Greetings, ice cream fanatics (and you know who you are...)!! Welcome to Le Mars, Iowa, home to Wells Blue Bunny dairy, and the largest ice cream production facilities in the U.S. Le Mars is a small town about 30 miles North of Sioux City, where the cows and the corn fields play.

If you're going to be called the "Ice Cream Capital of the World", it's only fitting that you have a visitor center to prove it to anyone who asks, right?

So here we are, at the official Blue Bunny visitor center, where for $3, you too can tour a simulated ice cream plant, check out some ice cream antiques, see videos of how ice cream is made, and since talking about all these wonderful frozen treats has given you a jones for a triple scoop of Rocky Road, you can always stop in the adjoining gift shop and ice cream parlor for a little taste of the good stuff.

Did you know that the top 5 ice cream toppings are:

  • Chocolate sauce
  • Hot fudge
  • Caramel sauce
  • Strawberries
  • Black beans

Okay, maybe we made that last one up... but c'mon, if people are actually going to put bizarre stuff like Pop Rocks or alfalfa sprouts on their ice cream, black beans can't be that far behind, can they?

Wells' Dairy, Inc. was founded in 1913 by Fred H. Wells when he purchased a horse, a delivery wagon, a few cans and jars, and the good will of the business from Ray Bowers, a dairy farmer in Le Mars, Iowa -- all for $250. (What a bargain!)

The name "Blue Bunny" was the winning choice in a "Name the ice cream" contest way back in 1928. The beans think that "Blue Bunny" is a great name, although the only time they've ever seen a blue rabbit was after a night of partying in Tijuana....

Of course, it goes without saying that you won't find "Black Bean Swirl" or "Frijoles 'n Cream" in your grocer's freezer. But the beans really have no complaints - besides, they prefer it hot, and unlike our quick-frozen friends, would find spending any length of time at 40 below zero to be a tad bit uncomfortable.