Spotlight: New England - "Enticement Lane" (Waterbury, Vermont)

Spotlight: "Enticement Lane" is the nickname locals have given the stretch of Highway 100 between Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory and Cold Hollow Cider Mill. Ben & Jerry's was founded in 1978 by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. On the first anniversary of the opening of their ice cream parlor, they held their first annual Free Cone Day. In 1983, their ice cream was used to build "the world's largest ice cream sundae," which weighed in at 27,102 pounds. In 1985, they established the Ben & Jerry's Foundation to fund community oriented projects. In 1988, they won the U.S. Small Business Persons of the Year award after employing marketing innovations such as a "Cowmobile" (used to distribute free scoops of ice cream by Ben & Jerry themselves).
     The Cold Hollow Cider Mill was established in 1974 by Eric and Francine Chittenden. What started as a hobby, turned into a full blown business when they recognized the demand for cider and cider products made the traditional way. They raised their family on the property until they sold the Mill in the year 2000.

Location: The Ben & Jerry's Factory is located on Waterbury Stowe Rd. (HWY 100) in Waterbury, Vermont.
 - Further north along Highway 100, you will find several locally famous food and beverage outlets including the Cabot Creamery Annex store, Lake Champlain Chocolates, and the Cold Hollow Cider Mill.

Time: The Ben & Jerry's Factory is open from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, with extended hours during the summer. The tour takes 1/2 hour. The Cold Hollow Cider Mill is open from 8 am - 6 pm daily. The Cabot Annex store is open from 9 am - 6 pm. You should allocate 1-3 hours depending on how many of the outlets you visit.

Cost: Tours for Ben & Jerry's are: adults - $4, seniors - $3, children under 12 - free
- There are no entrance fees at any of these facilities.

Description: Ben & Jerry's Factory takes its guests on a tour of the factory, which includes a movie detailing the history of the company, teaches visitors about the ice cream making process, and gives a "free" sample at the end. In addition to the tour, guests can find many unique items in the gift shop, as well as purchase a delicious cone, or even a pint (or two) of their favorite flavor. Outside, guests can visit the Flavor Graveyard to pay homage to discontinued flavors.

     At the Cabot Creamery visitors can browse the premises, sampling some of their award-winning cheeses.

     The Lake Champlain Chocolates store has a wide variety of delicious chocolates available for sale.
     The Cold Hollow Cider Mill produces many delicious products in addition to their fabulous apple cider. Other products include: cider donuts, cider syrup, various jams, apple sauces, apple butter, honey, spices, fresh fudge, mapled nuts, maple granola, apple pie, maple hot chocolate, crisp topping, pumpkin roll, various cheeses, pancake mixes, cold hollow dog treats, etc. Visitors can watch the mill produce their famous cider the old-fashioned way, and try free samples. At the Honey Bee Corner, visitors can observe honey bees busy at work collecting pollen from the orchard and turning it into honey comb.

Rating: 4 stars for both Ben & Jerry's Factory and the Cold Hollow Cider Mill.

Things You Should Know: - Summer hours are from 9 am - 9 pm.
- The Cider Mill is in operation 3-4 days a week; daily during the fall.
- The Applecore Luncheonette at the Cider Mill is open daily from 11:30 - 3:00 offering a variety of delicious products.
- Small groups and families may take self-guided tours of the facilities of the Cider Mill during business hours.
- The Cabot Visitors Center is located at its primary location (2878 Main St., Cabot, VT). It offers tours to its visitors. The Waturbury location is a store, not a factory.
- The Lake Champlain Chocolate Factory is located at 750 Pine St., Burlington, VT. They offer free 30 min. tours to their guests on the hour from 10 am - 2 pm. The Waterbury location is a store, not a factory.
- Ben & Jerry's and the Cider Mill are both closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Nearby: Waterbury Center State Park, Lake Champlain, Joseph Smith birthplace (Sharon, VT), Quebec, Canada