In a previous blog, Factory Tours Are Fun And Free!, I talked about how friendly factory tours are for both families and their budgets. I am such a big fan of factory tours for their fun, frugality and educational value, that I will be highlighting some of the best tours around.
When I asked the question about favorite factory tours in the Families.com Family Time Forum, the one tour that kept coming up was the Jelly Belly Factory Tour in Fairfield, California. So many members reported having a great time there. There is also a Jelly Belly Factory tour in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
Kimchee67 says in the forums, “It was really cool to see how they [the jelly belly] are made and to be able to taste them at each point along the way.” Her favorite flavor? Watermelon!
QueenAngie says, “We have toured the Jelly Belly Factory near Chicago twice as a family……..from 80 yo grandparents down to the great-grandkids. Doesn’t matter the age, it is a great way to spend an afternoon. It’s also educational and the samples are delicious.
“I love buttered popcorn, and a lot of others. I do not like vomit or those nasty flavors. Ewuu!”
What is great about this tour is that even if you can’t make it to northern California or Wisconsin, you can still take a virtual tour online.
While I haven’t been to the actual factory myself, I do trust the great reviews, so here are the details for the California tour.
Step into our factory and smell the aroma of chocolate, apricot, cinnamon or pineapple, whatever is being cooked up that day. A visit to our candy making factory in Fairfield, Calif., located about an hour’s drive north of San Francisco, is a sugary delight.
During the 40-minute walking tour, Jelly Belly guides will show you a real working factory where we cook up over 150 different sweet treats. Learn the secrets to how they create the legendary Jelly Belly jelly bean, and discover why it takes more than a week to make a single bean. See taffy, chocolates, and wild gummi critters in the making, too.
Special Dates and Hours of Operation:
Tuesday, February 23 – Sunday, March 4 (Jelly Belly Basket Fest 2007) – 9:00am-6:00pm
Regular tour hours (before February 23 and after March 4) are 9:00am-4:00pm
For more information, check out the Jelly Belly store and tour website.
What is your favorite factory tour? Which state should we head to next for this factory tours series?
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Factory Tours Are Fun And Free!