Nowadays there are lots of factory tours, many dealing with mainstream consumables such as beer, wine, food, or chocolate (some of the more unusual ones we have included on this list). For everyone involved, they are a win/win situation; the factory owners get a chance to showcase their product and highlight its quality and other virtues. The visitor has the opportunity to get educated and entertained while learning about something new or something they have a strong loyalty to (like Coca-cola or Harley-Davidson). So, we have compiled a list of U.S. factory tours that you’ll find a little bit unique. Here is a list of 25 Quirkiest Factory Tours You Can Visit in the U.S. And always remember to visit their website ahead of time if you going to take one of these tours; many have limited hours and some have entrance fees. You’ll marvel at the range of sizes they come in and find yourself captivated as you learn about the versatility of these handcrafted wonders. Not only can they be used for serving food, but the larger ones can be used to create bread mixtures. Be sure to stop off at the gift shop on the way out. There, you’ll be able to pick up conversation starters like the $179 five-piece applesauce set. Official Website: https://www.woodbowl.com/ The tour itself includes a visit to the tasting room for some free samples, as well as a look around the brewing and bottling operation in action. You will also see their innovative boiler, which is powered by spent grain, a byproduct of the brewing process. Talk about sustainability! Official Website: https://alaskanbeer.com/visit/ This fascinating tour guides you through the making of this captivating instrument. You’ll learn interesting facts like these: the neck of the banjo can be made of woods such as the maple, mahogany, or Brazilian rosewood; and, interestingly, the banjo’s inlay can consist of mother of pearl or even gold. This company made the world’s first electric banjo back in the 1980s. On the tour, they’ll offer tips on how best to care for a banjo, as some of the finer models cost over $5,000. Official Website: https://www.deeringbanjos.com/pages/contact-us On one of their factory tours, you will get a glimpse of how their high-quality ceramic titles are shaped, glazed, trimmed, and fired as well as learn about their ethical approach to producing the tiles in a sustainable way with an aim to become a zero-waste manufacturer in the next few years. You will also get to see the many and varied tile collections that have helped to make Heath Ceramic tiles famous. Official Website: https://www.heathceramics.com/pages/factory-tours You’ll also receive free access to the vegetable patch where the owners provide you with a glass of the farm’s freshly-squeezed orange juice. The farm actively encourages you to take as many pictures as you like during the tour. Official Website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di2ThVZeGV4 All their pickles are double sweetened and made in the traditional way, in oak vats. They are left to ferment for at least three months before they are used. The pickles come in a wide variety of delicious flavors such as zesty bread and butter, pickles with crispy raisins, and super hot cauliflower pickles. Official Website: https://www.sechlerspickles.com/pages/how_we.html Each year, you can also take part in a 5 or 10-kilometer fun run through the mine’s maze of passages. Because much of the run is through utter darkness, a flashlight is mandatory. Also, discover why companies that store nuclear waste here, such as the Atomic Energy Commission, choose to do so safely and with confidence. At the end of each tour, you will get the opportunity to collect a piece of salt for your very own keepsake. Website Official: https://www.underkansas.org/contact-1 On their factory tour, you get to look through windows to see how the company cooks, roasts, and mashes the soybean before blending it into the final product that gets aged in genuine bourbon wooden barrels. The well-stocked gift shop sells varieties of soy sauce as well as coffee and cheese products, and company-themed t-shirts, baseball caps, and socks. Official Website: https://bourbonbarrelfoods.com/ This family-friendly tour not only includes a look around the Louisville factory but also of the adjoining museum, which has amazing baseball-related artifacts and interactive exhibits. There are daily demonstrations of how they brand the name into their iconic sluggers. Official Website: https://www.sluggermuseum.com/about-us/our-history You’ll also view the greenhouses where the peppers are grown and the white oak barrels where they are aged for three years at a time. Also on site is a Tabasco-themed museum and restaurant, along with an old salt mine that is no longer in use. Official Website: https://www.tabasco.com/visit-avery-island/ Appreciate their attention to detail in providing a full service if required, including floral arrangements, candles, and velvet paintings of your beloved pet to honor their tragic passing. Please bear in mind that there is no gift shop at this facility. Official Website: https://www.hoeghcaskets.com/contact/gladstone-mi The facility proudly showcases its latest innovation in the agricultural tractor technology and was the first to produce a self-propelled crop sprayer in the U.S. Learn about such important issues as the debate on tillage methods for seedbed preparation in terms of plant reliability and growth, spacing, surface residue, root development, soil compaction, and per-acre yield. Safety glasses are provided and must be worn at all times during this tour. Official Website http://www.intivitycenter.com/ Learn about the history and the many varieties of Spam such as Smoked Hickory, Bacon, Classic, Turkey, Garlic, Black Pepper, Jalapeno, Cheese, Teriyaki, Chorizo, Portuguese Sausage, and Hot & Spice. Once in the gift shop, see if you can resist buying the Spam tin can party costume or the $250 Spam-themed corn-tossing game (corn-filled tossing bags included). Official Website: https://www.spam.com/museum No doubt, you have many unanswered questions about this useful invention. Well, a tour of this museum and factory would have satisfied your curiosity and forged in you a deeper appreciation of this functional home appliance. Unfortunately, the history and evolution of the vacuum cleaner – from its humble beginnings of the horse-drawn pneumatic carpet renovator cleaning machines of the late 1890s – must remain a mystery to you (unless, of course, you search for information on Wikipedia or YouTube). Official Website: Closed You will get to see the brewing house, lager cellar, and packaging hall. Afterward, in the tasting room, you have the opportunity to sample up to six different beers for a small extra fee. The brewery is currently doing a limited edition range of ales, stouts, and wines based around the Game of Thrones franchise. So, a glass of Queen of the Seven Kingdoms or The King of the North, anyone? Official Website: https://www.ommegang.com/visit-us/tours-tastings/ The kazoo originated in Africa. It is a simple musical instrument consisting of a metal or plastic tube with a single covered hole that produces a buzzing sound when the player hums or sings into the mouthpiece. On this tour, you can watch as kazoos are being made. You are encouraged to ask the staff about any stages of the manufacturing process. On site, there is also a gift shop and museum. Official Website: www.edenkazoo.com/index.php As you tour the factory (which is one very large room), you will come to really understand the science behind what makes a whistle work as it does, as well as learn the important role whistles play as a safety device even in today’s high-tech society. Official Website: https://www.americanwhistle.com/ These goats originated in Switzerland and you learn not just how the soaps are made, but all about the history and habits of these lovable creatures. If soap (or goats) are your thing, this is the tour for you. As an added treat, you can ride the Emerald Farm Express, which is a passenger-carrying miniature train that runs around the site every Saturday, weather permitting. Official Website: http://www.emeraldfarm.com/group-tours.html Be prepared to look a little silly, as you will have to wear the hairnet that is provided, but this is a small price to pay to sample such intriguing delights. Official Website: https://www.oliveandsinclair.com/factory-tours/ The tour will take you through each intricate step of making the perfect cowboy boot, from molding the boot material, right through to stacking the heel as it goes on to the main body of the boot. Only then will you start to understand the skill behind these handcrafted boots and fully appreciate why each pair of boots take over 14 hours to make. Official Website: http://jamesleddyabilene.com/about/ An added bonus is that this tour includes a rare chance to see a collection of over 8,000 traditional and modern nutcrackers from all across the world. At the gift shop, you can buy pecan nuts in various sizes, shelled or unshelled. Also on display is the world’s largest model of a pecan! Official Website: http://papepecan.com/website1004.htm Their 40-minute tour will surely impress you. It incorporates a visit to the gift shop and visitor center, along with the spectacular highlight of being able to look over the 160,000-square-foot granite carving factory from an observation platform. Official Website: https://rockofages.com/tourism/ On this tour, you will be able to see the entire process that goes into the making of chips (except for the peeling). No photographs are allowed on the tour, however. (Maybe the potatoes are shy?) Spud Masters are on hand to answer any questions you might have. You’re encouraged to sample some of their bestselling flavors like Chesapeake Crab and Yukon Gold. Official Website: https://www.rt11.com/viewing On the tour, you will see the inner workings of this important establishment, as well as the Hall of Heroes that is dedicated to the over 3,000 recipients of the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest military award. Please be aware that at times of heightened security, your tour could be canceled at short notice. Official Website: https://pentagontours.osd.mil/Tours/contact.jsp They specialize in Colby-Jack cheese, which is a washed curd variety that has a distinct mild buttery flavor. And as you tour the factory, you will find out that some of their cheeses take from 1 to 10 years to mature. A cheese and sausage gift basket can be purchased in the gift shop, along with a variety of cheeses in an assortment of flavors Official Website: https://www.arenacheese.com/about.php
