Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Widgets

Blue Bell Creameries ~ Brenham, TX

Happy Valentine's Day!!!  Thought it be a special treat to show you a little bit of what I LOVE this sappy, lovey-dovey day.

So, what does this momma of 3 crazy kiddos, wife to a Super-man, and pseudo-travel writer love??

Ice cream.  uh huh.

But not just any ordinary ice cream.  It has to be Blue Bell Ice Cream for me.  

For most Texans, the mere thought of Blue Bell ice cream conjures up hot summer days, big bowls of melty homemade vanilla (insert your favorite flavor here) ice cream, and lots of happy smiles.  Blue Bell Ice Cream was a treat in my house growing up.  And my love of this delicious ice cream was born at an early age.  I know all 3 of my kiddos are going to have my love of it too with the mass quantity of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla milkshakes I ate while pregnant with each one of them.  

Nothing compares to Blue Bell.  Nothing.

So today, I bring a fantastic idea of a 1/2 day Spring Break trip to Brenham, Texas and home of the Blue Bell Creameries.  Brenham is located 90 miles east of Austin and the drive is a peaceful, relaxing one filled with Texas wildflowers in the Spring.  The Blue Bell Creameries is only open on weekdays, so make sure to not go on a weekend unless you just want to look though the windows longingly.
 A brief history- the Brenham Creamery Company started in 1907 when a group of farmers started making butter from cream.  A few years later, they started making ice cream and delivered it to local residents by horse and wagon.  In 1930, the name was changed to Blue Bell Creamery in honor of the Texas wildflower, the bluebell.

Today, the creamery still ships all it's products by company-owned trucks with company employees driving them.  And Blue Bell is the third best-selling ice cream in the country, behind Breyer's and Dryer's.
 A tour consists of quick historical movie, a fascinating tour of how the ice cream is made (they use the milk from 50,000 cows every day!!), and a free scoop of ice cream as a sample.  The tour is perfect for curious little kiddos who love to see how things are made.

See, everyone can enjoy the tour and look as happy as I did getting my ice cream!
 The Blue Bell Creameries has a great gift shop - featuring fun novelties such as this shirt which describes me to a T:
The Blue Bell website has tons of great history, activities, recipes, and coupons for those that can't make it on a tour! Until March comes and we get to visit it in person, it's a good substitute.  Where else can I hear first hand about their newest flavor, Rocky Mountain Road?

Texas Travel Facts on the Blue Bell Creameries:
Location: 1101 South Blue Bell Rd (Brenham, TX)
Hours: Mon-Fri (8:30 am - 3:00 pm) Tours are on a first come, first serve basis
Admission: General = $5.00, Children (6-14) = $3.00
Recommended Time: 1hour
Good to know: All ages welcome, weekends are closed, machines start to shutdown at 2:30 pm, so the earlier tours are better, no cameras permitted on tour, tickets can be purchased online


14 comments:

VandyJ said...

Texas is a distance from us, but when my hubby and I visited family in Vermont, we went to the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory. It was great fun.

Impulsive Addict said...

Well so for $5, they BETTER give you a scoop of ice cream!

So Blue Bell started in Texas? That's cool. I didn't know that.

You look great in that hat! ;-)

Macey said...

Well crap. Now I want ice cream.

Unknown said...

Oh ice cream, love it over a nice warm brownie.

Didn't know Blue Bell started in Texas, what a great tidbit.
Totally love your hat :)

Hope you have a great day!

Nicole said...

I so need to hit that place up someday! Good to know they're only open on week days though. I'd hate to drive that far to find out they were closed... LOL :)

Stacy Uncorked said...

That looks like so much FUN! Since both hubby and Princess Nagger are huge ice cream fans, they would be in seventh heaven visiting a place like that. :)

Happy Valentine's Day! :)

Valentine’s Day, (Possible) Near-Sighted Princess, The End of a Crappy Schedule

Mrs. Match said...

I should not even have looked at your post. Now all I want is ice cream!! Yummm. For me it's Umpqua ice cream from Oregon. Specifically two different flavors: they have pumpkin pie, and after dinner mint. Both are incredible. mhmm. It makes me want to make a very long road trip just for that!

Amy said...

Ahh this is giving me a huge craving for ice cream! What a fun place to tour! Happy Valentine's Day :)

Steve said...

I wasn't sure about this "Blue Bell" thing, but your hat sold me. I'll have to try it.

Shawn said...

I love ice cream more than just about anything else and I NEVER share it!

Whats the theme for Friday, I missed art week.

jennykate77 said...

We have a Blue Bell Creamery here in OK too...I pass it every day on my way home! It's fun to tour and sample!

Michele @ Malaysian Meanders said...

FYI, don't go on Good Friday. It's a weekday, so the tour is running, but there are no employees on the factory floor and everything is stopped. That kind of made it less interesting for the kids. At least we got ice cream at the end!

Anonymous said...

My hometown!! Red Velvet it what's in my freezer now and is hands down my favorite!!

Anonymous said...

My hometown!Red Velvet Cake is what's in my freezer now and is hands down my favorite!!