factory floor tour

25 Best Factory Tours in America for Families Who Love to Go Behind the Scenes

Find out what it takes to construct a jellybean, giant plane and everything in between.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

After a prolonged period of being stuck at home, some families are looking to travel again. And while the COVID-19 pandemic means that precautions still have to be taken, and not every destination is up and running at 100% capacity, there's still plenty of unique experiences out there that are once again open to the public.

The following factory tours and appropriate for kids, are well-reviewed by families and are currently open to visitors (or will be opening soon). But you might want to book ahead — some require timed tickets or reservations before you visit. But when you're done, you'll all know a little bit more about how the world around you is made.

Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory (Louisville, Kentucky)

Swing by to see how baseball bats are made — this company has been churning them out since 1884. Your family can walk through the factory production line and watch the wood chips fly! Everyone can try out bats from iconic players, like Babe Ruth and Derek Jeter. With plenty of photo ops (including your crew inside a giant baseball mitt) and a free mini bat souvenir for every guest, this tour will be a home run. Open daily; $ 18 for adults, $11 for ages 6 – 12, free for ages 5 and under

Jelly Belly Visitor Center & Factory (Fairfield, California)

From your perch above the production line, you’ll witness all the steps — slurry, steam bath, glossy application — it takes to create the gourmet jellybeans that have been a thing since the late 1800s. Video screens provide close-ups and fun facts (like it takes 1 – 2 weeks to make a jellybean). Feeling hungry? Stop at the café for a jellybean-shaped pizza. Open daily (but factory workers are typically there only on weekdays), $5 for adults, $2 for ages 2 and up, free for younger kids

The Kazoo Factory Tour Experience (Beaufort, South Carolina)

After learning the ins and outs of kazoo-making during a factory walk-through, everyone gets to create their own instrument to take home. A built-in souvenir is music to our ears! Open Monday to Friday, $9 for adults, $7 for ages 4 – 11, free for younger kids

MORE INFORMATION

PEZ Visitor Center (Orange, Connecticut)

The colorful facility dispenses equal parts nostalgia (it maintains well-organized vintage PEZ displays) and tech wizardry (you can see how the famous candy is packed). Be sure to snap your kid’s pic in front of the world’s largest PEZ dispenser, which looks like a person wearing a PEZ-themed baseball cap. Open daily; $5 for adults, $4 for ages 3 – 12, free for younger kids

Polaris Experience Center (Roseau, Minnesota)

School-age kids who love to build things will have their mind blown going behind-the-scenes at this maker of snowmobiles and ATVs. On the guided tour, they’ll see laser cutters, high-speed saws and other cool equipment making parts for the vehicles. They can also watch motors being installed and ATVs being tested. Whoa! Open Monday to Friday; children under age 6 prohibited; free

Hammond’s Candy Factory Tour (Denver, Colorado)

This centuries-old confectioner invites you to see how it makes its lollipops, candy canes and other treats. Looking through large viewing windows, your crew will be gobsmacked at how the colorful candies are shaped and packaged. Open Monday –Saturday; free

Kohler Design Center Factory Tour (Kohler, Wisconsin)

Got a teen whose interested in manufacturing? They’ll be fascinated by this detailed two-hour, 3 ½-mile foray behind the scenes of how the brand’s famous plumbing products are created. Open Monday – Friday, children under 14 not permitted, free

Sweet Pete’s Candy Shop (Jacksonville, Florida)

Willy Wonka vibes are strong at this mansion that takes guests from room to room of candy-making demos. You’ll get to design your own chocolate bar, choosing from more than 16 toppings. Check availability online; $6.45 per person

Henry Ford Rouge Factory Tour (Dearborn, Michigan)

One truck per minute rolls off the assembly line at this famous automotive factory — and your crew gets a birds-eye view of the goings-on from a 1/3-mile observation deck. There’s also a gallery of cool cars, like a 1965 Ford Mustang, to check out. Check dates online; $22 for adults, $16.50 for ages 5 – 11, free for younger kids

Turkey Hill Experience (Columbia, Pennsylvania)

While the dairy producer’s actual factory is closed to the public, this children’s museum-like attraction gives families the inside scoop on ice cream-making, plus unlimited free samples. Your kids can create their own virtual flavor, and then star in a commercial promoting it . Open daily; starts at $10.50 per person

World of Coca-Cola (Atlanta, Georgia)

Since you can’t tour an actual Coke bottling plant, this attraction is the next best thing. Its Bottle Works exhibit, showcasing real equipment, explains the packaging process. And you’ll get a chance to taste different kinds of sodas from around the world. Open daily; $19 for adults, $15 for ages 3 – 12, free for younger kids

Tillamook Creamery Tour (Tillamook, Oregon)

From a viewing gallery above the factory floor, you’ll see how milk becomes cheese. Then hit the dining hall for gooey faves, likes grilled cheese and mac ’n cheese. Your fam can even share a “flight” of ice cream. Open daily; tour is free, you can add tasting experiences for a charge

Warner Bros. Studio Tour (Los Angeles, California)

Your crew will be star-struck hanging out at a working movie studio. During the hour-long guided portion, you’ll see backlots, movie sets and maybe even spy someone famous. Then you’ll have two more hours to explore on your own — plenty of time to snap a pic of your family in front of the fountain from Friends . Open daily: $69 for adults, $59 for ages 5 – 10

The Great Utz Chip Trip Tour (Hanover, Pennsylvania)

Kids will discover how potatoes get turned into chips at this famous maker’s plant near the Pennsylvania-Maryland border. They can watch factory workers from an observation gallery; closed-circuit TV monitors provide close-ups. Everyone receives a free sample of chips at the end. Open Monday – Thursday, free

Ben & Jerry’s Factory Experience (Waterbury, Vermont)

With a tentative re-opening planned for the end of June 2022, this beloved attraction wets appetites with a short movie about how Ben & Jerry got their start. From there, it’s off to the mezzanine where you’ll watch how the ice cream is made. Samples of ice cream (sometimes a flavor that’s exclusive to the factory) is the proverbial cherry on top. On your way out, visit the “ice cream graveyard” of flavors that are no longer made. Check back for ticket info

The Crayola Experience (Easton, Pennsylvania)

There are many activities to take part in at The Crayola experience, including a live show where a "crayonologist" demonstrates how crayons are made. The 65,000-square-foot attraction also includes a toddler and a big-kid playground, interactive games and a studio for art projects, among manny other stations — they recommend blocking out three or four hours for a visit. Open daily. Admission is $25 if you buy tickets in advance; a timed ticket is required for all visitors ages 3 and up. There are also Crayola Experience locations in Chandler, Arizona; Mall of America, Minnesota; Orlando, Florida and Plano, Texas, but offerings may vary

Taza Chocolate Factory Tour (Somerville, Massachusetts)

Specializing in stone-ground chocolate, this candy maker explains the production process and hosts a sampling. On weekends, there’s a scavenger hunt-themed tour for kids under age 10 . Open Wednesday – Sunday; $8-$12 per person

The White House (Washington, DC)

Though not a factory in the traditional sense, White House tours are back, and you can meander around the famous Blue Room, Red Room, State dining room and — best of all — the Rose Garden. But you can’t wait until the last minute to book. Twenty-one to 90 days before you’d like to visit, you need to request one of the free tours by contacting your congress member’s office. Tours are only available on Fridays and Saturdays

Blue Bell Creamery Factory Tour (Brenham, Texas)

Look high above the factory floor to see ice cream being packaged in different types of containers. An employee is on-hand to answer all the kids’ questions about the process, so encourage them to ask away. Open Monday – Friday; free

American Whistle Company (Columbus, Ohio)

A kitschy stop on a Midwest road trip, this factory doles out loads of engaging info about a topic you probably never considered — how whistles are made. Everyone receives a whistle to take home. Open Monday Friday; $6 per person

@media(max-width: 64rem){.css-o9j0dn:before{margin-bottom:0.5rem;margin-right:0.625rem;color:#ffffff;width:1.25rem;bottom:-0.2rem;height:1.25rem;content:'_';display:inline-block;position:relative;line-height:1;background-repeat:no-repeat;}.loaded .css-o9j0dn:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/goodhousekeeping/static/images/Clover.5c7a1a0.svg);}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.loaded .css-o9j0dn:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/goodhousekeeping/static/images/Clover.5c7a1a0.svg);}} Travel

Universal's Epic Universe Will Live Up to Its Name

25 Fun Girls' Weekend Getaway Destinations

Inside Vrbo's Vacation Rentals of the Year 2024

20 Best Places to Visit in April

20 Surprising Disneyland Freebies

The Best Family Vacation Ideas

The Best Bachelorette Party Destinations

Romantic Weekend Getaways

The Best Destinations to Visit This March

What It's Really Like to Sail the Icon of the Seas

10 Inspiring Places to Learn About Black History

From planes to crayons, these fun factory tours go behind the scenes

Feb 14, 2020 • 7 min read

What’s more fun than breaking open a bright new box of crayons or digging a spoon into a melty pint of ice cream? Getting a behind-the-scenes look at how they’re made, of course.

Whether you’re a super fan or are just generally curious, companies around the US – some that have been in business for decades, and in some cases, for over a century – are offering a fresh new way to experience their goods. Visiting the factory offers insight on how a product comes to life, usually in a hands-on, interactive and fun way. From Cape Cod potato chips to PEZ candies, these 11 factory tours are worth a visit.

PEZ Factory – Orange, Connecticut

The world’s largest PEZ dispenser, vintage Star Wars PEZ and a PEZ motorcycle can all be found in the 4000 sq ft visitor’s center of the company’s candy-making factory . From floor-to-ceiling windows, see the tiny tabs being packaged. (Along with its sister candy-making factory in Traun, Austria, the company produces 5 billion candies each year).

Take time to explore the decades of memorabilia packed into the two-story center, and go on a scavenger hunt for a chance to win a sweet prize at the end.

Ben & Jerry’s – Waterbury, Vermont 

Every ice cream lover should add a Waterbury, Vermont , pilgrimage to their bucket list. The Ben & Jerry’s factory tour gives guests a front-row peek into the ice cream-making process, an overview of the company’s colorful history, and – the best part – a sample of the flavors. Finish the visit with a stroll around the company’s outdoor Flavor Graveyard, an ode to discontinued pints.

If a 30-minute tour isn’t enough, opt for the Flavor Fanatic Experience; the $225, two-hour package includes a private guided factory tour, a tie-dyed lab coat, and a hands-on mixing and tasting session in the Flavor Lab, led by one of the company’s Flavor Gurus.

Cape Cod Chips – Hyannis, Massachusetts

In Hyannis, Massachusetts, find the Kennedy compound, the fast ferries to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, and the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory. More than 250,000 visitors each year take the free, self-guided tour, which includes a walk through the facility to see potato chips made in custom kettles, plus relics from the first factory dating back to the 1980s.

At the end of the tour, break open your complimentary chips at an umbrella-shaded table on the sunny patio. (The tour is available Monday to Friday from 9am-5pm.)

US Mint – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

If you have coins in your pocket, there’s a good chance they were minted in Philadelphia . (You can tell by the tiny “P” stamped on one side.) In the city of brotherly love, the US Mint has been producing coins for over 225 years, and visitors can see the process during the self-guided, 45-minute tours available to the public most days.

See the coining operation from 40ft above the factory floor, check out the historic artifacts, like the press used to make the nation’s first coins in 1792, and see the series of seven, 5ft-tall Tiffany glass mosaics created to commemorate the opening of the third US Mint building in 1901. While the Mint sadly doesn’t offer free samples, you can buy commemorative coins and other collectibles in the gift shop.

You might also like: Philadelphia will be known as 'The City of Sisterly Love' for the remainder of 2020

Jelly Belly Factory – Fairfield, California

The sixth-generation family-run candy company has been in business since 1898, and making the beloved Jelly Beans since 1976. At the Jelly Belly Factory , self-guided tours lead visitors through a quarter mile-long elevated path, with interactive exhibits and a view of the factory floor. For a flat fee of $39 for groups of up to six, private tour guides will take you through. In the end, everyone gets free samples of the rainbow-hued treat.

Louisville Slugger Factory  – Louisville, Kentucky

You can’t miss the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory , located in downtown Louisville , Kentucky. The 120ft, 68,000 pound, world’s largest baseball bat leans against the side of the building, marking the entrance. Louisville Slugger has been making its iconic bats since 1884, and the factory and museum give visitors an up-close look at how they’re produced. Walk through the line to see the step-by-step process, explore the Bat Vault, with a copy of nearly every bat the company has ever made, and leave with a souvenir mini bat, free for tour-goers.

You might also like: A spirited trip through Kentucky bourbon country

Tillamook Creamery Factory – Tillamook, Oregon

Inside the strikingly modern facade of Oregon’s Tillamook Creamery Factory , the milk produced by the cows on the company’s fourth generation farm is transformed into award-winning cheeses. Get a bird’s-eye view from the observation windows, down onto the factory floor, as the process goes from fresh milk to cheese curds to aged cheddars.

The sprawling, state-of-the-art aging warehouse on site houses upwards of 37 million pounds of cheese, which age from 60 days to 6 years before being sent back out to the warehouse to be cut into bricks and packed up for the grocery store. Don’t leave before sampling all the cheese.

Hershey’s Chocolate Factory – Hershey Pennsylvania

In the central Pennsylvania town of Hershey, the lamp posts are shaped like Hershey’s Kisses and there’s usually a faint whiff of chocolate in the air. To find the source, head straight for the Hershey’s Chocolate Factory . During the free, 30-minute tour, visitors can take an immersive journey through the facility to see how chocolate is made, from cocoa bean to foil-wrapped bar, and finish with a Hershey’s treat.

For $26.95, the create-your-own candy bar tour lets visitors make their own confection, and design a personalized wrapper for a one-of-a-kind souvenir.

Crayola Experience – Easton, Pennsylvania

Crayola has been in business for over a century, making iconic crayons and coloring accoutrements for kids and adults alike. (Color Escapes, ie adult coloring books, were introduced in 2015.) The colorful company has a manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania ’s Lehigh Valley, about halfway between Philadelphia and New York City, and about ten minutes away, visitors can check out the Crayola Experience . Guests can see how crayons are made in a live show, pose for a personalized coloring page, mold a critter or character out of crayon wax, and name a color, taking home a keepsake crayon.

Taylor Guitars – San Diego, California

Seasoned musicians and anyone who appreciates a good Spotify playlist will love the thoroughly educational look into how Taylor Guitars are made. Every weekday at 1pm, free, guided tours are offered at the legendary manufacturer of premium acoustic guitars, used by artists like Taylor Swift, Dave Matthews, and Zac Brown.

The 75-minute tour takes place right on the factory floor, so visitors can soak up each step of the process, from choosing the wood and assembling the pieces to finished product. Don’t miss the guitar room, where myriad models are available to test out. (Tours aren’t offered on weekday holidays, so check the schedule before visiting.)

Boeing – Everett, Washington 

The Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour is located just north of Seattle , at the company’s Everett factory. Inside the building – which is the largest in the world, by volume – the aircraft design and manufacturing company assembles the 747, 767, 777 and 787 planes. The 90-minute tour is the only one of its kind in North America, offering a look inside a working commercial jet engine assembly plant, and highlights include the factory tour, plus the Boeing gallery that showcases over 150 products the company makes and is developing, including satellites, submarines, and alternative fuels.

On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the facility offers hands-on robotics workshops, introducing visitors to the basics of coding robots for use in the manufacturing process. Tours are so popular, travelers can book day trips from downtown Seattle that include transportation, hotel pickup and dropoff. (Visitors must be 4, or 122 cm tall, to go on the tour.)

Explore related stories

Festivals & Events

Apr 3, 2024 • 8 min read

Washington’s nickname, the Evergreen State, fits it well – here are the best times to visit for camping, forest hikes, coastal drives and avoiding the rain.

Mar 26, 2024 • 8 min read

Mar 15, 2024 • 10 min read

Mar 13, 2024 • 7 min read

Feb 29, 2024 • 9 min read

Dec 11, 2023 • 6 min read

Oct 10, 2023 • 7 min read

Oct 6, 2023 • 7 min read

Sep 27, 2023 • 10 min read

Sep 27, 2023 • 9 min read

21 Great American Factory Tours You Can Take Right Now

Many historic American factories are open to the public. Here are the ones worth the trip.

There's probably no escaping taking the kids to an amusement park this summer—sweltering in long lines and paying for overpriced junk food. But when that torment is over, take them to a different kind of theme park, one you'll both enjoy: an American factory. You'll see how baseball gloves are made. Or how they print the posters for your favorite concert. Or how a guy at Harley-Davidson takes every bike up to 77 mph on what looks a lot like an automotive treadmill. Sometimes you'll even get candy. And unlike at Six Flags, admission is often free.

1. Hatch Show Print

Nashville, Tennessee:  75 minutes; $15 (adults), $10 (ages 6 to 12)

Nashville's recent "it city" status has our skyline so dotted with cranes that longtime residents have started calling it Little Dubai. I worry that the town where my ten-year-old daughter, Margot, was born is becoming unrecognizable to her. So I decided a tour of the Hatch Show Print letterpress was in order.

"What's a letterpress?" Margot asked.

"They make music posters," I said. She got excited.

"Think they have any of Taylor Swift?" she asked.

"Maybe," I said, explaining that they've been in business since 1879, and have worked with just about every musician you can think of—from Elvis Presley to Elvis Costello.

"Who's Elvis Costello?" Margot asked.

The production process hasn't changed much in over a century. Some of the letter blocks—exactly 0.918 inches high, a standard established in 1886 by the United States Type Founders' Association—are the original end-cut maple versions. This isn't Photoshop. There is no erasing. If even the smallest amount of grit builds up beneath an individual block, it must be sanded by hand so that it prints evenly. The rollers have to be reinked every four prints—each one slightly more faded than the last. These subtle inconsistencies are what make Hatch Show Print posters so special: No two look exactly alike.

The craftsmanship wowed my daughter—just like it had wowed me on my first visit, not long after I moved to Nashville two decades ago. But her favorite part was the end, when we got to browse through an inventory of photo plates and posters dating back to the shop's very first print run. I marveled at the photo plate for Led Zeppelin's first Nashville appearance in 1970. Then I glanced over and spotted Margot. She had the very same grin on her face. She was looking at a poster from Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" tour. —Adam Ross

2. The U.S. Mint

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Also Denver, Colorado): 45 minutes; free

From a 40-foot observation deck you'll see coins—tens of millions each day—sliced from metal coils that weigh 6,000 pounds and stretch five football fields. Inspectors use magnifying glasses to check the quality. Just one flaw in one coin and the entire batch is destroyed and recycled.

3. John Deere

Waterloo, Iowa (Also East Moline, Illinois, and Ankeny, Iowa): 90 minutes; free

Tours take place on a tram pulled by—what else?—a John Deere tractor. Huge robotic arms spray each vehicle in signature green and yellow. But the logo is still applied by hand.

4. Airstream

Jackson Center, Ohio: One to two hours; free

Each of the iconic travel trailers has thousands of rivets holding together huge sheets of aircraft-grade aluminum. And every one of those rivets is drilled in by hand. Once finished, the campers go into the rain-test booth, where they're pounded by hurricane-strength rain for 20-minute cycles.

5. Bourbon Barrel Foods

Louisville, Kentucky: 25 minutes; free

The nation's only soy sauce microbrewer—yes, soy sauce microbrewer—uses repurposed bourbon barrels and limestone-filtered Kentucky spring water to create a uniquely smoky-sweet condiment. FDA restrictions keep you from the factory floor, but you can still watch through glass as workers cook soybeans, roast grain, and press mash with six tons of force.

6. Woolrich

Woolrich, Pennsylvania: One hour; free

Woolrich has been churning out fabric since 1830, including blankets for Civil War soldiers. And for the factory's 60-odd employees, working with raw wool—a single blanket takes roughly four pounds—is its own kind of battle. A variety of heirloom machines dye, comb, spin, wind, warp, weave, wash, and roll the material before it can be turned into something you'd cozy up with on the couch.

7. Coors Brewing Company

Golden, Colorado: 30 minutes; free

What kind of dad takes his five-year-old son on a brewery tour? A cool one, I thought, boarding the shuttle bus to the Coors plant in Golden, Colorado—the largest single-site brewery in the world, capable of turning out 13 million barrels of beer annually. To me, it was just another father–son outing—a chance to see something new and learn something interesting. Like the zoo, but with the freshest free beer imaginable. Little did I suspect my boy would end up scarred for life.

In and of itself, the self-guided tour is utterly wholesome, an experience as pure as the vaunted Rocky Mountain spring water that prompted Adolph Coors to set up shop in Golden back in 1873. Exhibits explain ingredients, malting, mashing, etc., while affording a look at impressive mechanized assembly lines that channel endless rivers of freshly filled cans and packed cardboard cases in perfect perpetual motion. It wasn't easy to detach my son's nose from the observation window, but over the clack of the machinery, Daddy discerned the siren song of the samples that await responsible drinkers of legal age at the end of the tour.

As I sipped a cold glass of Coors and my son a soda, we surveyed our surroundings: an ersatz pub, decorated with old advertisements—including one featuring E.T. (left), that lovable extraterrestrial, imploring imbibers to "phone home" for a ride should they overindulge. This seemingly harmless poster, unfortunately, made by far the largest impression of the day on my son. What is that thing? Is it coming to get me? What part of me do you think it would eat first? Years later, the poor lad is still uncommonly concerned with the perceived dangers posed by aliens, even smiling ones in bartenders' aprons.

Then again, if that keeps him out of the taverns for a few extra years, maybe it's not all bad. —Kendall Hamilton

8. Golden Flake

Birmingham, Alabama: 45 minutes; free

When my wife and I moved from New York City to Birmingham, Alabama, five years ago, I'd braced myself for culture shock. I knew as much about college football and black-eyed peas as I do thermonuclear fusion. But while I'm still rusty on the vagaries of the wishbone formation, we definitely came out ahead. We've got a yard now, and a dog, and some savings. And we live ten minutes from a snack-food factory.

Since 1923, Golden Flake, "The South's Original Potato Chip," has been supplying chips and puffs and curls and popcorn and pork skins from Florida up through Virginia, in flavors as unlikely as Tangy Pickle BBQ and just plain Hot. It is tiny next to the Utzes and Pringles of the world, and touring its 700-employee Birmingham facility can feel like visiting a friend's home-brewing shed, if instead of beer he churned out Chili Lime Pork Cracklin Super Strips.

"This is our cheese puff, corn puff, and popcorn department," said both our guide and, I hope, whoever greets me in the afterlife. There are 14-foot drums of vegetable oil and giant rotating seasoning cylinders and kind-looking ladies slicing potatoes in half (by hand, for quality control). The highlight comes at the halfway point: a basket brimming with potato chips plucked fresh off the conveyor belt, intercepted between fryer and bagging station, and offered to you for sampling. It is the perfect bite of a perfect chip. Thin but still crunchy, with just-too-much salt. Whatever's in your pantry seems like wafer-shaped Styrofoam in comparison.

It's just one of several snack breaks on the tour. If your taste buds still want more—and they will—you get a few complimentary bags to take home. Lucky for me, I was already there. —Brian Barrett

Everett, Washington: 90 minutes; $20 (adults), $14 (age 15 and under)

When you're stuck in the middle seat and the baby behind you is wailing, it's easy to forget what a miracle an airplane is. You won't after visiting Boeing—the largest building in the world, big enough to fit Disneyland with 13 acres to spare—and witnessing 30,000 employees assemble millions of parts and miles of wiring into 747s and other jumbo jets.

10. Chevrolet Corvette

Bowling Green, Kentucky: One hour; $10 (adults), $5 (ages 10 to 16)

So you're buying a Corvette Z06. First off, congratulations. A supercar. You're a lucky man. But why stop there? For an extra five grand you can hop on the assembly line at the Bowling Green factory and help build your 650-hp engine, which gets emblazoned with a plaque commemorating the experience. For those on a budget, $10 gets you the standard factory tour—still thrilling, just no keys at the end.

11. Harley-Davidson

York, Pennsylvania: Two hours; free or $35

There's a free tour, but it keeps you on the periphery of the shop. Pay the $35 for the Steel Toe Tour and you get to walk up and down the aisles, right next to the workers as bike parts are delivered to them, on-demand, by a trolley that follows magnetic tracks in the floor. At the end, the guys put each finished Harley on a dyno machine and steadily bring it up to 77 mph, running the bike through all the gears.

12. Fender Guitars

Corona, California: One hour; $10 (adults), $8 (seniors), $6 (ages 13 to 17), free (ages 12 and under)

The first time I saw a Fender Telecaster up close was in 1979 on the stage of the Hollywood Palladium. I was 14, and Joe Strummer was next to me pounding out the chords to The Clash's "White Riot"—the two of us shouting the lyrics along with a few other teenage punks who had also scrambled onstage during the encore.

Strummer was thousands of miles from his London home that night. But his battered axe? That wondrous machine had been born less than an hour south, in Fullerton, California, where in the early 1950s self-described tinkerer Leo Fender revolutionized the electric guitar. Since that encounter with Strummer, I've seen hundreds of other Fenders—as a music journalist as well as in my short time as a drummer, which included a stint with punk legends Bad Religion. But I didn't fully appreciate their magic until I strapped on a pair of Devo-like safety goggles and took my first tour of the Fender Factory.

It all starts with unremarkable blocks of alder and ash. From this wood, about 400 employees—more than a few aging longhairs among them—shape, sand, seal, and paint the classic Telecaster and more angular Stratocaster bodies. They then fit the necks, attach the wound pickups, and connect the knobs. Finally, each instrument is plugged in to a row of new Fender amps to check the sound quality.

In the summer, crowds for the twice-daily tour average 50 people. On the April morning I visited, there were only six of us, including two middle-aged Swedes. Afterward, browsing a showroom filled with memorabilia of Fender-playing guitar gods, I asked the guys what made them travel all this way. One clearly didn't understand En glish. The other only a little. He smiled, pointed to a poster of Jimi Hendrix, and simply said, "Him." Returning the gesture, I pointed across the room, to a display about punk. The centerpiece: a replica of Strummer's banged-up Telecaster. —John Albert

13. Lodge Cast Iron Manufacturing

South Pittsburg, Tennessee: Last weekend in April, 45 minutes; free

You can't get in while the factory is running—it's way too dangerous—but once a year (during April's National Cornbread Festival, naturally) Lodge opens its doors to tourists. Hard to say what's more amazing: the electromagnet that can lift five tons, the furnace that burns at 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit, or the pouring machine that uses ancient sand-molding techniques to create as many as 8,000 skillets an hour.

14. Wood -Mizer

Batesville, Indiana: 30 minutes; free

I live in rural Indiana, in the north part of a farm county. Out here, the sight of a Wood-Mizer, the industrious portable saw mill, passing by behind a pickup or being towed up onto someone's acreage for a few days of transformative deep-woods lumber milling, is a moment of awe, rare and powerful, like catching sight of a panther or something. In the right conditions, three men and a Wood-Mizer can mill enough lumber to build an entire pole barn or a fishing cabin in just a day. It is a tool of thrift, profit, and creativity. I don't own one—I'm just another fanboy—but I do have a hat. And the logo alone gets me silent nods of respect from farmers who otherwise want nothing to do with me.

I bought the hat after going on the Wood-Mizer factory tour in Batesville, Indiana. (It was cheaper than the sawmill.) The six-month-old plant churns calmly forward, the assembly line formed in the shape of a U. There's no shouting. No rushing. No alarm registered along any of the snug, worker-designed assembly. There's notable focus in the workforce—risen from pride, taken from ownership (the 34-year-old company is entirely worker owned)—that permeates the movement and pace from loading dock to shipping dock. For me, the moment I recognized the familiar machine occurred right in the turn of that U, after the powdered orange paint was kiln-dried onto the steel frame. Then the wheels were attached and the custom motor mounted.

And then I couldn't help myself. "There's the big cat," I exclaimed, like some kid seeing a ballplayer parking his car. The guy on the line heard me. "You gonna build something?" he asked, assuming I was a buyer. I smiled and pointed to my factory-supplied earplugs. "I'm just on a tour," I said, but he couldn't hear me. "Build something great," he said. He was standing over a new Wood-Mizer, so it sounded like a promise. —Tom Chiarella

Nocona, Texas: One hour; $5

When Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan was seven, his father took him to a hardware store in downtown Alvin, Texas, to buy his first baseball mitt. It was a Nokona. Since 1934, the family-owned company has made gloves the same way: hand-lacing and stitching American rawhide, then beating it to hell with a mallet until the pocket is ready to snag a one-hop grounder.

16. Jelly Belly

Fairfield, California: 40 to 60 minutes; free for the self-guided tour, $47 for a guided tour that takes you on the factory floor

The thousands of jelly beans tumbling in hoppers may sound like bingo balls, only here every one drawn out is a guaranteed winner—except maybe the buttered popcorn. You can taste them at every stage of the tour, but save your appetite. The factory store at the end offers unlimited samples. If you paid for the guided tour, called Jelly Belly University, this is where you make up for your tuition.

17. Tabasco Pepper Sauce

Avery Island, Louisiana: One hour; $5.50

When I was growing up in the Cajun Triangle, any time a relative or college friend came to town, my family trotted out one of three old chestnuts: tours of swamps, plantations, or the Tabasco factory. I always hoped for the peppers—because I am afraid of alligators and ghost stories but mainly because, like all good Louisianans, I am obsessed with hot sauce.

Avery Island is only three miles wide, so most of the growing happens in South America. But this is where the rust-colored mash is packed into old bourbon barrels—about 50,000 are stacked in the warehouse—and left to ferment for three years. When ready, it is mixed with vinegar and aged for another month. Finally, the sauce gets bottled and shipped off to 180 countries.

The smells of the tour are as good as the sights—all that spice mixing with nearby forests of azalea trees. But the best part comes afterward, at the free tasting, when someone inevitably volunteers to try the inferno-level habanero sauce. That someone will always be me. —Katie Macdonald

18. Kenyon's Grist Mill

West Kingston, Rhode Island: July 23 to 24 and October 22 to 23; free

Two giant slabs of granite—each more than 150 years old and weighing more than 2,000 pounds apiece—pulverize whole grain and corn into meal and flour. That's it. A simple, centuries-old process that retains all the nutrients of the original grains and corn. Make sure to bring home some Johnny Cake mix.

Kohler, Wisconsin: Three hours; free

Lowell Kappers, the 80-year-old former Kohler employee who led our tour, worked at the Wisconsin factory, north of Milwaukee, for 44 years—31 of them as a cast-iron grinder. Three decades machining crankshafts and rail-track components. Three decades wearing a respirator helmet to keep pulverized iron dust out of his lungs. He retired in 1999 but still shows up two or three mornings a week to give tours. The factory has been offering them since 1926, a couple of decades before Kappers's dad started working there.

The tour is epic: four buildings, three hours, two and a half miles. You sidestep moving forklifts. You cross beneath conveyors shuttling tubs. You watch molten iron flow. In a cavernous brick loft called the pottery, liquid clay pumped from basement tanks filled plaster-of-paris molds before getting glazed and fired in 2,450-degree industrial kilns. In the enameling shop, an employee in a silver heat shield coated a cast-iron shower floor in enamel powder, then slid it into the orange maw of another kiln.

There are so many kilns. But Kappers didn't break a sweat, despite the heat and constant walking. The only time he really lingered was when we got to the aisle where he had worked, the spot where he jockeyed that heavy grinding wheel all those years.

"Noisiest place in the factory," he said. He wasn't complaining. He was proud. And then he was off again. —Phil Hanrahan

20. R.L. Winston Rod Company

Twin Bridges, Montana: 45 minutes; free

I learned to fly-fish on a fiberglass five-weight that my dad bought at Abercrombie & Fitch in the '60s. With his tongue sticking out in a pose of concentration, he showed me the basic ten and two. Wait for the glass to finish its slow backward flex, wait for the line to unfurl, then launch your forearm forward. Be patient, son.

This was the early '90s. By then, Dad's A&F beauty was a relic. Space-age graphite had made fiberglass obsolete. Trouble was, graphite is much stiffer than glass. Graphite rods cast like rocket launchers, and spooky trout require a delicate approach. Based in Twin Bridges, Montana, at the confluence of three legendary trout rivers, 87-year-old R.L. Winston Rod Company has figured out an alchemy that transforms graphite into velvet. The key ingredient is its staff of 40—roughly 10 percent of the population of Twin Bridges. They secure line guides with hand-wrapped thread. They balance rods by feel and sight alone. They hand-fit the ferrules connecting the rod sections to within one thirty-second of an inch. When customers send in broken rods for repair, Winston rebuilds the damaged segments from scratch.

"We've got a machine for attaching guides that's sitting upstairs collecting dust," said my tour guide, production manager Joe Begin. "We find that our employees are more efficient and make fewer mistakes."

This tireless, meticulous labor accounts for the cost of the rods: ranging from $500 to $3,000. That might sound pricey, especially when a perfectly serviceable rod will run you about $200. But near the end of the tour, I was frantically crunching numbers in my head, trying to figure out how many meals I could skip in the coming month. Fortunately, the gift shop sells only hats and sweatshirts. —Elliott Woods

Seattle, Washington: 30 to 40 minutes; free

One look at the sewing floor and it's easy to see how the garment and bag company that C.C. Filson started in 1897 to outfit Gold Rush prospectors has continued to thrive. Veteran employees, some who've been there 30 years, operate antique treadle machines customized to work with the brand's hallmark rugged twill.

*This article origionally appeared in the July/August 2016 issue of  Popular Mechanics. 

.css-cuqpxl:before{padding-right:0.3125rem;content:'//';display:inline;} Infrastructure & Transportation .css-xtujxj:before{padding-left:0.3125rem;content:'//';display:inline;}

Secret Tunnel in NYC Destabilizes Nearby Property

The Secrets of a 26-Year-Old Medieval Castle

How Laser Lightning Rods Could Save Our Buildings

Christopher Payne's Industrial Photography

What It Took to Build the World’s Largest Sphere

Greek Mythology Impacts Longest Suspension Bridge

The Hubris of Building a City From Scratch

A Fully Autonomous Ship's Perilous Journey at Sea

Everyday Explained: What Happens After You Flush

U.S. Rail Too Old to Handle Coming Bullet Trains

How One Man Jet-Skied 186 Miles to Escape China

Car Production Process

• Power Unit Craftsmanship
• Toyota Production System

Return to the Toyota Motor Corporation website

• 01 STAMPING --> STAMPING
• 02 WELDING --> WELDING
• 03 PAINTING --> PAINTING
• 04 ASSEMBLY --> ASSEMBLY
• 05 INSPECTION SHIPPING --> INSPECTION SHIPPING

--> Manufacturing Process Overview Video

A browser that supports the video tag is required to play the video.

E x p e r i e n c e   t h e   W o n d e r   a n d C r a f t s m a n s h i p   o f   T o y o t a ' s   M a n u f a c t u r i n g   P l a n t s

Cars are made up of some 30,000 parts - all filled with care and craftsmanship in every step of production. People are the heart of Toyota's manufacturing.

Cars are made up of some 30,000 parts - all filled with care and craftsmanship in every step of production People are the heart of Toyota's manufacturing.

C a r   P r o d u c t i o n

INSPECTION / SHIPPING

M a n u f a c t u r i n g P r o c e s s O v e r v i e w   V i d e o

M a n u f a c t u r i n g p r o c e s s   o v e r v i e w   v i d e o.

Manufacturing Process Overview Video

P o w e r   U n i t   C r a f t s m a n s h i p

P o w e r   u n i t c r a f t s m a n s h i p.

Introducing the care and craftsmanship that go into every unit made.

T o y o t a P r o d u c t i o n   S y s t e m

The Toyota Production System helps produce vehicles in a timely manner.

• svg]:stroke-primary"> 826K
• svg]:stroke-primary"> 622K
• svg]:stroke-primary"> 246K
• svg]:stroke-primary"> 45K

The 15 Best Factory Tours in America

By Katelin Hill

Updated on Aug 1, 2018 12:08 AM EDT

0 minute read

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn More ›

John Deere in East Moline, Illinois

In 1837, Illinois blacksmith John Deere set out to address the concerns of local farmers whose plows weren’t holding up against the thick Midwest soil, and the John Deere empire was born. Today, the company’s East Moline factory offers tours that guide visitors through the process of manufacturing the company’s various machines—the American-made equipment that helps feed the world.

Related: 10 American-Made Buys for Your Outdoor Living Area

Jelly Belly in Fairfield, California

Wikimedia Commons

Why does it take up to 14 days to create a single jelly bean? Find out on the Jelly Belly Candy Company’s free factory tour. Learn how the 50 Jelly Belly flavors and other sweet treats are made, sample some of your favorites, and stop off at the café or fudge shop afterwards to enjoy some sweet (and savory) snacks, or take them to go. Jelly bean-shaped burgers, anyone?

Related: Yes, These 20 Weird and Wacky Museums Actually Exist

Harley-Davidson Vehicle Operations in York, Pennsylvania

flickr.com via Klaus Nahr

The Harley-Davidson Vehicle Operations center, established in 1973, is where the Touring, Trike and CVO families of motorcycles are assembled. Visitors to the Vaughn L. Beals Tour Center will be able to explore exhibits, walk the factory floor from manufacturing to assembly to the end of the line, and sit on a current production model.

Related: 15 Classic Roadside Motels You Can Visit Along America’s Highways

The United States Mint in Philadelphia and Denver

istockphoto.com

See where the money gets made at two of the four active United States Mint facilities. The Philadelphia and Denver locations offer free self-guided walking tours that showcase the past and present of the Mint and describe all stages of the coining process, from the craftsmanship that goes into the original designs to the final production process.

Related: 20 Weird and Wacky Destinations for a Family Road Trip

Future of Flight Aviation Center and Boeing Tour in Mukilteo, Washington

To visit the only North American commercial jet factory open to the public, direct your car to Mukilteo, about 30 miles north of Seattle. There, you can view 747, 777, and 787 Dreamliner models while they’re being assembled in the Everett production line and meet some of the thousands of employees who support the design and development of Boeing’s aircraft. The Everett production facility, the largest building in the world by volume, has welcomed millions of visitors since 1968.

Related: 7 Companies That Want to Help Their Employees Buy a House

Celestial Seasonings Factory Tour in Boulder, Colorado

flickr.com via Wally Gobetz

The Celestial Seasonings Factory offers what may be one of the country’s most aromatic tours: a behind-the-scenes look at how tea is made. See for yourself the manufacturing magic, from blending to shipping, that goes into every cup of tea, including the company’s ever-popular Sleepytime blend.

Related:  15 Places Every American Should Visit at Least Once

Hershey’s Chocolate World in Hershey, Pennsylvania

flickr.com via Rain0975

Hershey’s Chocolate World’s big attraction isn’t technically a factory tour—it’s more like an educational ride, the likes of which you might find at Disneyland. Guests board a moving chain of cars, “It’s a Small World” style, to travel through the story of chocolate, where animatronic characters explain how Hershey makes the company’s iconic milk chocolate . After the tour, try other attractions, including a create-your-own-candy-bar activity or the 4D Chocolate Mystery show.

Related:  12 Destinations You Should Actually Visit During the Off-Season

Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory in Louisville, Kentucky

flickr.com via Alves Family

An apprentice in his father’s woodworking shop , John Andrew “Bud” Hillerich began crafting baseball bats for himself and his teammates in the 1880s. Although the company was originally known for its wood butter churn, the baseball bats eventually became the company’s signature item. Fast-forward more than a century, and guests on the factory tour can watch the bats made right before their eyes—and even receive a free miniature Louisville Slugger bat to take home as a souvenir.

Related: 12 Unusual Ways to Reinvent Old Sports Gear

Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour and Ice Cream Shop in Waterbury, Vermont

Learn how one of America’s favorite ice creams is made, from farm to freezer. View the production room from a glassed-in mezzanine, and enjoy the sample of the day. After the tour, wander through the Flavor Graveyard to pay your respects to beloved flavors of years past.

Related:  17 Brands Born and Loved in the U.S.A.

Gibson Guitars in Memphis, Tennessee

Music lovers won’t want to miss the Gibson Beale Street Showcase in Memphis, where highly skilled luthiers (makers of stringed instruments) craft world-class guitars. On the tour, you’ll learn how Gibson became a leader in the musical instrument industry and trace the many steps involved in making a guitar, including binding, neck-fitting, painting, buffing, and tuning.

Related:  17 Things You Won’t Believe People Actually Collect

Toyota Tour in Georgetown, Kentucky

At the world’s largest Toyota manufacturing facility, more than 2,000 cars are made each day. The Georgetown, Kentucky, factory  welcomes visitors on weekdays for a tour that includes a tram ride around the plant, a discussion of the acclaimed car company’s future, and a peek at the very first Camry ever made in the United States—a pristine example of late-1980s auto design. 

Related:  Pedestrians Only: 20 Car-Free Cities in America

Airstream Factory Tour in Jackson Center, Ohio

flickr.com via Matthew Simoneau

For many, an Airstream isn’t just a convenient, comfortable way to get from point A to point B— it’s a way of life . These touring coaches and travel trailers are handcrafted in Jackson Center, Ohio, where the company welcomes visitors for a two-hour walking tour through the state-of-the-art factory.

Related:  The 18 Best Tiny Houses on Wheels

Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee

Make a trip to Lynchburg, Tennessee, for a behind-the-scenes tour of the whiskey-making process at the Jack Daniel Distillery. As  no distillery tour would be complete without a taste , upgrade to the Flight of Jack Distillery Tour, which includes a stop at historic Barrelhouse 1-14, where visitors over 21 years of age will savor a flight of five Jack Daniel’s whiskeys and liqueurs.

Related:  10 “Sober” Alternative Uses for Alcohol at Home

Tabasco Factory in Avery Island, Louisiana

flickr.com via Kent Kanouse

The McIlhenny Company has turned their hometown of Avery Island into a destination for lovers of their famous Tabasco® brand Pepper Sauce. A factory tour of their facility provides background on the McIlhenny Company and the McIlhenny family, and answers all your burning hot-sauce questions. While you’re there, take the Tabasco Culinary Tour, sample delicious Cajun cuisine, or take a Tabasco-centric cooking class with Hospitality Chef Lionel Robin.

Related: 17 New Essentials for Your Best-Ever BBQ

Pendleton Woolen Mills in Washougal, Washington, and Pendleton, Oregon

flickr.com via Association of Washington Business

Learn how Pendleton turns raw wool into fabric, and fabric into beautiful, intricate clothing and blankets . The Pendleton Blanket Mill and Washougal Weaving Mill offer weekday tours where they educate visitors about the weaving process and demonstrate how one weaver’s dream and the hard work of six generations turned Pendleton into a household name.

Related:  12 Household Favorites Born in the USA

12 Strange Things You Didn’t Know Tractor Supply Sells

12 kit homes you can actually buy on amazon.

a]:text-primary [&>a]underline [&>a]:hover:hover-link">By: Jasmine Harding

• Select Travel 101
• Travel News
• People You Should Know
• Trip Search
• Tour Operators
• Travel Themes
• Itinerary Listings
• Travel Stories
• Photo Galleries
• Our Magazine
• Digital Edition
• Advertise With Us

courtesy Wick’s Pies

Made in America: Factory Tours of the Midwest

A merica’s past and present are full of technological innovation, and much of it is centered in the midwest. on your next trip through the region, make time for a tour of one of these iconic manufacturing facilities., waterloo, iowa.

John Deere has been building tractors in Waterloo, Iowa, for more than 100 years. Visitors to the Tractor Cab Assembly Operations plant and the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum can take a 90-minute tour that details how the company got into building tractors and engines.

There are three tours available: the Engine Works tour, which runs twice a day and shows visitors how John Deere engines are manufactured; the Drivetrain Operations tour, which shows visitors how gears, shafts and housings are machined and critical components are tested; and the Tractor Cab Assembly Operations tour, where teams of production employees complete final assembly on the company’s 7, 8 and 9 Family Tractors.

Tours of the Tractor Cab Assembly Operations facility run three times a day.

While in Waterloo, visitors should check out the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum, which features classic tractors and interactive displays that tell the evolution of the tractor from horse-drawn to engine-driven. The company continues to innovate and improve its large tractors with the latest technology and design improvements.

visitjohndeere.com

Honda Heritage Center and Auto Plant Tour

Marysville, ohio.

The Honda Heritage Center, which opened in 2015, is a free museum that showcases how Marysville, Ohio, became the largest Honda manufacturing facility in the country. It started out by manufacturing motorcycles, but in 1979, it began producing automobiles. The first U.S.-made Honda Accord rolled off the line in November 1982.

Today, the company’s Marysville operations include the Marysville Auto Plant, the East Liberty Auto Plant and the Performance Manufacturing Center. In January 2020, Honda of America built its 20 millionth vehicle in Ohio. The plants make Honda and Acura brand cars and light trucks.

Groups of up to 60 people can sign up to take a 2.5-hour tour of both the manufacturing plant and the museum. Tours start at the Honda Heritage Center and include either a tour of the Marysville Auto Plant or the East Liberty Auto Plant. Guests visit the museum first and then drive to the plant. The tour is physically demanding and includes a fast-paced one-hour walk through the factory floor that covers about a mile and a half. Visitors get to see every step of the production process except paint. The manufacturing robots are a highlight of the tour.

hondaheritagecenter.com/tours

Miller Brewery Tour

Celebrating its 165th anniversary, the Milwaukee Brewing Company offers a public tour and a historic tour of its extensive Milwaukee operations. The public tour tells the story of Frederick Miller and his journey to the U.S. to start a brewery in 1855. Visitors get the chance to explore his large underground cave complex where he stored his beer before mechanical refrigeration was invented, said Kindra Loferski, guest relations manager for the Miller Visitor Center.

Miller chopped ice from local lakes and streams, covered it with sawdust and hay and lined the walls of the caves. He would put beer there to keep cold during the hot summer months.

Visitors also get to see the Miller Inn, which once housed brewery workers and had a bowling alley, a mess hall and a bar. Today, the building is home to three bars.

The 80-minute tour includes a visit to Miller’s brewhouse, packaging and distribution halls. Miller Brewing’s newest offering takes visitors on a two-hour, extensive history tour of Miller Valley and details how things used to work before modern technology came about. Groups are welcome on both tours with advance bookings. Guests on the public tour over the age of 21 leave with a pint glass and a chip that is good for a free beer at one of many retail locations in Milwaukee. Guests on the history tour leave with a ceramic beer stein. Guests on both tours have many beer-tasting opportunities throughout their visit. They also get a free drink at the end of the tour.

millerbrewerytour.com

Ford Rouge Factory Tour

Dearborn, michigan.

The Ford Rouge Factory tour begins with a 3D multisensory film experience that uses advanced projection mapping technology, vibrating seats and robots to immerse visitors in the production process of Ford’s iconic F-150 truck. They then head over to the Dearborn Truck Plant for a one- to two-hour tour of the Ford campus.

The top attraction is the walking tour of the Dearborn Truck Plant, where the new military-grade aluminum-alloy-body Ford F-150 truck is made. The tour of the plant is self-guided. Guests walk above the plant’s final assembly line on a 1/3-mile elevated walkway where they get to see the F-150 come into the plant as an empty shell and leave as a completed, fully tested road-ready vehicle.

The manufacturing plant can turn out one truck per minute at full line speed.

The plant has been recognized for its sustainability. The company transformed a brownfield into a living laboratory using stormwater management, land use and redevelopment, support of natural ecosystems and wildlife habitat, and solar energy. The roof of the Dearborn Truck Plant final assembly building is covered with drought-resistant plants like sedum that cover 454,000 square feet or more than 10 acres.

Visitors can also visit the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, which tells the stories of many of America’s greatest minds, including the Wright brothers; and Greenfield Village, an open-air museum that immerses visitors in the sights and sounds of 300 years of American life through seven historic districts.

thehenryford.org/visit/ford-rouge-factory-tour

Wick’s Pies

Winchester, indiana.

Wick’s Pies was founded in 1944 by Duane “Wick” Wickersham. He started his own bakery and cafe, the Rainbow Restaurant in downtown Winchester, using his mother’s recipes. The pies were so popular that he decided to start selling those separately and then had to start a factory to produce enough pies to meet the demand.

That factory still stands, and visitors are invited to tour the plant and see where the magic happens, including the making of the sugar cream pie, Indiana’s state pie.

Fast-forward to 2020, and Wick’s family still runs Wick’s Pies. The company’s pie factory pumps out 10,000 pies and 30,000 pie shells in an eight-hour shift.

Tours of the plant include the flour room, where the company uses about 15,000 pounds of flour daily, said Dylan Wickersham, Wick’s grandson, who works in sales and marketing for the company.

The flour comes from the flour silo into a large sifter that shakes the flour into a 50-gallon stainless bowl where it is mixed with lard or vegetable shortening, salt, water, dextrose and baking soda. The dough is then rolled out twice by machine before being laid flat over a pie pan. The pies are filled just before they go into the large oven for baking. They are then packaged and frozen.

“We recommend you bring a cooler so you can load up on pie before you leave and come hungry for a nice farm-inspired meal: breakfast, lunch or dinner,” Wickersham said. Mrs. Wick’s Restaurant, which was founded by Wick in 1986, is a full-service bakery and cafe that serves 36 varieties of pie each day. It is just north of the factory.

wickspies.com

Stay Connected!

Connect with us!

• Explore Destinations
• Partner Links

© 2024 The Group Travel Leader, Inc. All rights reserved. Website by Cabedge – an Atiba Company

Looking For More Affinity Travel Ideas?

Get travel tips, destination ideas and more in our e-newsletter Select Traveler Minute.

10 Fascinating Factory Tours in the US

Kids love amusement parks but considering you probably don’t want to spend hours in long lines, we thought you could take them to a different kind of theme park, one you’ll BOTH enjoy! An American factory. You’ll see how things are made, including how they print money, or how a guy at Harley-Davidson takes each bike up to 77 mph on what looks like an automotive treadmill.

Sometimes you’ll even get candy. And unlike at Six Flags, admission is often free. There are still plenty of items proudly made in America, and many companies that still choose to employ US workers to build them offer great tours of their factories or plants. Many are open to the public. Here are 10 that are worth your trip!

Harley-Davidson, WI

Visitors are welcomed here to see the INs and OUTs at this 849,000sqft factory near downtown Milwaukee, but that’s just one stop here in the hometown of the Harley. The free tour keeps you on the outskirts of the shop. But if you pay for the Steel Toe Tour, you get to walk along the aisles, next to the operators, as parts are delivered to them by a trolley following magnetic tracks in the floor.

At the end, they put each Harley on a device and gradually bring it to 77 mph, running the bike through all its gears. Be sure to visit the company’s interactive downtown museum, and consider checking into the nearby Iron Horse Hotel, considered the coolest place to stay in town.

Jelly Belly Jelly Bean Factory, CA

The thousands of jelly beans tumbling around in tanks may sound like bingo balls, but here, each draw is a guaranteed winner, except the buttered popcorn, obviously! You can taste them at each stage of your tour, but you should save your appetite. The factory store at the end offers unlimited samples!

This 40-minute tour is available every day between 9am and 4pm. You can see the process of jelly bean making from a suspended walkway, and weekday visits have the bonus of observing the staff during production. The tours are ADA and stroller accessible, which automatically makes them great for ALL fans of jelly beans, no matter the age.

Bureau of Engraving and Printing, TX

The BEP features the various steps of paper currency production, beginning with large, blank sheets of paper and ending with wallet-ready bills! As the Government’s security printer, its responsible for designing, engraving, and printing US paper currency. The Fort Worth facility makes over half of the nation’s paper currency order and is one of only two locations in the US making it!

The 750,000sqft facility sits on 100 acres of land along the historic Chisholm Trail. Here, visitors are invited to view the production process on a free 45-minute educational tour along an enclosed walkway suspended over its production floor. Visitors will also experience two floors of interactive exhibits and displays showcasing the history of the BEP. While guided tours are presented in English, tours are also available in Spanish and American Sign Language.

Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory, TX

This tasty tour is available weekdays between 8:30 am and 3:30 pm on a first-come, first-served program. After ensuring your spot on the tour, you have eight educational DVDs to choose from in the center to view while you wait for the tour to begin. During the 45 minute tour, a guide will take you to three different viewing decks to oversee the production floor and various parts of the ice cream-making process.

It starts with homogenization, the creation of the Rainbow Freeze Bars and Ice Cream Sandwiches, and the filling of the Blue Bell cartons with the ice cream. The tour is not free, but it does include a hefty serving of your chosen Blue Bell ice cream flavor at the end before being guided to the gift shop, where you can buy even MORE ice cream.

Boeing Everett Factory, WA

See the world’s biggest building by volume, 472,000,000 cubic feet, for the chance to glimpse Boeing’s 747s, 777s, and 787s. The guided tour starts with a video on the history of Boeing before heading into the manufacturing factory.

This is where you’ll see those huge jets being assembled. Then head over to The Innovator, a seven-seat simulator that puts you in the cockpit for the ride of your life. The weak-stomached may want to sit out for this one!

The tour also includes admission to the Future of Flight Aviation Center and Gallery, where you’ll find many interactive activities, such as designing and building your own aircraft. While there are no age requirements for visitors, the attendees must be 4 feet tall and over.

Ford Rouge Factory, MI

This may just be one of the most significant areas in the history of automobiles. The city of Dearborn itself is just ten minutes from downtown Detroit, where you can find the F150 pickup truck being produced.

Besides seeing all the action on the factory floor beneath you, guests are also given a crash course, through multimedia magic, in the history of the place, the Ford Motor Company, and the industry at large.

You may also want to see the top of the building. It has the world’s biggest green roof, at 10.4 acres. All tours begin at the close by Henry Ford museum complex, which is a destination unto itself.

Ricarda is our very definition of a wanderer. Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, she’s on a race to see and experience as much of the world as possible. She packed up her life one day and has been traveling by RV ever since, scouring the states to discover the many stunning views the US has to offer! Lucky for us, she’s also one of our senior writers so we get access to a lot of worth-telling insights about her amazing adventures.

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Follow us on:

Most popular, 9 surprising things not allowed on a plane 11 january 2023, 11 charming small towns to retire in america 30 may 2022, 13 remarkable train tours for railway fanatics 19 october 2021, 8 disgusting things hotels are still doing to save money 22 june 2022, related posts.

7 Quirky Spots for an Epic New Year’s Eve

Do you want to have a New Year’s Eve that will be different and special? Say no

Stunning Destinations: 6 Budget-Friendly Spring Travel Ideas in the US

Looking for some budget-friendly spring travel ideas? USA Wanderers has got you covered! As the winter blues

10 Hidden Gems Among UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Are you looking for more traveling destinations? Check out these must-see UNESCO World Heritage sites:  Hello folks!

10 Beach Towns in the US That Are Shockingly Inexpensive

Which are the most affordable beach towns in the US? Life on a beach is alluring—long, relaxing

5 Incredible Budget-Friendly Winter Destinations If You Miss the Snow

As some would say, winter is coming, and we believe that in case you miss the snow,

7 Exquisite Must-Try Dishes on a Culinary Road Trip Across America

USA Wanderers presents: must-try dishes on a culinary road trip across America! I’m a foodie, and I

10 US National Park Road Trips With Breathtaking Stops

What are some of the best national park road trips in the US? The national parks of

12 for ’24: 2024’s BEST Monthly Travel Ideas (Part 2)

Welcome back to the best destinations for this year! You didn’t think we would forget the second

Do not sell my personal information | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Contact | Subscribe | UnSubscribe |  BECOME A WANDERER |  OUR NEWSLETTERS

Made with ❤ by Inedit Agency

CA Privacy Policy | Request to Know | Request to Delete

Jelly Belly Factory Tour

• See all photos

Similar Experiences

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Jelly Belly Factory Tour - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

• Search Search Please fill out this field.
• Current Issue
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Manage Your Subscription
• Sweepstakes
• Around the Midwest

Step Behind the Scenes with These Totally Fascinating Midwest Factory Tours

Check out these tours for a firsthand look at how Midwest goods like snowmobiles, chocolate and even parade floats get made.

Amanda Doyle is an author and freelance writer/editor based in St. Louis. She has a BA in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a master's in environmental studies from the University of Illinois-Springfield.

Manufacturing helped build the Midwest as a global economic and cultural force. These factory tours give insights into the process of creating what we eat, what we put in our homes, how we move around, and the ways we celebrate. Before you go: Check websites for reservation information, cost, age limits and accessibility limitations.

Food + Drink

Askinosie chocolate, springfield, missouri.

Small-batch is a big deal here, as are personal relationships— Askinosie deals directly with every farmer growing their cocoa beans. The company has won numerous national and international awards for their bars, cocoa powders, and confections. Regular 45-minute tours step off Mondays at 3 p.m. For the month before Christmas, founder and CEO Shawn Askinosie leads special Saturday tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. And here's a sweet deal: Every tour gets you a 10 percent discount in the chocolate shop.

More to try: Go behind the scenes with DeBrand Fine Chocolates in Fort Wayne, Indiana, or Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate in St. Louis.

Bell's Brewery, Kalamazoo, Michigan

The good folks at Bell's started their now-huge operation in a 15-gallon soup pot in 1985, and they love showing off their humble beginnings. At the flagship facility in Kalamazoo, a 45-minute tour includes a peek at the 15-barrel system that produced the first batches of popular Two Hearted and Oberon brews. The nearby Bell's Comstock brewery also gives regular tours. Keep an eye on the website for special tours like the Hopslam, where guests can try a hop rub.

More to try: The three-hour Hard Hat tour at Wisconsin's New Glarus Brewing Co. includes a behind-the-scenes visit to both the original Riverside brewery and the new Hilltop brewery, plus a beer and cheese pairing. Milwaukee earns its Brew City nickname through a variety of brewery tours . Grand Rapids, Michigan, aka Beer City, also offers multiple brewery production tours .

Cedar Grove Cheese, Plain, Wisconsin

Cedar Grove Cheese, about 35 miles west of Madison, has worked with local dairy farmers for more than 100 years to source milk for its premium cheeses. Factory tours are available on request; visitors learn about the history and art of cheesemaking as well as the economics of small-scale production. The on-site store sells fresh-from-the-vat cheese curds as well as daily cheese specials.

More to Try: In Thorp, Wisconsin, college students lead guided farm tours at Marieke Gouda during the summer; in other months, visitors are still welcome to the farm where award-winning Gouda is made. The National Historic Cheesemaking Center in Monroe, Wisconsin, tells the story of cheesemaking in Green County and sponsors occasional cheesemaking demonstrations. Open seasonally.

Faribault Mill, Faribault, Minnesota

It's a trip to the heart of cozy when you walk inside a woolen mill with more than 150 years of operation under its belt. Faribault Mill sits astride the Cannon River, and with a combination of century-old and modern equipment and processes, the mill creates high-quality throws, blankets, scarves and other accessories. Tours leave Fridays and Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Reservations recommended.

Kohler Tubs and Fixtures, Kohler, Wisconsin

You may not have given a second thought to the humble bath fixtures in your house, but you'll never look at them the same way after taking the factory tour at Kohler's world HQ. As you walk through foundry, pottery, and brass-building sections, you'll see the origins of china lavatories and exquisite cast-iron soaking tubs, as well as learn the history of this immigrant-built business and town.

Factory tours are scheduled on request, begin at 8:15 a.m. and last for about 3 hours. The production facility is just one of the tourable parts of the Kohler complex: see the surrounding gardens, adjacent resort hotel, Art Walk and Kohler Design Center through guided or self-guided tours (some areas are limited to resort guests).

Kokomo Opalescent Glass, Kokomo, Indiana

This producer of art glass and other fine-glass products, in business since the late 1800s, takes visitors on a detailed exploration of the inner workings. The company's stained glass and dalle de verre (slab of glass) panes grace churches all over the world, and you can see the process from start to finish in a 75-minute tour. Tours accommodate up to 20 people and are offered Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 11 a.m.; advance reservations required.

More to Try: In Logan, Ohio, see how washboards are made on guided tours of the Columbus Washboard Co. Kendrick Forest Products in Edgewood, Iowa, offers seasonal tours that go through Iowa's largest sawmill as well as the custom cabinet shop and other stops.

Moving Around

Ford rouge factory, dearborn, michigan.

The Ford Rouge Factory Tour guides visitors through the automaker's history and above the assembly line of the company's most technologically advanced plant, which turns out the popular F-150 pickup truck. Catwalks offers bird's-eye views of the plant's floor; a multisensory film experience (think vibrating seats and gusting wind) gives a peek at engineering innovation. Learn about the company's sustainable manufacturing efforts by checking out the building's solar-power equipment and its living roof.

The Parade Company, Detroit

Clowns, flamingos and aliens peek out from around every corner of this Detroit mainstay, the home and production facility for most of what viewers experience during America's Thanksgiving Parade each November. See the parade floats being assembled, but remember to dress for the weather: the warehouse is not overly climate-controlled. Tour times vary through the seasons.

Polaris Snowmobiles, Roseau, Minnesota

Adventure seekers will find the need for speed satisfied by a deep dive into the world of sporty vehicles like ATVs and snowmobiles, both of which come off the Polaris line here. A free, one-hour tour takes guests through the process, from welding to the final painted decoration. No free sample snowmobiles at the end, but it might just inspire your own future purchase! Tours Monday-Friday at 2 p.m.

More to Try: See how Airstream trailers are built on tours in Jackson Center, Ohio. In Forest City, Iowa, learn how Winnebago motorhomes and camper vans are built; tours generally run April through October. John Deere, with multiple ag equipment manufacturing sites in Iowa and Illinois, offers tours that vary by location.

• Stock Car Racing
• Formula 1 Racing
• Mustang Challenge
• Road Racing
• Drag Racing
• Off-Road Racing
• What's Happening
• Fan Spotlight
• Collector Vehicles
• Clubs & Groups
• Link To Friends
• Driving Schools
• Ford Performance Parts
• Ford Parts Catalog
• Crate Engines
• Performance Packs

• Merchandise
• Performance Vehicles
• Mustang GTD
• Mustang GT3
• Mustang GT4
• Dark Horse R
• Shelby GT500
• Bronco Raptor
• F-150 Raptor
• F-150 Raptor R
• Explorer ST

Enthusiasts

• Enthusiasts /
• Quick Look /

Latest News

Jan 12, 2023 | by matt stone, vegas vacation take a shelby heritage center and shop tour.

Shelby American Las Vegas 6405 Ensworth St, Las Vegas, NV 89119

• What's Happening
• Clubs and Groups
• Links to Friends

Ford Tech Line

Ask the Ford Performance Tech Line

Contact the Ford Performance Tech Line for your Performance Parts related questions.

Ford Performance Club Connect

Join Club Connect

Connect with Ford Performance each week to power-up your ownership experience!

Weekend Preview

Ford Performance Weekend Race Preview

Find out how you can watch Ford Performance on the race track each week

Build Your Own Mustang

Visit our driving schools

Bronco News Updates

• Join for free
• Why Innovation Learning?
• What is Model i?
• What is The Henry Ford?
• Our Partners
• In the Press
• Innovation Atlas
• Teacher Innovator Awards
• Educators-in-Residence
• Invention Convention Curriculum
• Innovate Curriculum
• Innovate for Tots
• Model i Primer
• Virtual Field Trips
• Invention Convention
• Field Trip Information
• Summer Camps
• Field Trip Reservations

Ford Rouge Factory Tour

Experience the awe-inspiring scale of a real factory floor as you rev up your inner engineer. Get an inside look at the most iconic moments of American manufacturing history, and immerse yourself in automaking’s most progressive concepts.

Where Manufacturing Comes Alive

Go Behind the Scenes at One of the World’s Largest Automotive Complexes

Bring your class to the place where the sophisticated assembly of cars and trucks by robots and highly skilled tradespeople actually happens. Let them experience rare historic footage of Ford Motor Company and the Rouge Plant. Join them on a visit to the plant’s 10-acre living roof — a milestone in environmental design.

Request Your Reservation

Learn about our venues, check out on-site activities, get curriculum resources, outdoor living lab walking tour.

Open seasonally and weather permitting, this self-guided walking tour offers a chance to see sustainable design in action at the historic Ford Rouge Complex. Follow a wood-chipped path along stormwater treatment ponds, through a crabapple and hawthorn orchard and around to a viewing point that overlooks beehives and the rest of the Rouge Complex. Return alongside a solar array to the Visitor Center.

Before You Arrive

Make the Most of Your Visit

Field trips to Ford Rouge Factory Tour achieve high ratings and rave reviews from educators and students alike. To make your visit as smooth and enjoyable as possible, check out these handy tips, suggestions, and guidelines.

Tickets & Payments

Theater screenings, lunch areas, special expectations for students, expectations for chaperones, scholarships, timing your arrival.

For the best guest experience, we recommend taking your buses directly to the Ford Rouge Factory Tour. Please inquire about available timeslots upon booking. For groups that are unable to take their own transportation, Ford Rouge Factory Tour shuttle buses depart from Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation every 20 minutes. If your field trip group exceeds the capacity of one shuttle bus, some chaperones and their students will need to wait for the next shuttle. Please inquire about available timeslots upon booking.

Download Directions

Unlock More Resources

Access our curricula, professional development and communities

Explore Even More Resources

Field trip faq, curriculum resources, professional development.

A Community Built by Educators for Educators

Help prepare all learners to be world-changing innovators, inventors & entrepreneurs.

Integrate Innovation Learning into Your Classroom

Learn more about workshops and experiences designed just for educators.

Resources that Activate an Innovative Mindset

Connect core disciplinary understanding to the real-world.

Take Learning Beyond the Classroom

Introduce them to iconic inventions, inspiring individuals, and unique settings that have changed the world.

Factory Tours

Celebrating american imagination and industry, 52 tours in california.

Site Search

Search our website to find what you’re looking for.

Select Your Language

You can select the language displayed on our website. Click the drop-down menu below and make your selection.

Ford Rouge

Tips & policies, plan ahead: learn more about our updated venue operations & safety protocols. learn more, general information.

• What is the Ford Rouge Factory Tour?
• When is the Ford Rouge Factory Tour open?
• Can I drive directly to the Rouge in my own vehicle?
• How early should I be at the bus stop?
• Is photography permitted on the tour?
• Are there places to eat at the Rouge?
• Do you need a Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation admission to go on the Ford Rouge Factory Tour?
• How long does it take to see all the attractions on the Ford Rouge Factory Tour?
• Do you need advanced reservations for the Ford Rouge Factory Tour?
• How do I find out what special events are happening during my Ford Rouge Factory Tour?
• Are pets allowed at the Rouge?

Accessibility

• What do I need to know about accessiblity at Ford Rouge Factory Tour?

Assembly Line Production Information

• Will I see production on the Ford Rouge Factory Tour?
• What will I see when final assembly is in production?

No products are added to cart.

Jelly Belly Visitor Center Offers New Guided Factory Tours

New tour option, now available at a popular tourist attraction.

FAIRFIELD, CALIF., July 26, 2018 — Jelly Belly’s recently updated factory tour is an international attraction that just got a little sweeter. In addition to the famous free public tour, the Jelly Belly Visitor Center in Fairfield, Calif. now also offers a Personal Guided Tour Experience hosted by a private tour guide for a flat fee of $39 for groups of up to six guests.

Available by reservation only, the Personal Guided Tour Experience is available daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tour guides lead guests along the colorful, quarter of a mile-long elevated tour corridor, while offering behind-the-scenes information about the candy-making operations that take place on the floor below. Along the way, guests also experience all of the recent tour updates, including 4K videos that give a closer look at a Jelly Belly bean’s journey through the factory, and interactive exhibits and games. The guide is also available to answers questions throughout the tour. At the end of their tour, guests receive a free sample, a discount on souvenir photos, and a discount card for the Jelly Belly Candy Store.

Reservations are required and guests are encouraged to book tours four to six weeks in advance. All tours are wheelchair accessible and videos accommodate hearing impaired guests.

The complimentary Jelly Belly Self-Guided Factory Tour is open daily to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Self Guided Factory Tour takes place on the same updated tour lane with interactive exhibits, 4K video and free samples at the end. Guests are welcome to experience the elevated tour at their own pace.

Additionally, for an up-close-and-personal tour of the Jelly Belly factory, the company offers the Jelly Belly University Tour. Guests are guided through the factory on the factory floor to experience a working candy factory and watch master confectioners up close as they make Jelly Belly jelly beans. Tour guests don lab coats, gloves and hair nets, prior to being guided along the factory floor for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the candy factory. Jelly Belly University Tours are offered on weekdays only for $59 per person, and reservations are required in advance. At the end of the tour, guests will receive a discount on a souvenir photo and a discount card for the Jelly Belly Candy Store.

Famous for offering free tours and samples, the Jelly Belly Factory Tour has been included in top 10 lists and received many awards for excellence over the years. Located halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento, Calif., Jelly Belly has welcomed more than seven million visitors since opening its factory doors to the public for tours in the mid-1980s. The Jelly Belly Visitor Center is also home to a large  Jelly Belly store ,  Chocolate and Fudge Shoppe ,  Jelly Belly Café , and the  Chocolate & Wine Experience .

About Jelly Belly Candy Company :

Jelly Belly Candy Company was founded in 1898 and began making Jelly Belly ® jelly beans in 1976. Today, Jelly Belly products are sold all over the world and the company remains family owned and operated by the fourth, fifth and sixth generations of the candy-making family. For more information about Jelly Belly and its confections, visit www.jellybelly.com , or call 800-522-3267. Connect with Jelly Belly on Facebook , Instagram , Pinterest , YouTube and LinkedIn .

Jelly Belly Visitor Center Expands Guided Tour Options

Tour guides lead guests along the colorful, quarter-mile elevated tour corridor, while offering behind-the-scenes information about the candymaking operations that take place on the floor below, the company reports.Guests also experience the recent tour updates, including 4K videos that give a closer look at a Jelly Belly bean’s journey through the factory, along with interactive exhibits and games. The guide is also available to answer questions throughout the tour. At the end of their tour, guests receive a free sample, a discount on souvenir photos and a discount card for the Jelly Belly Candy Store.

Available by reservation only, the Personal Guided Tour Experience is available daily from  10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  with a fee of $39 for groups of up to six guests.

The company’s complimentary self-guided tour is open daily to the public from  9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and features the  same updated tour lane with interactive exhibits, 4K video and free samples.

The company also offers the Jelly Belly University Tour, where guests are guided through the factory floor to experience a working candy factory and watch master confectioners as they make Jelly Belly jelly beans. Tour guests are issued lab coats, gloves and hair nets, prior to being guided along the factory floor for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the candy factory.

Jelly Belly University Tours are offered on weekdays only for $59 per person, and reservations are required.

The Jelly Belly Factory Tour has been included in top 10 lists and has received awards for excellence over the years. Jelly Belly has welcomed more than seven million visitors since opening its doors to the public for tours in the mid-1980s. C&ST

You may also like:

Navigating confectionery, snack packaging trends.

Packaging trends can reflect the priorities of brands. Rebecca Casey, of TC Transcontinental Packaging, provides insights into what packaging suppliers are working on for 2024. What is in store for the snacks and confectionery market in 2024? Looking at what…

Frito-Lay Marks Solar Eclipse With SunChips LTO Flavor, Partnership With Astronaut Kellie Gerardi

Plano, TX — Frito-Lay North America is championing the inspiration behind its SunChips brand through a limited-edition offering, which will only be given away during the 4 minutes and 27 seconds of the solar eclipse’s duration of totality. In partnership…

Rich Products Begins Phase Two Of $117M Texas Facility Expansion

Brownsville, TX — Rich Products Corp. and National New Markets Fund, LLC (NNMF) have begun the second phase of Rich’s Brownsville, TX manufacturing facility expansion. NNMF, an affiliate of Los Angeles-based SDS Capital Group, will invest $17.5M of its New…

• Privacy Policy

CANDY / FARM / BREWERY - Top ME Categories

Maine factory, farm & maker tours near you.

Discover all the great factory and maker tours around you in Maine (ME). Industrial and food factories, farm and maker tours are becoming more popular as they provide hours of entertainment and are cheap and often free. Tours are great for creative date ideas and family adventures with many factory production lines surprisingly kid friendly and educational.

01. Haven’s Candies Tour

Westbrook, me.

Westbrook factory is separated by glass from our retail store.  Self-directed window tours are available any time the store is open at no charge. Guided factory floor tours are available by appointment at a cost of $2.50 per person, minimum of $25 per party. Children must be at least 8 years old and accompanied by parents or chaperones.Haven’s Factory Open House is typically held every year on Columbus Day. They open the factory to the public at no charge, and everyone is invited to visit their facility and make your own candy!   This year’s Annual Open House will be cancelled due to COVID-19.

Plan your next vacation!

New Hampshire Tours

Vermont Tours

Massachusetts Tours

• TripAdvisor

• Testimonials
• Travel Tips

Moscow Metro

Introduction of moscow subway system (metro).

Nowadays the Moscow Metro has 12 lines, light subway and monorail. All stations are unique and beautiful in their own way. Unfortunately, in order to visit them all, you need to spend many days. I invite guests to visit the ones that have the greatest cultural and historical interest from my point of view. Among them are the Revolution Square, Arbatskaya, Kievskaya (Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line № 3); Kievskaya, Belarusskaya, Novoslobodskaya, Komsomolskaya (the Ring line number 5). Let us dwell a bit on each.

Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line

Subway station "revolution square".

Most recently - in the year 2008-2010 – the Eastern lobby was renovated. Because of the terrorist attacks in the Moscow subway that took place several hours before the planned opening of the East lobby after renovation, the solemn part of the event was canceled.

Subway station Arbatskaya

Subway Arbatskaya is located on the same subway line as the station "Revolution Square." It was founded in 1953. It received the name in honor of the Arbat Street. It has one ground lobby (Western). Initially, the lobby was in a separate building, but the new building of the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense started, the lobby appeared to be in its atrium. The old exits were bricked up; a new entrance was built into the building of General Staff of the street Vozdvizhenka. There is a huge frame with a missing portrait in the ground lobby - until mid-1950 there was a portrait of Stalin. According to some reports, it survived, but closed with plaster.

The lobby was restored and partially reconstructed in 2007-2008.

The depth of the station is 41 meters.

Pylons are finished with red marble at the bottom, decorated with bouquets of flowers made from ceramics. The floor is laid out with gray granite. The walls lined with glazed ceramic tiles, white top and black bottom. The station hall is illuminated by massive bronze chandeliers in the form of rings.

Subway station Kievskaya

There are several subway stations "Kievskaya" in Moscow, located on different branches. This name is quite popular. It comes from the capital of Ukraine - one of Russia's nearest neighbors - the city of Kiev. The name is fully consistent with the idea of the subway station. The interior the station devoted to Soviet Ukraine and the reunification of Ukraine and Russia. The station is decorated with a large number of paintings .Twenty four murals depicting workers of Soviet Ukraine are placed on the arch above the pylons. The wall from the side of platform also contains frescos, mainly with images of fantastic plants. Pylons are decorated with light marble and additionally decorated with colorful ceramic cornice. The butt of the station has a large mosaic, depicting festivities to celebrate the 300 anniversary of the reunification of Ukraine and Russia.

Opened in 1953, this subway station for a long time was the final (1953-2003).

The station has one lobby, combined with the station ring line and located in the building of the Kievskaya railway station. The diameter of the central hall station is 9.5 m, the diameter of side one is 8.5 m. The depth of the station is 38 meters.

= Ring Line Subway =

It opened in 1954. The station received its name after the Kiev station, and locked the Ring line. During the construction of the station many projects were proposed, but the victory in the competition won the Kiev architects who made the construction of the station. It is the only station of the Ring Line which is not located in the Central Administrative District of Moscow.

The station has a pylon structure. Eighteen pylons are decorated with mosaic panels of glazes, decorated on the theme of Ukrainian history and friendship between the Ukrainian and Russian peoples, which started in the mid-17 century.

On the front wall of the central hall of the station a large panel with molding in the form of flags and a mosaic portrait of Lenin in the center are located. There are lines of the Soviet national anthem around the portrait, and under the portrait - the words of Lenin. One of the ways out of the station was designed by French architects modeled on the Paris Subway in 2006.

At one of the mosaics – “The Struggle for Soviet power in Ukraine "- modern passengers observe a mobile phone and PDA in the hand of one of the guerrillas, and on his knees - a laptop. In fact, he uses a field telephone, which was really a heavy thing (guerrillas holds it in two hands), and thing that people see a laptop is the lid of a box with a telephone. However, these phones have begun to produce only in the second half of the 20-ies of XX century. We must assume that the mosaic depicts a foreign field telephone transmitter.

Subway station Belorusskaya

The founded of the station was in 1952. It received the name after the Belarusian railway station nearby. The station has two ground-based lobbies. The Western one goes to Tverskaya  Zastava. It is decorated with beautiful carvings. The Eastern one leads to Butyrskiy shaft and Forest Street. The Eastern lobby is known for its majolica panels.

The station Belorusskaya is located at a depth of 42.5 m below ground. The diameter of the central hall is 9.5 meters.

Pylons are faced with light marble. The walls lined with white ceramic tiles, the floor is covered with ceramic tiles, gray, white and red colors. Lamps placed on pylons, in the form of vases made of glass and marble. The theme of decoration is economy and culture of Belarus. Decorative pattern on the floor repeats the theme of traditional Belarusian embroidery. Decorations of the ceiling consist of stucco decorations and 12 mosaic panels depicting the life of the Belarusian people.

Subway station Novoslobodskaya

Built in 1952, Subway station Novoslobodskaya got its name from the eponymous street:  the station is located at the very beginning of it.

Novoslobodskaya is pylon station of deep foundation (its depth is 40 m) with three arches.

Exit to the street is through the ground lobby with column portico, located on Novoslobodskaya Street lined with gray marble. Pylons of the underground station are faced with marble from the Urals. Thirty two spectacularly illuminated stained-glasses, placed inside the pylon and bordered by steel and gilt brass are splendid decoration of the station. A remarkable mosaic "World Peace" is located at the end of the central hall. The picture depicts a happy mother with a baby in her arms; it was the face of Stalin at the picture: the child gave a hand to him. But in times of Khrushchev the face of the former leader of USSR was removed from the panel. The walls are lined with bright marble; floor is covered with white and black granite slabs, placed in a checkerboard pattern.

Subway station Komsomolskaya

The station was built in 1952 and named in honor of the Komsomolskaya Square, which is situated nearby.

This subway station is the station of the deep bedding. Its depth is 37 meters. The station has column and three- arched design. Cast iron decoration is used in the construction, monolithic slab used as a tray for a collapsible finishing. The length of the boarding hall is 190 meters; width of it is 10 meters. There are 68 octagonal columns at station.

The main theme of the interior of the station is the fighting of the Russian people for their independence. The ceiling is decorated with eight station mosaic mural made from glazes and precious stones. Six of them represent the Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, Alexander Suvorov and Mikhail Kutuzov, the Soviet soldiers and officers at the walls of the Reichstag.

 Two other panels, depicting Stalin ("Victory Parade" and "Presentation of the Guards Banner"), were replaced after the dethronement of Stalin's personality cult in 1963. New panels depict Lenin's speech in front of the Red Guards and the Motherland on the background of the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower.

The yellow ceiling is decorated with mosaic and moldings. The hall is illuminated by massive chandeliers hanging between the panels; platforms are illuminated with smaller chandeliers. The columns are decorated with marble capitals and trimmed with light marble, as well as the wall station. The floor is laid with pink granite. There is a bust of Lenin at the end of the hall. At the opposite end of the escalator is a large Florentine mosaic of the Order of Victory with red banners on the background. The ground lobby of the station is decorated with bas-reliefs.

In conclusion...

Each of the stations of the Moscow subway is attractive and interesting in its own way. Each has its own long and fascinating history and is beautifully decorated. The Moscow subway is a whole world, which can be talking about for hours. I suggest you short - no more than one hour and a half - and a fascinating journey through the world of the Moscow subway. The pleasure is guaranteed!

Sculpture Park "Art Muzeon"

Mausoleum and necropolis.

• Bombing in Moscow Metro On March 29, 2010, another tragic event happened in Moscow that shocked not only the citizens of the Russian Federation, but also many people from countries that oppose the threat of terrorism. In the early morning rush hour, two women bearing suicide weapons blasted themselves in the subway trains of the Moscow Metro.
• The Best Redesign of Moscow Metropolitan Map 2013 Russia's leading internet and graphic design agency has won an online vote for the best redesign of the Moscow Metro map. Art. Lebedev Studio is a design company in Russia, founded in 1995 by Artemy Lebedev. They redrew the Moscow Metro map for a second time in three years, with even cleaner graphics and a raft of new details and won more than 50% of the online vote.

Related Photos:

About Me in Short

My name's Arthur Lookyanov, I'm a private tour guide, personal driver and photographer in Moscow, Russia. I work in my business and run my website Moscow-Driver.com from 2002. Read more about me and my services , check out testimonials of my former business and travel clients from all over the World, hit me up on Twitter or other social websites. I hope that you will like my photos as well.

See you in Moscow!

• Russian Visa Invitation Letter Support
• Moscow Airports: A Virtual Guide (Written by a Real-life Guide)
• Exploring Moscow for the First Time? A Personal Guide is What You Need!
• Don’t miss a great chance of seeing fairy-tale town of Suzdal

Recently Posted:

Innovation Center Skolkovo – Territory of the Future

Develompment of the Skolkovo Innovation Center, the modern scientific and technological innovative complex located in the Mozhaysky district of the Western Administrative District of Moscow of an area of approximately 400 hectares.

Featured Photo Albums

• Picture of a Day
• Moscow Must-See Sights & Attractions
• Tour Guide and Driver Portfolio
• Photographs of Dear Clients & Friends

Last Published Photo:

Lights of Nikolskaya Street in Winter Twilight

People walking up and down Nikolskaya street in winter twilight decorated with LED creating a festive atmosphere in any season. The picture is taken near GUM building (at the right) and Red Square.

Take One of Exciting Tours:

• Moscow Highlights
• Discovering the Golden Ring of Russia
• Arts & Culture Tours
• Night Tour of Moscow

Related Information:

• Terms and Conditions
• Recommended Tour Guides
• Useful Links