Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream

Airport trend I applaud: ice-cream vending machines

Where I live, it’s been very cold and very rainy.

But at the Nashville International Airport (BNA) they’re ready for summer and celebrating the season with the installation of a new vending machine that dispenses that popular ice-cream treat: Dippin’ Dots.

The machine is located on the C Concourse (across from Burger King and The Massage Bar) and is stocked with packages of Banana split, Chocolate, Cookies ‘n cream, Cookie dough and Rainbow ice-flavored dots.

Of course, many restaurants and take-out spots in the airport also serve ice-cream. But it’s fast – and fun – to get this sweet treat from a machine.

Not in Nashville?  Look for the only Ben & Jerry’s vending machine in an airport at the New Bedford Regional Airport in Massachusetts.

Snack Saturday: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Machine at New Bedford Regional Airport

Souvenir Sunday is coming up tomorrow, so if you’re at an airport today and find a great souvenir that’s under $10, “of” the city or region, and sort of offbeat, please snap a photo and send it along.

In the meantime, today is Snack Saturday, in honor of something unique I came across while researching a story about service at very small airports.

While telling me about the outdoor observation deck (officially “The Promenade”) and the other charms of the New Bedford Regional Airport (EWB) in Massachusetts, airport manager Ed DeWitt let slip that the airport is also home to what he believed to be a “rare” vending machine dispensing Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream.

Rare?  Well, sure enough, it is.  Joseph Beaudette, the owner of Scoopless Ventures, told me that he’s placed some of these vending machines in colleges and other places in New England, but that the New Bedford Regional airport is indeed the only airport in the country that has a Ben & Jerry’s vending machine.

And here’s a twist: while at many airports ice-cream, coffee, and just about everything else costs more than it does in your neighborhood, Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream purchased from the vending machine at New Bedford Regional Airport is about 20% less expensive than at most convenience stores or carts.  And, says Beaudette, “These machines hold twelve different flavors.”

Do you have a favorite snack you indulge in when you’re stuck at the airport?  Tell us about it!  Before you scarf it down, take a picture and send it along to us here at StuckatTheAirport.com.

We’re thinking about making Snack Saturday a regular dish.