So a few days ago you learned about my first rental car. You should be glad to know that I survived the road trip and successfully navigated my 2 friends and myself to Waterbury, VT where we went to the Ben & Jerry’s Factory.
Why did we go? Well, my friend Kristiann is trying to get to all 50 states before she turns 25. Way more ambitious than my list of 25 Things to do Before Turning 25.
Regardless, for being FREE, the tour (and road trip, in general) was kinda fun. More photos & info after the jump.
We were lucky that the day we chose for my friend’s trip into Vermont coincided with the Ben & Jerry’s Winter Festival. That meant the factory tour was free (a savings of $3 – yeah, I was excited about those $3).
On the tour, you get a sneak peak into their actual factory (photography not permitted because of corporate espionage—they honestly seemed pretty serious about this). Of course, much of the tour was geared for small children (children under 12 can tour for free), but it was still interesting to learn about the ice cream making process. They make two flavors a day in the Vermont factory. Can you guess Ben & Jerry’s #1 selling flavor?
We were lucky to get a beautiful day for the festival. Because it was an outdoor festival, there were all sorts of fun things going on, including:
Maple Syrup Snow Cones
Thankfully the “snow” didn’t come from the ground. If you haven’t poured maple syrup over ice, I’d suggest it. Also, you could add a pickle. Again: FREE
Free Ice Cream Samples
I forgot what we got to try as far as new Ben & Jerry’s flavors, but it was delicious. There were also lots of free Cabot cheeses (their factory is down the street) and free flat-bread pizza slices. Hard to argue with any of that.
Snowshoe Tours (not free)
Okay, so the snowshoe tour wasn’t free ($15), but it was still kinda cool. If only for the novelty. There wasn’t even much snow on the ground, but we learned a little bit about Vermont’s countryside: bears, ponds & human-attacking grouse.
More photos on my Flickr site:
Also, don’t forget Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day is March 23. (details)
