Punching in on factory tours
Grafton Cheese Company in Vermont offers self-guided tour where visitors can see the process of making cheese through viewing windows. Credit: Grafton Village Cheese
Potato chips, ice cream, beer, big Mack trucks - they all get made somewhere. Those who want a peek into the manufacturing process are welcomed for free (or nearly free) factory tours. You'll come away with a greater appreciation for true American creations (and perhaps a sample or two).
FOOD AND DRINK
Ben & Jerry's, 1281 Waterbury Stowe Rd., Waterbury, Vt.
Ben & Jerry's has a penchant for crowd pleasing, with about 300,000 people taking the factory tour each year. More than 250,000 pints of the creamy cold stuff is produced here each day - visitors can watch how their favorites are blended and packaged. Before or after the tour, make a stop at the Flavor Graveyard to pay your respects to departed flavors such as Peanut Butter & Jelly and Fresh Georgia Peach (open late May-October).
SWAG A 2-ounce sample of the flavor of the day and souvenir tour ticket.
INFO Guided 30-minute tours cost $3 (free ages 12 and younger) and run 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily (longer hours in summer), 866-258-6877, benjerry.com.
Cape Cod Potato Chips, 100 Breeds Hill Rd., Hyannis, Mass.
Sometimes, a potato chip is just a potato chip and not a feat of technical engineering. And that's a good thing. Visitors here can actually see the raw potatoes drop into the slicer, cook in the canola oil-filled kettles, placed on the salter and conveyed into the packaging room.
SWAG Samples of potato chips
INFO Free self-guided tours last 5 to 15 minutes, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, 508-775-3206, capecodchips.com.
Sam Adams Brewery, 30 Germania St., Boston
At this "research and development" brewery, visitors actually help shape products by taste-testing new recipes and offering feedback during the tour. You'll learn first about the history of breweries in Boston, then watch the steps in the brewing process before tasting three samples of various Sam Adams concoctions. Drinks on tap change often, so you'll probably try something new - and you can now purchase Limited Edition crafted Sam Adams beer on-site.
SWAG A Samuel Adams tasting glass and three (7-ounce) samples of beer.
INFO One-hour guided tours 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Thursday and Saturday; 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Friday. Suggested $2 donation benefits Boston-area charities, 617-368-5080, samueladams.com.
INDUSTRY
Mack Trucks, 7000 Alburtis Rd., Macungie, Pa.
All Mack trucks sold in North America are assembled here. Visitors are likely to be stunned by the sheer size of the factory (the tour involves a mile and a half of walking) and magnitude of the components. Watching the installation of the engine-transmission combinations, which can weigh roughly 3,000 pounds, is particularly awe-inspiring. It takes just three hours for an empty frame to become a solidly built truck that is literally driven off the assembly line.
SWAG A bulldog pin - the corporate symbol.
INFO Free 90-minute guided tours 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. Reservations required. Visitors must be older than 7, 610-966-8980, macktrucks.com.
MUSIC
Martin Guitar Company, 510 Sycamore St., Nazareth, Pa.
Most legends in music - Elvis, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, John Mayer - have owned Martin Guitars. In operation since 1833, Martin Guitar claims to be the oldest surviving maker of stringed instruments in the world. Visitors can see how Martins are made from start to finish (of note: a pair of buffing robots that gingerly coddle and polish each guitar) and play a few higher-end rare models in the "Pickin' Parlor."
SWAG Visitors get the part of the guitar that the musician doesn't - the sound-hole cutout laser etched with the Martin logo, a collectible that can double as a coaster.
INFO Free one-hour guided tours 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. weekdays. Group tours cost $3 a person, 610-759-2837, martinguitar.com.
HOMES
Westchester Modular Homes, 30 Reagans Mill Rd., Wingdale, N.Y.
How is a modular home structurally different from a house built on site? You'll find out on this fascinating tour, where you'll see three to four homes in various stages of construction inside an 110,000-square-foot plant. Afterward, a computer presentation showcases a 3-D version of how a home will look before it's built.
SWAG A brochure.
INFO Free 45-minute tours for adults 10 a.m.-3 p.m. first Saturday of month, 800-832-3888, westchestermodular.com.
NON-FACTORY FACTORY TOURS
Crayola, 18 Centre Sq., Easton, Pa.
Though not a "factory tour" (it isn't the manufacturing plant), this is the place to witness fashioning of Crayola Crayons and see a 1,500-pound crayon 15 feet tall. With more than a dozen hands-on activities for families, this is an interactive kids' museum and not a quick look-see (allow three hours). New in 2010 is Crayola After Dark, allowing visitors to create art via wands of light.
SWAG A Crayola Crayon four-pack, a sample of Model Magic and a Crayola Marker.
INFO Admission is $9.95, 610-253-3703, crayola.com/factory.
Hershey's Chocolate World, 251 Park Blvd., Hershey, Pa.
Though not in the Hershey Chocolate plant, this Disney-like ride through a simulated factory is popular, with 2 million annual visitors. Talking animated cows take you through the chocolate-making process, from milk to roasted cocoa beans (which you can smell) to the smooching sound made by machines as they create Hershey's Kisses. Over 80 million kisses roll off the conveyor belts every day.
SWAG Mini-Hershey's chocolate samples.
INFO Free 10-minute indoor ride daily, 717-534-4900, hersheys.com/chocolateworld.
