Your Inner Child Will Love These 7 Fun Factory Tours

Remember the fun of a grade school field trip? The best factory tours revive that feeling and offer interesting ways to expand your horizons when you visit a new city. Whether you’re watching cars roll off the line or crayons get made, these fascinating, fun factory tours are worth the trip. (And many include a few samples at the end!)

World of Coca-Cola (Atlanta, Georgia)

A trip to the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta includes a visit to the secret recipe vault. Photo Credit: foap.com

You could spend a weekend at this factory and still not see everything. Take a guided VIP tour, hang out with the Coca-Cola polar bear, or journey to the vault, where Coke’s secret recipe is stored. The most popular part is the Taste It! section, where you can sample more than 100 Coca-Cola beverages from around the world.

Crayola Experience (Easton, Pennsylvania)

Watching crayons get made is an oddly soothing experience, even if you’re not into the adult coloring book craze. While you won’t walk the factory floor at this Crayola outpost, which is a little more than an hour from West Orange, New Jersey, there are live demonstrations that give you a close-up look at the crayon-making process, plus 25 other hands-on experiences. (You can even name your own crayon.) The tour takes up to four hours, as you’ll be covering a space that’s bigger than an NFL football field.

Jelly Belly Warehouse Tour (Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin)

Walk the halls of the Jelly Belly Warehouse in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, to see the evolution of these colorful candies. Photo Credit: foap.com

Though the brand’s true factory is in Fairfield, California, the Jelly Belly Visitor Center in Pleasant Prairie, about 60 miles from Chicago, lets you take a peek inside the warehouse. The tour takes place on a whimsical jelly bean-themed train, and you’ll learn how the sweet treats are made. Afterward, hit the candy store’s sample bar to try your hand at combining flavors.

Celestial Seasonings Factory Tour (Boulder, Colorado)

You’ll find the headquarters of the famed Celestial Seasonings tea brand on the appropriately named Sleepytime Drive. Though the factory tour gives you a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the tea-blending process (and later lets you sip on samples), its most famous feature is the Mint Room. This is where Clestial Seasonings keeps all of its mint tea—far away from other teas, as the flavor would overpower other blends. The strong minty essence can be eye-watering, but it’s an experience you’ll never forget.

Toyota Manufacturing Experience (San Antonio, Texas)

Watch new Tundras and Tacomas roll off the line as this guided tour takes you through a 2.2 million-square-foot Toyota plant. You’ll learn about every part of the auto-manufacturing process, with highlights including robots in the welding shop and overhead conveyors transporting trucks from paint to assembly.

Yuengling Brewery (Tampa, Florida)

Yuengling’s Pottsville, Pennsylvania, location might be America’s oldest brewery, but the Yuengling Florida factory is in a handy spot for vacationers. Take a break from the sun and watch the beer making and bottling processes, then sample a variety of brews in the on-site beer garden.

New Orleans Rum Factory Tour (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Leave the kids at home and raise a glass to the Big Easy at a sweet tour of the oldest premium rum distillery in the U.S. Visitors get a welcome cocktail, a tour and a rum tasting—and yes, they do offer shuttle transportation, so you can order a second round without fighting over who will be the designated driver.

Ready to travel? Find hotels in Atlanta, Easton, Pleasant Prairie, Boulder, San Antonio, Tampa, New Orleans.

San Diego Brewery Tour

Sunny skies and a cold beer go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Read More

Best U.S. Boat Tours

Boat tours give you the chance to view a city from a unique perspective.

Read More

Albuquerque’s Best Tours

This charming city offers a number of tours. Read on and prepare for fun!

Read More