Mayfield Dairy Farms

If you’ve never been in a milk processing plant, then take the tour, it’ll last a lifetime! The company is now owned by Dean Foods. Not that’s bad, but the corporate influence has entered the product line. We had 2 shakes there and frankly, Jack-​n-​the Box serves better! Their ice cream is nothing but store quality, little flavor, no special flavors, same stuff you can find in a grocery store, except for Ben/​Jerrys and Haggen Daz. But take a tour, browse their Chinese junk gift shop, (guess they need to make extra money?) A positive note, the employees are very helpful, but then if you gave me money so would I!

Located in Athens, Tennessee off I-​75 (exit 52). You Drive 4.3 miles, turn on Mayfield Lane and visitors center is on the right.
They open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) first tour starts at 10:00 a.m. and last tour ends at 4:00 p.m.
Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Tour begins at 10:00 a.m. and last tour at 1:00 p.m.). No tours on Wednesday and they close on Sundays.
When I got there on a Saturday, it was too late to do the tours. Admission rates change so you must call for pricing. At the time I called, they quoted $ 10.00.
I really love this place! I took so many pictures. Very Nostalgic.
As you enter the visitor center, you will noticed the Mayfield Cow in the front of the building.
There are picnic umbrella tables in the front and rocking chairs on the porch. Very welcoming and cozy.
The first thing you hit is the gift shop– which they carry everything to t-​shirts, mugs, ice cream scoops, coolers, etc. Mayfield paraphernalia galore. I enjoyed going through all their stuff. I ended up getting my mom a T-​shirt and a pair of socks for myself.
Next to the gift shop is the ice cream parlour where you can purchase their famous ice cream. You can also enjoy dining in. Awesome décor!
There is a play area for kids and they have a station demonstrating how properly milk a cow. How cool is that?!
I am definitely coming back so I can do the tour.
Even if you don’t do the tour, still stop by to relax and try some ice cream.

So we’re on the way home after a long vacation, and I see a sign off to the side about the Mayfield Ice Cream Tour on a billboard. Tried to look it up, but there are no reviews on this facility; only the one in Georgia. That got good reviews, and who does not like ice cream? So in an unusual move for me, I detoured the trip home to see this plant in action.
It was late in the afternoon, and I did not expect it to be as crowded as it was. Maybe 20 or so at around 3:30PM. The next and last tour started @ 4 so the family and I checked out the decent sized gift shop filled with mostly useless plastic junk. But there were T-​shirts, and some ceramics and advertising which was interesting.
The tour was $ 4.50 for adults and $ 3.50 for kids… very reasonable. And, it comes with a free cup or cone of ice cream! There are no tours on Wednesdays, I believe.
The tour starts with a 10-​minute movie explaining the Mayfield Dairy Farm history. Then you don some hair nets (beard nets too if necessary) and start on about a ½ hour tour. There are about 5 stops and the guide explains what is going on at each station. It’s very noisy from the machinery, but the guide has a microphone. It can also get slippery so you should wear sturdy shoes. There are stairs, too, and it is not handicapped accessible. You get to see the milk containers being made, filled, and since production was stopped for the end of the day, they showed a video of the ice cream being produced. Things like ice cream sandwiches, pops, and ½ gallon boxes. No video or pictures are allowed in the plant.
What I thought was spilled milk all over the floor I found out was really a soap for lubricating the machines! Glad I didn’t cry.
The best part, of course, was getting the ice cream, and they have all the fun flavors. A new one this year was caramel toffee which I thought was just awesome.
If you don’t have time for the tour, at least stop for the ice cream!
I’ll give kudos to the young male staffer who was the «receptionist,» «tour guide,» and «ice cream scooper.» He did a lot of work and seemed like he was having a good time doing it. Give him a raise!