Vermont Guides
Ben & Jerry's, Cold Hollow, craft beer, and cider donuts — Vermont's most-visited small town, 40 minutes north of Shelburne.
Waterbury has a way of filling up a day before you realize it. You arrive for the Ben & Jerry's tour, stop at Cold Hollow for a cider donut, detour into Prohibition Pig for lunch, and find yourself two hours later still on Main Street with a beer in hand. It's a small town — population under 5,000 — that punches well above its weight as a Vermont destination.
From Heart of the Village Inn in Shelburne, Waterbury is approximately 40–45 minutes north via I-89 North to Exit 10. The Ben & Jerry's Factory and Cold Hollow Cider Mill sit along Route 100 between Waterbury and Stowe, making them easy to string together in a single morning. Downtown Waterbury is a five-minute drive from there — or a pleasant walk if you park early.
The factory at 1281 Waterbury-Stowe Rd (Route 100) is the original — the converted gas station-turned-ice-cream-empire is long gone, but the Waterbury production facility is where most of the pints actually get made. The tour runs approximately 30 minutes, takes you behind the glass for a look at the production line (running Monday through Friday during business hours), walks through the company's history, and ends with a sample.
Adults pay approximately $6; children are a few dollars less. The Flavor Graveyard — a genuine Vermont hillside with headstones for discontinued flavors, complete with mock-elegiac inscriptions — is free to visit and worth the ten-minute walk up the hill. Wavy Gravy. Bovinity Divinity. Dublin Mudslide. Each gets a proper send-off.
Tours run daily. In peak summer and fall foliage season, timed tickets sell out — book online in advance. Arrive 15 minutes early; the parking lot fills quickly on summer weekends.
A half-mile south of Ben & Jerry's on Route 100, Cold Hollow Cider Mill (3600 Waterbury-Stowe Rd, Waterbury Center) makes its cider donuts throughout the day using a recipe that hasn't changed in decades. The donuts come out of the fryer in plain view of anyone standing at the counter — warm, lightly sugared, with the faint tang of real apple cider in the dough. They do not taste like supermarket donuts. Plan accordingly.
The mill runs a rack-and-cloth cider press visible through a viewing window — one of the few still operating at commercial scale in Vermont. Fresh-pressed cider is available year-round, along with jams, maple syrup, and an extensive Vermont specialty food shop. Admission to browse is free.
Cold Hollow is open daily. Weekend mornings in October, when the foliage lines both sides of Route 100 and every tour bus in New England has the same idea, can be genuinely crowded — arrive before 10 AM or after 2 PM.
23 South Main Street, Waterbury — Prohibition Pig is the reason people who don't care about ice cream factories also make the trip to Waterbury. Low-and-slow smoked meats, a deep Vermont craft beer list, and a dining room that's busy without being frantic. Pork ribs, brisket, pulled pork sandwiches, and a rotating tap list that tilts heavily toward Vermont producers. No reservations; expect a wait on weekend evenings. Worth it.
The Reservoir at 1 S Main St is Waterbury's neighborhood bar done right — solid pub food, a long tap list of Vermont and regional craft beers, and the kind of comfortable room that works equally well for lunch or a late-afternoon pint. Good option if Prohibition Pig has a wait or you want something lighter.
Vermont's most sought-after craft brewery, The Alchemist produces Heady Topper and Focal Banger — two IPAs that regularly appear on best-beer lists worldwide. The main brewery and taproom is approximately 10 minutes further north on Route 100 in Stowe (100 Cottage Club Rd). Cans are available at the taproom and at select Vermont retailers; they do not ship. If you're making the Waterbury trip, adding 20 minutes round-trip to visit the source is a reasonable call.
From Heart of the Village Inn, take I-89 North to Exit 10 (Waterbury). The drive is approximately 40–45 minutes depending on traffic. Route 100 north from Exit 10 takes you directly to the Ben & Jerry's Factory (left side, well-signed) and Cold Hollow Cider Mill (right side, 0.5 miles further). Downtown Waterbury is a left turn at the bottom of the exit ramp — about a mile on Main Street.
Leave the inn after breakfast (served 7:30–9:30 AM). Arrive in Waterbury around 10 AM for a Ben & Jerry's tour. Walk the Flavor Graveyard. Drive 0.5 miles to Cold Hollow for fresh cider and a warm donut. Return downtown for lunch at Prohibition Pig (opens at 11:30 AM on weekdays, 11 AM weekends). Browse Main Street and head back to Shelburne by early afternoon — or continue north another 10 minutes to Stowe for The Alchemist and more of Route 100.
The Route 100 corridor between Waterbury and Stowe is one of the most photographed foliage drives in Vermont — the valley narrows, the hills close in on both sides, and peak color typically arrives in early to mid-October. Traffic on this stretch during Columbus Day weekend is significant. If you're visiting for fall foliage, plan the Waterbury stops for a weekday or arrive before 9 AM.
Yes — the tour (~$6 adults) includes a production-line viewing, company history, and a sample at the end. The outdoor Flavor Graveyard is free and worth ten minutes regardless. Book timed tickets online in peak season.
Fresh-pressed apple cider and cider donuts made throughout the day from a rack-and-cloth press. The donuts are warm, lightly sugared, and genuinely exceptional. Shop browsing is free; arrive early or after 2 PM on fall weekends.
Prohibition Pig (23 S Main St) for smoked meats and craft beer. The Reservoir (1 S Main St) for a lighter, more casual option. Extend the day 10 minutes north to The Alchemist taproom in Stowe for Heady Topper at the source.
Approximately 40–45 minutes via I-89 North to Exit 10. Ben & Jerry's and Cold Hollow Cider Mill are on Route 100 just north of the exit; downtown is a mile south on Main Street.
Heart of the Village Inn is Vermont's only adults-only (21+) B&B in Shelburne Village — 40–45 minutes from Waterbury on I-89. Made-from-scratch breakfast, free on-site parking, and a quiet village inn to return to after a full day on Route 100.
Book Now ↗The four legendary Green Mountain gap road climbs — Appalachian, Lincoln, Brandon, and Middlebury. Route 100 corridor passes through all of them.
Vermont's first commercial winery on the Champlain Islands — 35 minutes in the other direction from Shelburne, with free Thursday evening concerts June through September.
Cycling the Greenway, lake cruises, waterfront dining, and evening fire pits — approximately 7 miles from the inn.