Vermont Factory Fun

More so than any place I’ve ever visited, Vermont is full of factories of all types to visit. During our long weekend there, we hit up a chocolate factory, a teddy bear factory, a brewery, a winery, a cheese factory & an ice cream factory – whew! Here is everything you need to know about visiting Vermont’s fabulous factories:

Ben & Jerry’s

The original Ben & Jerry’s factory is located in the sleepy town of Waterbury, Vermont. You can tour the factory seven days a week, but try to stop by on a week day if you actually want to see ice cream being made. Tours are $4 each for adults; however, if you check in using the Four Square app, you can take a tour for free!

The tour include a video with the history of the company, a quick glance at the actual factory (not much to see, although we did see them putting lids on cartons the day they were there) & a sample of the flavor of the day. The whole thing takes about 30 minutes & afterward, there’s a scoop shop on-site to grab a snack.

Before you head back on the road, make sure & stop by the Flavor Graveyard, to pay homage to your favorite flavors that have been retired.

Cabot Cheese

The Cabot Cheese factory is located in the middle of nowhere in Cabot, Vermont. This cute little, mom-&-pop feeling factory is one of a few processing facilities for Cabot Cheese, a cheese making co-op. The tour is really quaint, lead by a sweet older cheese genius woman. After viewing a film that does a great job of explaining about how the Cabot Cheese Company is structured, you’re lead down a hallway right into the factory. The day we visited, they were making yellow cheddar cheese (vs more traditional white cheddar cheese). You’re able to take photos (something most other factories say no to) & ask a ton of questions about cheese making. After the tour is over, take your time sampling over 50 different types of cheese.

Really like cheese? Follow the Vermont Cheese Trail! I think my cheese loving husband loved the Cabot Cheese tour the best:

Magic Hat

I was really excited to visit the Magic Hat brewery. I like to call Magic Hat No. 9 the original craft beer in my life, as I first sipped it as a fresh faced 23 year old Capitol Hill staffer & have been in love with craft beer ever since. Their brewery is located in South Burlington, off of busy Route 7.

The day we visited, they weren’t doing any bottling or manufacturing since it was Labor Day, but we were still able to do a self-guided tour & view the bottling & brewing facilities. Self guided tours run all day, guided tours leave at certain times – they’re both free.

Of course the best part about any brewery visit is the tasting! We tasted several types of Magic Hat beer, most of which I had never had before. I liked several of them, but in the end, my old stand-by, No. 9, won out.

Vermont Teddy Bear Company

There’s nothing like a teddy bear factory to bring out the kid in you. World famous (& kind of expensive & a bit fragile) Vermont Teddy Bears are made just south of Burlington in a colorful, Disney-esque factory. Tours are $4 for adults & leave on the half hour.

The tour takes you on to the actual floor of the factory to see how each teddy bear is made by hand. While all was quiet the day we visited (again, on Labor Day), normally the place would be bustling with sewing machines cranking out hundreds of bears. The tour was hilarious, full of lots of crazy bear puns. You may wonder if the tour guide might be taking the whole thing a bit seriously – they are just ($75) teddy bears after all – but embrace the kitsch & just go with it. The whole tour took about 90 minutes, & you’ll want to save time to poke around the gift shop as well.

While you’re in Burlington, you might also want to check out… 

• Shelburne Winery – one of just a handful of wineries in Vermont

• Lake Champlain Chocolates – try the dark chocolate caramels… wowsers

• The Christmas Loft – all Christmas (& a little Chanukah & Halloween), all year round