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Carving out a unique tourism niche, food and drink factory tours in
the U.S. are both an entertaining and educational way to see the
country. Partly because I love free samples and partly because I’m
curious, these sorts of tours have always been the highlight of my
travels. If you want an interesting way to understand American products
and culture while traveling, try giving one of these factory tours a
visit.
Ben And Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory: Burlington, VT
Ben
and Jerry’s is notorious for oddball flavors and even stranger ice
cream names. And while every carton provides at least a little
entertainment through a story or logo, this ice cream making duo brings
even more fun with the factory tour.
Year-round, a 30-minute tour
is provided for visitors. Guests will follow a guide around the colorful
factory to watch the manufacturing process and hear about the company’s
history and values. After sampling some free ice cream, visitors can
wander around the back to the “Flavor Graveyard” to see the tombstones
of retired flavors of the past.
After the tour is complete, the
obvious next step is to order some exclusive flavors from the scoop shop
and purchase some sweet Ben & Jerry’s swag.
Factory Hours: Vary depending on the month.
Cost: Adults-$4, Senior-$3 Child 12 and under-Free
The Turkey Hill Experience: Lancaster, PA
This
well-known Pennsylvania brand has iced teas and ice cream in nearly
every grocery and convenience store in the region. With Turkey Hill’s
factory tour, people of all ages can learn, play and explore. Through a
maze of interactive exhibits you can stop off at different stations to
milk mechanical cows, star in your own Turkey Hill commercial and create
your own flavors.
Besides learning about the products and
manufacturing process, you will also be in for a sweet treat when you
stumble upon the iced tea tasting station and the counter for free ice
cream samples. If you’re really craving some creativity, opt to visit
the lab, where you can create and try out your own ice cream flavors.
Tour Times: Vary depending on the season.
Cost: Adults-$9.95, Seniors-$9.50, Juniors 5 to 17-$8.95, Children 4 and under-Free
The Yuengling Brewery Tour: Pottsville, PA
Dubbed
America’s oldest brewery, the Yuengling brewery is definitely worth a
visit if you love beer, history or both. This brew is famous on
Pennsylvania’s East coast, so much so that bar patrons simply have to
order a “lager” and the bartenders will always know to pop a Yuengling
up on the counter.
During the tour, you will wander through the
brewing facilities, see the packaging process and learn all about the
manufacturing. Probably the tour’s best feature, guests will be taken
down into the caves where the beer was once stored during Prohibition.
Plus, when you finish, you can dive right into a free beer sample in the
tasting room.
Tour Times: Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Cost: Free
Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory: Boulder, CO
With
flavors like Candy Cane Lane, Caramel Apple Dream, Coconut Thai Chai
and Gingerbread Spice, Celestial Seasonings tea certainly stands out on
grocery store shelves. The tea makers here are passionate, creative and
ready to share the entire process with visitors. A tour at this factory
will bring guests close to the tea making process as they learn about
manufacturing, how the company was built and the locations from which
ingredients are imported. Guests will get to sample exclusive flavors
for free and have a chance to stop into the cafe and gift shop for even
more tea drinking.
Tour Times: Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Cost: Free
Hershey’s Chocolate World: Hershey, PA
It’s
kind of a real life candy land where the street lamps depict large
Hershey Kisses and the air itself smells like chocolate. Located right
next to Hershey Theme Park, this chocolate world gives visitors a chance
to peek behind the curtain at America’s most well known confectioner.
It
starts off with a free tour of the recreated factory. Similar to an
amusement ride, guests will get into a cart and ride along through video
screens and interactive exhibits to learn about how chocolate is made.
The tour ends with a free sample and a welcoming for guests to join in
other activities. For a fee, visitors can visit the 4D Chocolate Mystery
tour exhibit or make their own candy bar and wrapper.
Tour Times: Vary depending on season.
Cost: The 30-minute factory tour is free. However, there are fees for the other activities.
Greenwell Kona Coffee Farms, Kealakekua, HI
Kona
is famous for its coffee and the entire area is full of working farms.
Coffee aficionados can tour one of Kona’s most well known farms to learn
about the coffee making process from soil to cup. During a visit to
Greenwell Kona Farm you can get an educational tour of the coffee making
process starting from the farm to the processing facilities. Taste free
samples of coffee and coffee products and visit the gift shop to buy
some to take home too.
Tour Times: Monday-Sunday from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Cost: Free
Source:
Features & Advice
| Shannon Ullman
|, www,travelpulse.com
