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The Factory Experience

Inside the factory

Want to visit inside our facility? Purchase your Factory Experience ticket for access to immerse yourself in all things Ben & Jerry’s!  A guided tour of our humble beginnings, displays, retail area and photos ops await!
 
The guided portion of your Factory Experience will lead you to a short MOO-vie viewing of our company’s history followed by an explanation of how we make our pints, all the while overlooking the production room floor and enjoying a sample of our chunks. The tour ends in our Flavor Room with a tasting of one of our euphoric flavors and a cow joke, or two!  

***Production schedules vary and are managed by our manufacturing teams. As a result, we cannot guarantee you will see active production during your tour***

 

Vistor Information:

  • Ticket required for admission inside the public portion of our facility for the Factory Experience. Factory Experience booking dates/times are published each Tuesday for the following week based on varying staffing levels.   
  • Pre-purchasing your tickets online is highly encouraged due to limited capacity.    
  • Day of and walk-in ticket availability will vary each day based on staffing with the potential of NO availability.
  • Factory Experience & Scoop shop are OPEN Tuesday-Saturday, 11:00-6:00.   Both are CLOSED Sunday-Monday.
  • Due to an extreme staffing shortage scoop shop line wait times may be longer than usual and ticket availability may be limited.
  • Admission includes a 30minute guided tour with view of our manufacturing floor and an explanation of our production process a chunk and an ice cream sample, photo ops and retail area.  
  • Additional ice cream can be purchased before or after outside from the Scoop Shop window. 
  • No re-entry. 
  • No ticket required to visit our Scoop Shop located on our patio in addition to our Ticket Sales & Gift Kiosk, playground area, restrooms, and Flavor Graveyard.
  • For groups of 21+ please send us an email including the requested date, time and number of people.
  • As we are a food manufacturing facility there is no glass or pets (with the exception of service animals) allowed inside.
  • Large bags are not permitted inside the factory. 
  • RV, Coach and Accessible parking located at the top of the entrance driveway hill, with designated drop off at the end of the boardwalk.
  • Cancellations can be made up to 30 minutes prior to your scheduled experience for a refund minus the service fee.

 

 

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About the Factory

Factory site with mountains and clouds in background

We are delighted to welcome you! Our Waterbury site is the only Ben & Jerry’s factory open to the public. Our very first factory, built in 1985, continues to manufacture upwards of 350,000 pints per day while offering our fans a sneak peek at our humble beginnings. Our small Scoop shop, retail area and tour route have remained fairly unchanged over the years.  
Guided tours, which began in 1986, have allowed us to share with millions of guests the evolution of what started as a small local company from the early days in the gas station to the worldwide reach we’ve expanded to since we opened our first Scoop Shop on May 5, 1978!  
We can’t think of a better way to enjoy time with family and friends than learning how we make our ice cream then indulging in your favorite flavor or trying one of our euphoric new additions all the while taking in the beautiful mountain views!  
*** Production schedules vary and are managed by our manufacturing teams. As a result, we cannot guarantee you will see active production during your tour***

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Scoop Shop

A Shake, Sundae, Cup and Pint

Hours of operation 11am-6pm, Tuesday-Saturday.  Closed Sunday/Monday

Enjoy your favorite flavors in freshly baked waffle cones, legendary milkshakes and sundaes with all the toppings, including our mini-Vermonster and Vermonster sundaes. 

For special occasions, we have ready-to-go and custom-made ice cream cakes available to  order online or by calling  802-337-1201.

FAQs

  • Your ticket includes access to the inside facility, a guided 30-minute factory tour, a sample of our chunks, a sample of our flavor of the day, our indoor retail space, and many photo ops! 

  • Ticket prices are: $6 for adults, $5 for seniors 65+, and $1 for Children 12 and under; plus service fees. 
    Infants do not need a ticket for the Factory Experience.

  • Tickets are published every Tuesday for the following week.

  • You may book a Factory Experience on the Tuesday of the week prior to your visit.  For example, if you are visiting on 9/20 you may book your Factory Experience on Tuesday, 9/13. 

    For bookings further out please check back closer to your visit.

  • Please visit the home page for updated hours of operation.

  • Tickets can be purchased online under the BOOK NOW! tab on our website. If available, you may also purchase walk-in tickets onsite at our Ticket Sales and Gift Kiosk. 

    Due to high demand, we recommend purchasing your tickets online in advance of your visit to guarantee your Factory Experience. 

  • Yes. Adults, Seniors, and Children 12 and under, need to purchase a ticket for access inside the Factory Experience. Infants do not need a ticket for the Factory Experience. 

  • Due to strict capacity limits, unfortunately we are only able to accommodate those two guests that have a ticket. We recommend checking back on the website for potential openings or cancellations with availability for your entire group. 

  • After you arrive onsite, please proceed inside the building to check-in for your Factory Experience! 
    The Factory Experience entrance is located on the main Scoop Shop patio area. You can enter through the main entrance doors and check in at the Factory Experience podium 15 minutes prior to your scheduled time. 

  • We recommend checking back on the website for potential openings.

  • Sometimes. If staffing allows each day, we may add additional bookings day-of for walk-in and online purchases. We recommend visiting us early in the day as these tickets sell out quickly!

  • Currently, we do not have a waitlist or cancellation list.  We recommend checking back on the website for potential openings. 

  • Yes. Since our reopening, we have sold out every day. Please expect and plan accordingly! 

  • If you miss your scheduled time, unfortunately you will not be permitted inside for your Factory Experience. 

    Due to our capacity limits, you will not be able to join a later tour and we are not able to reschedule you. A refund will not be provided.  

    If you are running late, you may reschedule or cancel your experience up to 30 minutes before your scheduled time. To cancel/reschedule, please use the link found in your confirmation email.  

  • Yes, the Factory is ADA accessible. 
    For accessible parking, follow the signs on property for ADA and guest parking. Accessible parking is marked and located in our upper parking lot. You may also drop off at the end of the boardwalk, at the top of the hill. 

  • To cancel a Factory Experience reservation, click the link found in your confirmation email. 

  • No. But we have plenty of ice cream! 

  • You are welcome to visit our Scoop Shop, Flavor Graveyard, playground area and outdoor Gift Kiosk! 

  • Yes, but only outside. Pets are not permitted inside the Factory. Dogs must be leashed and supervised. 
    Please do not leave your dog in the car during the warmer months. 
    Service dogs are permitted inside.  

  • Yes, our main restrooms are located outside. 
    Your Factory Experience ticket also gains access to the inside restrooms once you have checked in for your scheduled time.

  • No, however for travel around Waterbury and the surrounding area, Hometown Tours & Rides offers local transportation and tours of the Central Vermont region.

  • For the Scoop shop please inform your scooper of the allergy so they can provide the most accurate allergy scooping protocol.

    For the Factory Experience please inform your tour guide and they will assist. Nondairy, gluten free and nut free samples are available.

    For all other allergies we will do our best to accommodate.

  • Please call or visit our Scoop Shop to purchase a ready-to-go ice cream cake.
    For custom cake orders, please visit our Scoop shop website. 
     

  • We have two retail spaces. One is located inside which is included in the Factory Experience and requires a ticket for entry. The second is located outside in our Ticket Sales & Gift Kiosk and is open to all guests, selling our bestselling retail items.

  • Yes. Due to capacity limits, the inside retail area is restricted to Factory Experience ticket holders. If you do not have a ticket, you may still visit our outdoor Gift Kiosk, selling all our bestselling retail items.

  • The Flavor Graveyard is an actual graveyard onsite where we have laid to rest our Dearly De-pinted flavors with granite headstones and witty epitaphs. It is located at the top of the property in the upper parking lots, passed the playground area. 

  • Printed material can be found in our onsite Info Booth, located in our upper parking lot. 

    For additional information, we recommend using the links below: 

    www.discoverwaterbury.com                      Local area around Ben & Jerry’s
    www.vtattractions.org                                  VT attractions all throughout the state
    www.gostowe.com                                       Stowe located 10 miles north
    www.vermonttourismnetwork.com              Group visits to VT
    www.vermontbrewers.com/breweries/       VT beer 
    www.vtcheese.com/                                      VT cheese
    www.vermontgrapeandwinecouncil.com/   VT wine
     

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