If you’re an ice cream lover (and who isn’t?), visiting Blue Bell Creamery in Sylacauga, Alabama, is a must. While not a traditional guided tour, ice cream fans can still see how the famous Blue Bell Creameries ice cream is made and taste it!
Note: You can also take self-guided tours at the downtown Brenham, Texas location, but I haven’t been there yet.
Here’s what you can expect when you visit the Alabama Blue Bell ice cream visitor center.
Blue Bell Creamery’s Sweet Beginnings
A group of local businessmen in Brenham, Texas, started the Brenham Creamery Company to turn excess cream from nearby farmers into butter. A few years later, they began making ice cream and delivering it by horse and wagon. In 1930, they changed the name to Blue Bell Creameries, inspired by the Texas bluebell wildflower. They made butter until 1958, then focused entirely on ice cream.
Watch From the Observation Deck
In lieu of a traditional Blue Bell factory tour, visitors can look through two giant observation deck windows to see ice cream production in real-time.
They don’t allow photos or videos of the production facility, but you can watch the Blue Bell employees at work for as long as you like.
By the way, they were packaging homemade vanilla Blue Bell ice cream during my visit.
There is also a huge wall of photos showing how Blue Bell Creamery ice cream is made, each numbered and captioned so you can follow the process from start to finish.
The Scoop On How It’s Made
At Blue Bell Creamery, they start by mixing cream and sugar to create the base ice cream flavor for the day. This mix gets transferred to storage tanks, waiting to be flavored. Once ready, it’s piped into flavoring tanks where the magic happens, and then to freezer tanks that whip and chill the ice cream to about 22 degrees, giving it a milkshake consistency.
Next, the ice cream is piped into containers for packaging. The cartons are spun to prevent air pockets and evenly distribute the mix-ins (if there are any). Each carton is engraved with a code indicating which machine made it. After that, the ice cream is put into sleeves, flipped upside down, and sent to a blast freezer for five to nine hours to solidify.
Once frozen, the ice cream undergoes a test and hold process to ensure its safety before being shipped to distribution centers.
Eat All the Ice Cream
For just $1, you can order a cup full of ice cream at the ice cream parlor. Pretty sure that’s the best part of the whole experience!
I settled on the Southern Blackberry Cobbler, a new flavor for me, and it was the best ice cream. In hindsight, I should have bought several new flavors since they only cost $1 a dish.
I had a really hard time deciding which flavor to pick—there are about two dozen to choose from.
Country Store Gift Shop
The Blue Bell merch in the gift shop is adorable! I collect ornaments and T-shirts from my travels, so I bought one of each. But they have all kinds of housewares, apparel, stickers, patches, unique gifts, and ice cream to go. Are you a souvenir junkie like me?
Wrap-Up
I’m so glad I visited the Blue Bell factory in Sylacauga, AL. It wasn’t a full factory tour, but exploring at my own pace and enjoying that giant scoop of ice cream at the end was a blast! Plus, taking home some fun souvenirs made it even sweeter. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just curious, you’ll leave with a happy face and satisfied tummy. I sure did!
Know Before You Go
Hours: Monday – Friday 9 am – 4: 30 pm
Admission: FREE. Ice cream samples are $1 each.
Location: 423 North Norton Ave., Sylacauga, AL
Parking: Free street parking is available.
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Restrooms: On the first floor by the entrance.
Website
Comments & Reviews
LaTonya says
You all forgot to add the banana pudding ice cream. It’s very delicious and tastes exactly like, banana pudding.
Liz says
I didn’t know about that flavor so I’m glad you mentioned it! That’ll be top of the list next time.
Patricia Clary says
When is Orange Pineapple coming back?
Liz says
Oh, how I wish I had insider knowledge like that!