and actually purchasing huge cones and cups. and buying bumper stickers? people waste money on the weirdest things. i've never had ben & jerry's before - i think it's all too overstimulating for me. i am a simple girl, i like mint chocolate ice cream and occasionally a little butter pecan, green tea or coffee. ben & jerry's is like ice cream on E and i'm never sure if i completely understand everything that's in it. but it was good, the phish food was good and the tour was pleasant and afterwards i went up to the flavor graveyard where i looked at everything i missed out and will never again have chance to sample. oh sugar plum ice cream, if only we had crossed paths.

    (3)

  • Melissa M.

    My boyfriend & I went here as part of our Memorial Day weekend/3 year anniversary celebration. The tour was kitschy, but fun. I loved our ice cream sample; Triple Caramel Chunk yummy!!! We bought a few magnets & I got a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough lip balm that came in a tiny pint container. Afterwards I got a Caramel Macciato & my bf got a smoothie. We walked through the Flavor Graveyard & visited my favorite departed flavor; Bovinty Divinity. Overall a good time!

    (4)

  • sunny n.

    Great tour of the factory...history of icecream madness...in the hills of VT....

    (4)

  • Arianna G.

    It was actually kind of hellacious for me. I love ice cream don't get me wrong and what girl doesn't adore Ben & Jerry's, but I never want to go to the plant ever again. I'm from California and when I think of plant tours I think there's probably going to be a group of people there and us and we'll get through on the first maybe if it's crazy the second tour. We got there at two thirty and the soonest tour you could get tickets for was at three fifty. So we ditched the tour idea and decided well okay if not that we'll just grab some ice cream and go. The line for the ice cream took till about three twenty. It took us almost an hour to get ice cream while we were standing in a line in the heat. That and the parking was up a hill that wasn't cool. The ice cream graveyard was kind of cute, but it wasn't worth the time we spent at the plant. I love Ben & Jerry's but this has probably been my worst ice cream experience ever.

    (1)

  • Rob M.

    When my wife and I toured this plant we learned that each employee was entitled to take home 3 FREE pints per day. We also learned they all had free gym memberships too (a good thing). Fascinating and well worth the time when you're in this beautiful section of Vermont.

    (5)

  • Mike G.

    I was really looking forward to coming here. I'm a fan of the ice cream and this is one of the only tourist attractions in this neck of the woods. The tour is very short (maybe 20 minutes - 10 of which is a video you sit and watch which describes the history of the company). The history of the company is the best part. Since the huge corporation, Unilever took over, and Ben & Jerry are no longer a part of this company, they use corporate ingredients these days - which is a bummer. I also learned they homoginize the cream during production - which does nothing but let the ice cream sit on the store's shelf longer and is actually not good from a health perspective (although complaining about the healthiness of ice cream is somewhat absurd). When the tour is over, you get a sample of ice cream. Overall, it was a big disappointment the day we went because they were cleaning the factory instead of producing ice cream. Our tour guide, if you can call him that, was a meek, waife of a man, with little to no personality. It took us 2 hours to drive there and if I had known what to expect, I would not have gone. I'm going to support local ice cream producers that use real ingredients.

    (2)

  • Kiki B.

    okay, so it's ben and jerry's, which like tiffany's is a place where nothing bad can happen. the tour is somewhat disappointing - you watch a short video, walk through an elevated viewing room and watch the process, and get one medium-sized sample. the gift shop, however, had lots of goodies, so that's where we got most of our enjoyment. but seriously, minus a star for the low sampling - just one flavor???

    (3)

  • miriam b.

    why did they sell to UNILEVER? i associate the word unilever with SOAP or underarm deodoRANT.

    (2)

  • Wesley J.

    If you haven't been on a tour - you must do it. It is very cool to see how ice cream is made. Although extremely fattening, it tastes great too!

    (4)

  • Ryan C.

    It's Ben & Jerry's... how can you drive by without stopping? The factory tour takes you through the process of making some delicious ice creams, but doesn't really offer many surprises or insights. The tasting room at the end of the tour offers the tiniest little scoop of one flavor; an underwhelming serving considering that they charged the cost of a pint for the tour. The gift shop had many cool ice cream/B&J items, and the scoop shop is available to serve up ice cream (at standard prices). Don't forget to check in on Yelp before the tour. They will waive the $4 tour fee once you show them you have checked in.

    (3)

  • Nancy H.

    Over 30 years ago, I lived in Boston and I used to drive home frequently, often stopping at this Ben & Jerry's "factory" and gift shop along the way. I have terrific memories of this place and wanted my two kids to experience it, so we recently stopped here on a recent trip to New England. Boy, has this placed changed! I'll try not to compare it to how it used to be 30 years ago, as it was so very different. It's still awesome, in all its bright and colorful and cow-themed aesthetic, but it sure isn't as laid-back and open and ... quiet as it used to be. We were recently here on a crazy hot August day and, man, was it crowded. Wall to wall people. I was first struck by the changes by way of the parking lot. Used to be one small lot in front and it was always, at most, half full. Now there are staff folks at the entrance, directing traffic, and a few big lots and overflow lots. (They no longer have the pasture out front with cows walking about). Upon walking up the hill, there's a brightly painted B&J bus, wooden plank cut-outs through which to put your head and get photos taken, a tent to make tie-dye t-shirts, another for the kids to do arts and crafts, and an ice cream counter at which to order the famous B&F fare. The line for the ice cream counter was incredibly long and moved rather slowly. Then there's the gift store and factory itself. You can purchase tickets for the factory tour (which includes a substantial sample, I hear!), but I found the prices somewhat pricey to cover the costs for my family, so we passed. It started over an hour later, anyhow, and we'd have had to wait. The gift store is adorable! We stocked up on the cutest B&J coffee mugs and tumblers and pens and postcards, and we checked out the t-shirts and aprons and toys and more. What a fun place! My only gripe would be the young guy who cashed us out. It was clear he really didn't want to be there and he was rather abrupt with us. It goes without saying that we got ice cream at the counter outside (after waiting in line 20 minutes). If was expensive but delicious and everything we'd expect from Ben & Jerry's! We passed on walking further up the hill to check out the infamous "Flavor Graveyard" (it was 100 degrees out and we were wiped out), but we added it to our list for "next time".

    (4)

  • Tracy B.

    Like Ben & Jerrys Ice Cream and literally went to VT last month with the sole intention of taking the Kids to B&J to do the Tour... So Day 1 we do some other things & head around the Mountains & hang out! Day 2 we head on over to B&J and the Tour was literally booked until like 2.5 hours from when we got there, OMG are you serious. So we Forego the tour & just stand in Line to get some Ice Cream which still took about 25 minutes. Let me just say this places seems to have grown 1000 times since I was there last, it was HUGE, But I guess next time we plan accordingly & expect to wait or try to get tickets on line! Ice Cream was great, I just hate that they have all these wonderful flavors there that you cannot get in the stores... Kids loved the Playground & the Grave Yard!

    (3)

  • Loren C.

    We came to Ben & Jerry's, while visiting Vermont for the week. It was Memorial Day weekend, so we expected it would be overly crowded. The Factory tours are extremely reasonably priced. Adults are only $4. Kids 12 and younger are free. The tours are 30 minutes long and continuously run all day long. The wait normally wouldn't be bad, if it wasn't a holiday weekend. Thankfully there is a lot to keep you busy! There is an outdoor ice cream shop. However, this even had a winding line of people waiting for ice cream. So we opted to check out The Flavor Graveyard. This is absolutely adorable. It is all Ben & Jerry's retired ice cream flavors. It is definitely worth checking out. It is just around the corner of the factory and up a hill. There is also a Ben & Jerry's truck that provides for great photos! Inside the factory, there is a fantastic gift shop. We bought a Ben & Jerry's brownie Mix for my mom. She made them a few weeks later and to this day, we still think they're the best brownies we ever had! It's worth a trip back to Vermont, just for that mix! Once our tour time was ready, we went in with a group of about 20 or so. You're seated in a tiny theatre room to watch a film about the history of Ben & Jerry's. After the film, you're taken to the ice cream production. Unfortunately, because we were there on a weekend, ice cream was not being made. It was still enjoyable to see! The last and best part of the tour was the tasting! We were able to sample the milk and cookies ice cream. It was the freshest ice cream I've ever had! What a difference! I loved the sample so much, I ordered that flavor a few days later at a Ben & Jerry's stand. Our tour guide was very energetic and fun! Overall, I would absolutely recommend this tour for all ages! It's definitely a must see, if you're in Vermont.

    (4)

  • Meredith E.

    First off.. check in on Yelp to get a free tour ($4 savings). This place was sooo cool. The factory tour was fun and we had a great guide. Watching double fudge chocolate ice cream pints go down the assembly line has been a dream of mine (yes, I'm serious). After watching chunks of brownie being added to chocolate ice cream, we sampled a new flavor in the tasting lab. It was a raspberry of sorts with chocolate candy. One of my favorite parts of the visit was walking through the flavor grave yard. Here lies all of the ice creams that did not survive the market and a poem explaining what happened. The visit to Ben and Jerry's was a solid cross off the bucket list!

    (5)

  • Kirsten S.

    We drove hours and hours to get to Ben & Jerry's for the last tour of the day, rolling in just as they were taking the large group of people through the double doors. However, due to dumb luck or just random happenstance, they decided to add one more tour, which we gladly jumped in on. We paid the $20 for the tour/ t-shirt combo and were incredibly happy with it. The tour was fun, the guide was hilarious, and the free sample of ice cream at the end was huge! We were thinking it would be a mini Baskin-Robbins size spoon of ice cream, but no! It was a heaping scoop of Wayne Swirled--so good! We finished our tour, got our t-shirts, bought a few additional souvenirs, then got more ice cream (I mean, c'mon, you're at the actual factory-take advantage!), and headed over to the flavor graveyard. All in all we probably spent about an hour there, and it was such a positive, fun experience--Ben & Jerry's is a groovy, ethical company and after visiting the factory, our ice cream alliances now permanently lie with them.

    (5)

  • Shannon S.

    The free admission when you check in with yelp made it worthwhile. Otherwise, I may have been a bit disappointed. The tour consisted of a short movie, tour through the mezzanine which looks down on the production floor (not operating on weekends) and a sample at the end. Given the prices at the ice cream window, the $4 pricetag on the tour may essentially pay for your ice cream - it was a pretty generous "sample". We wandered through the ice cream graveyard and marveled that it would be a good place to take children one day (playground, lots of room to run, activities for kids available for additional cost). It was a fun way to spend an hour and if you like Ben and Jerry's ice cream, it's fun to get it at the source!

    (3)

  • Chelsea F.

    Awesome and quick tour. Very informative. Check in on yelp and your tour is free! Huge free sample! Cute gift shop and HUGE selection at the ice cream stand. The patio area for eating is so cute! Loved it.

    (5)

  • Jeremy L.

    Always a fun tour with energetic employees

    (5)

  • Ana R.

    Most rinky-dink factory tour I've been on. Crowded, claustrophobic and not very informative. No ice cream was being made. $4 for a "30 min" tour that was rushed and done in ten minutes, and consisted mostly of a grainy movie. Stood in huge line for the tour tickets, then sold in huge line for ice cream, then stood in huge line to buy merch.

    (2)

  • Dee M.

    First of all...get the vermonster! You're only on vacation once and how many times will you ever, in your life, have the option of eating that much ice cream in one sitting! Sure, it's over $50, but it is well worth it. The line is long and fast. Not much waiting. Make sure to send someone to snag a table when it becomes free so you have somewhere to bask in the glory of your poor choices that are Delicious!!! Do the tour...it's anticlimactic, but why not. You're in Vermont and at the factory. Just do it!!!

    (5)

  • Tawnya C.

    Took the tour. The video in the beginning was informative. The tour is short and sweet with samples at the end. Loved the gift shop.

    (4)

  • Kevin B.

    This was a must-do on our trip to Vermont and it was really fun to stop here. The tour is silly, but a good time (and there's a Yelp discount as of late March 2015) and you get a small sample of ice cream at the end of the tour. There's tons of unique flavors to purchase at the store too and the Flavor Graveyard was a very silly and fun thing to check out. Definitely stop in if you love ice cream and are in the area!

    (4)

  • Jody H.

    Loved it. The factory your was a little on the quick side but essentially you're standing above the production lines looking down into it. Not all that much to see but the 8 minute movie that you watch is informative so that combined with the quirky tour guide, made it a very fun way to discover the story behind the Ben & Jerry's empire. The sample isn't too bad either although it might just be responsible for my new addiction to the Americone ice-cream.

    (4)

  • Jeff T.

    WHY DOES GOD MAKE SOME OF US LACTOSE? With that being said... I had enough ice cream to suffer for a while.. It was a nice little tour will samples (big enough to be a nice little scoop for a small child.) Depending what time you go during the year, the factory may not actually be in operation. We went during christmas/new years so everyone was off. We didn't get to experience the experimental flavors which made me a bit sad so if you want the complete package.. don't go during holiday times. After hearing so much about non-GMO and how Ben and Jerry cared so much for the company, it really does make you appreciate them that much more. Sadly they no longer really run it, but the principals still seem to be the same. OH and btw.. the ice cream was suuuper creamy and soft.. better than the packaged ones (i think?) We'll be back :D

    (4)

  • Liliana R.

    Came here during my Fall Break from school to celebrate my 21st birthday the right way-with the Vermonster! I had wanted to come to this place since I was a little girl watching all of the tv shows about this place. I was so happy to finally make it here with a few close friends. We ended up coming on a Saturday afternoon and taking the factory tour before we went all-out and ordered the calorie bomb that is the Vermonster. (Totally worth the extra cardio, by the way!) I'd definitely recommend the tour, but I'm a total nerd when it comes to how things work/how they're made, so I'd recommend any tour, but this one comes with a scoop of ice cream at the end, so it's a win-win. The free sample with our tour was Milk & Cookies. I had never tried this flavor before, but it quickly became one of our Vermonster flavors as we pregamed for that with the free scoop. After the tour, we made our way to the scoop line where I ordered us the massive 20-scoop sundae that comes served in a bucket. You could either get 4 scoops of 5 different flavors or 5 scoops of 4 different flavors. We chose to get 4 scoops of 5 different flavors so that we could all pick a favorite flavor. When the Vermonster arrived in all its 20-scoop, 4 cookies, 1 brownie, banana, and topping glory, all eyes were on us. It was for my 21st birthday, so no shame. Strangers even came to take pictures of/with us eating the Vermonster. We made it on a few strangers' Facebook pages that afternoon. New friends are cool, right? Well, we made even more friends when we began giving away scoops of our Vermonster when we became too full to finish it. We put a pretty decent dent in it, and with the help of a few strangers who brought their own cups and spoons to help us out, we almost finished the entire thing, but the Ben & Jerry's worker noticed that we had tapped out, so he offered to wash out the Vermonster bucket for us so that I could take home my souvenir. This is definitely an amazing place! If you're a fan of frozen treats, this place is a must-visit. Plus, it's in Vermont, and it's beautiful in Vermont! I came in mid-October, so I got to eat ice cream and to see beautiful fall foliage. It was a win-win and a wonderful trip all-around!

    (5)

  • Dan R.

    While visiting the Burlington area we decided to make a stop at Ben and Jerry's for their factory tour. When we arrived we were excited to see their ice cream bar which had a great selection of ice cream as well as their tantalizing Vermoster. When it came to the tour, we were a bit dissapointed for a few different reasons. The first reason was the fact that the tour was short and not very informative. We walked through a few different room where little was explained, then it was over. The next issue was with the tasting at the end. We were excited and appreciative of the free tasting, but the tasting was tiny and it ended up being an obscure flavor that was being tested. This was a bit of a let down, but again it was nice to get something. In the end, we wish we could have learned a bit more about the history and factory, but the ice cream parlor was great!

    (3)

  • Steff D.

    When I was sixteen, I legitimately tried every flavor of Ben and Jerry's there was that year. When I finished, my parents took me to the Ben & Jerry's Factory as a treat - and it was awesome! I've been back several times since then. I think if you really like ice cream, or if you have kids and are looking for something to do in the area, or like kitschy tours seemingly stuck in time like this... it's worth seeing at least once! The $4 guided tour lasts about thirty minutes; even through their in production Monday through Friday, if you go on a weekend you won't miss out! You'll still see where everything's made, the guides are usually very enthusiastic and fun, and the educational videos offer a peek even deeper into their ice cream manufacturing world (not sure if this is how they still do it, but there used to be someone with a machete that would chop open random pints in half to make sure all the swirls and chunks were being evenly distributed before, of course, taste testing it... if this job still exists, can I have it?). It concludes with free samples, of course! You can also buy a scoop, trying as many flavors as you'd like before settling on the one for you. Yes, there are photo ops galore. Yes, the Flavor Graveyard is a depressing reminder of all the tastes you'll never have again. And, yes, there are even cows on-site... just don't feed 'em your ice cream!

    (4)

  • Howard L.

    First of all, as of the day I write this, you can go on the tour for free if you check in on Yelp. So go ahead and do that. Now, I am from Texas. I love Blue Bell ice cream. I went on the Blue Bell factory tour. I will always remain a fan of Blue Bell. However, I must give credit where credit is due and say the Ben and Jerry's factory is a step above Blue Bell's. Compared to the Blue Bell factory tour, this one was much more visitor friendly. We looked from a second story window into the factory. There were lighted numbers above various stations, and the tour guide would turn on the lights so visitors would know where to look during while he was talking. This made the entire process very easy to follow. Blue Bell did not have the lighted numbers, so visitors had to pretty much guess where to look. Picture taking was not allowed inside, but that's probably true for many factory tours. I just wish this tour offered free ice cream at the end! (At Blue Bell, you could get one scoop free and each additional scoop was only $1, for any flavor) Aesthetically, the entire place was colorful and the flavor graveyard was really cool to visit. I probably wouldn't recommend making a long road trip just for this factory, but if you'll be nearby for something else, pay this place a visit!

    (4)

  • Mark C.

    The salted caramel blonde ice cream they let us taste on the tour was phenomenal. Much better than any pint or scoop I've had from Ben and Jerry's scoop shops.

    (5)

  • Gino C.

    We stopped here after a ski weekend in Stowe for the factory tour and it was fantastic! After checking in on Yelp for a free tour, we had a short wait before the next tour and checked out some of the cow-themed merchandise in the gift shop. Our tour guide was friendly and informative. We watched a short video about the company history then took a look at the factory from above on an enclosed catwalk. Ben and Jerry's stresses their commitment to non-GMO natural ice cream production, the local community and its employees. They weren't making ice cream this day but we did get a free sample of Americone Dream at the end! It was late January, icy and 17 degrees in Vermont, but it's never too cold for ice cream!

    (5)

  • Adrienne K.

    I was a bit pessimist about making sure this was on our top things to do on our road trip. Although, at my dear father in laws request, we made sure we stopped. And boyyyyy, was I happy we did! The $4 ticket price per person for the short guided tour was a hit! The sample portion of the ice cream of the day was just right! The most impressive aspect was learning about the humanitarian efforts that Ben & Jerry's has continued to participate and contribute to throughout the years. A definite must see when traveling through Vermont!

    (5)

  • Brittany S.

    Who doesn't love a mini Mr.Rogers factory tour? First off: Check in to the plant on the Yelp app and your tour will be free! As a bonus, Waterbury's downtown is adorable, so plan to grab dinner at Prohibition Pig or a drink some wine across the street. This makes for a great half day/day trip only 25 minutes from Burlington, VT. You can set aside one hour for your visit to the plant. The tour is only 20 minutes long yet fairly informative and fun. At the end you have the opportunity to try the flavor of the day. And, of course, you'll need to purchase a whole cone or scoop from the shop in the front of the building. And as any attraction of this nature goes, they have a gift shop to greet you when you enter. Worth a visit if you find yourself within a half hour of Waterbury!

    (4)

  • Elaine N.

    We had a good time stopping here recently. The tour is interesting and the free sample at the end was a decent size.

    (5)

  • Maria M.

    The tour is not the most fantastic thing in the world, but at the end you get Ben & Jerry's ice cream, which is pretty darn close to the best thing ever. The factory is in the charming town of Waterbury, VT and the grounds are adorable. You can't help but smile when you enter the cutesy shop and there simply are not enough good things to say about a home grown, socially and politically responsible business that makes high quality product!

    (4)

  • S D.

    i guess when i first went here 10 years ago...it had more charm...more excitement. this time around...i just saw a huge gift shop and a factory tour that I had to pay for. I was pretty sad that it was such a tourist trap. $4.00 for a small ice cream at the factory? weird? that place is there to make money. i wish we just went to a small local ice cream shop instead and helped out somebody other than that machine.

    (2)

  • Juliana K.

    Fun to stop by and check out. Tour is $4 or free if you check-in on Yelp! Tour guide (Bob) was very friendly. The half hour tour itself is kinda weak- you just go upstairs to a 7 min video, then go to a room overlooking some machines for more guide information and a video, and then one scoop sample of whatever they flavor of the day is. We had mint ice cream with chocolate chunks and fudge swirl, which was really good! Super creamy. You can purchase most flavors at the front of the store.

    (3)

  • Hayley M.

    Ben & Jerry's is a classic, you simply have to visit the factory if you're ever in the area. The tour is currently $4, which isn't too bad and includes a decent sized sample at the end. The tour guides are always friendly and funny, and the factory itself is pretty amusing. They have movie night during the summer on Thursdays at dusk which is projected onto a wall, but unfortunately we never got to see it because it was raining. They decided to show the movie in their indoor "theater", which is pretty small and didn't sound ideal to us. Not their fault, but we're not sure how the projected movie outside would be either since we couldn't find a wall we thought it would look good on, but maybe we were mistaken. The gift shop has a lot of neat items, but unfortunately they're all pretty expensive. However, my husband is a rock star and got me a B & J ice cream cake for my 30th birthday, and it was amazing. You're able to choose ice cream flavors and a "crust", and they write your message on top. He expected a little more from the decoration as it was incredibly basic with just a stripe of color around the edges, but my mom ended up buying some things to jazz it up with. However, it didn't really matter because it was so ridiculously delicious, so that's probably why they don't waste their time.

    (4)

  • Marie B.

    Fun little experience for ice cream lovers and kids. The tour was extremely reasonably priced. I just wish we had been able to visit during the week while the factory was operating.

    (5)

  • Linda A.

    The tour was great! The guide was witty and engaging, answering all questions from the group. The samples at the end were nice, but you don't really have a choice on the flavor. Since I didn't like the one they had chosen that day, I gave mine to my partner. Ho-hum. The service at the gift shop and the ice cream window was just as perfect. I was able to sample a few flavors before choosing. The flavor graveyard was awesome and the cows nearby made it seem that much more authentic! Loved it here.

    (5)

  • Eugenia L.

    No time is a bad time for ice cream, especially if it's Ben & Jerry's. Even on a chilly winter's day I had a great time here. Since this is a functioning factory don't expect a Willy Wonka like landscape. You'll have an overhead view of the factory floor while the guide and videos explain the various steps and machinery. Even though I visited on a weekend they were producing ice cream since they were behind on that week's quota. Also at the end of the tour you get a generous sample of ice cream. Since I'm glutton for sweets I also went to the scoop shop at the front to try more flavors. Unlike other B&J shops, here they offer every flavor currently in production. Even new ones like Spectacular Speculoos from their cookie series! Another thing that I enjoyed was their fun merchandise. They had shovel shaped spoons, ice cream koozies, and gag gifts. Since the tour is brief it allows you to visit the many other places in Waterbury and Stowe. Allowing you to make the most of your trip, plus it is conveniently on the way.

    (4)

  • Nidia S.

    I had no idea that Ben and Jerry's originated in Vermont so I was beyond excited that there was a factory near to me. I was most looking forward to the tour. Unfortunately, the tour was not what I expected which is why I gave four stars. The tour guide was very enthusiastic but the tour itself was very boring and not really that informative. You get to see a very outdated six minute video and then you get to see the factory from the second floor through windows. I just expected more. It is very cheap so I would do the tour based on that. If you are pressed for time I would say nick it because it wouldn't be worth it. Go to the flavor cemetery or something else to make your time worth it. At the end of the tour you get a very generous sample of ice cream. We got a delicious caramel cup chocolate chip flavor. The texture of the ice cream was the best I have ever had. After the tour I went to the cute little gift shop. They had hats, shirts, key chains, ice cream to go and so many cute little presents which were priced pretty well. Following the gift shop I went to the ice cream shop and got two scoops of the strawberry shortcake. Best flavor in the planet. It sent shivers down my back. It was AMAZING. The texture, the creaminess, the chunks in it made it so worth the trip. While I was eating my ice cream, I made the trip up to the flavors cemetery. It was cool seeing which flavors died and are no longer in production. I saw some weird combinations and some other ones that looked very appealing to me. Haha wondered why they are dead. This is a must go to place for a family trip or a cute date with a loved one.

    (4)

  • Nicole S.

    Although short, the tour guide was great, very informative. I loved seeing the actual factory process. Use yelp check-in for a free ticket!

    (3)

  • Jenna R.

    Come on, it's Ben & Jerry's. The tour is worth it but very quick and you may happen upon a day where they are not making ice cream so it is a bit dull. But, if you check in on yelp it is free (otherwise $3), so free is worth it. The ice cream prices are more expensive than a store so buy a pint elsewhere (factory cost is $6 which is crazy!). The ice cream scoopers outside are not too cheerful and be sure to get there before lunch when it is less busy.

    (4)

  • Kirsten B.

    On a subconscious level, I was expecting the Ben & Jerry's Factory to be a confectionery dreamland where exuberant cows, high on grass and sunshine, smile and dole out dishes brimming with the palate-enslaving, willpower-destroying treat known as Ben & Jerry's ice cream. At the very least, an all-you-can-eat ice cream buffet would've sufficed... But alas - an ice cream addict can dream. In reality, the factory tour was merely enjoyable, but far from titillating - particularly if you have the misfortune of going on a weekend (when production is shut down). I can imagine the difference going during the week would make. The tour last roughly 20 minutes, and costs $4/adult - unless, of course, you are crafty and use Yelp to check in, in which case admission is free. Hopefully you'll get the awesome tour guide I had, a lady that could moonlight as a Jane Lynch impersonator. I personally enjoyed the sample of the factory-exclusive ice cream flavor, which in November was 'apple cider' - a nice compliment to the spoils at the cider mill down the street. I would advise to not (gasp) over-indulge on sweets here, however, as the area is chock full of other fun stops (you will eat your weight in cheese at the Cabot store) and the nearby town of Waterbury has some great meal spots (I recommend Prohibition Pig). The flavor graveyard was an interesting, yet disappointing, end to the visit...disappointing in the fact that you come to realize the B&J's has laid to rest a flavor called Tennessee Mud, the contents of which included whiskey, so yeah...petitioning for a come-back may be necessary.

    (4)

  • Kim S.

    We stopped by Ben and Jerry's. It's been on my "To Do" list to go on this iconic factory tour. Upon entering the parking lot, we realized how much of a production it was. There were parking lot attendants guiding us to a spot and families strolling all over the grounds. The price of the tour was $ 4.00 per an adult and free for kids 12 and under. There is a tour offered every 10 minutes but since it was a busy summer day, we had to wait 30 minutes (3 cycles) before our turn. We kept busy and walked around the beautiful grounds. Throughout the factory, the company's history, mission statement and values was on display. The gift shop was extremely popular and filled with tourists picking up t-shirts and other cool souvenirs. If guests fancied a full size ice cream treat or smoothie, there was a scoop shop on the patio. The "kid" within us took part in the free spin art. Apparently, I didn't follow instructions, "A little goes a long way." There was a booth set up for people to ask questions about the company. We headed back into the factory as it got closer to the start of our tour time. There was a display window that had all the fun "Euphoric" Ben and Jerry flavors. After a quick briefing, we were herded into the "Cow Over the Moon" theater where we watched a quick 7 minute video about the history and mission of Ben and Jerry's. We had to put away our cameras once we were in the viewing mezzanine of the factory. Our tour guide joked that one of us may work for Haagen Daaz. Our guide wasn't and all her jokes and dialogue seemed monotonous and scripted. After we saw how the ice cream was produced and packaged, we went into the FlavoRoom, the highlight of the tour! FREE SAMPLE! The sample of the day was a "Special" cotton candy flavor made only for Walmart. The generous sample of delicious cotton candy flavored ice cream had real pieces of cotton candy. What a fun detour! I'm not sure if I would make the 2.5 hour drive JUST for the tour but it's a full stop if you're in the area! For more pics, visit mami-eggroll.com/2014/08…

    (4)

  • Ariel Z.

    If it hadn't been for the free tour ticket when you check-in through Yelp, I would have been really disappointed. $4 isn't even worth it, since you don't get to see much and are offered a pretty lame flavor as a free sample. The highlight for me was the flavor graveyard and the ice cream shop, where you can get your fave ice cream in several forms, including a sundae, banana split, or milkshake. Love me some Chunky Monkey!

    (3)

  • Danielle E.

    Great quick 30 minute tour! Arrived around 1255 and we got on the 1:10 tour so very little time waiting! At the end you get a generous sized sample of something new (we had a caramel blonde mix of some sort). They have a cool deal that's $20 for a T-shirt and tour ticket. The gift shop is very reasonably prized and has some cute things like cow printed bowls! After we got some ice cream and milkshakes... Both delicious, as you'd expect! Don't forget to visit the flavor graveyard and pay your respects to your favorite past flavor (RIP fossil fuel).

    (5)

  • Bob B.

    We enjoyed our visit to the Ben & Jerry's factory in Waterbury. While we were hoping for more of a variety of unique flavors, we still gobbled up everything we ordered. The tour was short but pretty interesting. Our tour guide had all the corny jokes down pat and we appreciated his efforts.

    (3)

  • Sarah F.

    I love ice cream, and Ben & Jerry's is king. You can't go wrong with Cherry Garcia, man. So we had an upcoming wedding in VT to attend and I've been begging my boyfriend to bring me to Ben and Jerry's factory for weeks. I gotta say, while everything was delicious, I was a bit let down. I wish there was more to the place. The tour was cool, theres a gift shop, an ice cream store, a graveyard for retired flavors and thats it.

    (3)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :9:00 am - 9:00pm

Specialities

  • Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Wi-Fi : No

Ben & Jerry’s

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