As far as quintessential American summertime leisure activities go, factory tours ought to rank pretty high up there, next to baseball, trips to the beach and camping. The factory tours we've assembled here show that there are still plenty of things made right here in the good ole U.S. of A. Naturally, they're perfect for anyone curious or interested in arcane aspects of American pop culture or history, and often come complete with themed dining experiences and opportunities to spend your dollars at a gift shop. There are many more tours available than we could possible fit here, but a good place to start is Factory Tours USA (www.factorytoursusa.com). Note, though, that not every company listed there is a bonafide factory and, of those that are, not all offer factory tours. Another easy way of finding out if your favorite product (Budweiser? Kellogg's Cornflakes?) has a tour dedicated to its creation is to visit the particular company's website and search for tours.
Vermont is home to many feel-good, Earth-friendly businesses and Ben and Jerry's in Waterbury, Vermont (tel. 866/258-6877; www.benjerry.com/our_company/about_us/tours/) is certainly one of the state's most beloved. The ice cream confectioners run a hugely popular tour, so it's smart to get there are early as possible. From June through October, the half-hour tours start at 9am, providing you with the best reason possible to eat ice cream for breakfast--samples are tasted in their FlavoRoom. Please note that there is no ice cream production on weekends or holidays; on those days, tours feature a video of the production line. Adults, $3; seniors $2; free for children 12 and under. Reservations are highly recommended for groups of 10 or more.
In Easton, Pennsylvania, visitors can tour the Binney & Smith Crayola Factory (tel. 610/250-8000; ) and receive free crayons and other materials for their admission price. The actual manufacturing facility is a couple miles away and not open to the public, but there are simulators that give you a glimpse into the process and you'll receive whatever the crayon color du jour they're producing. Kids can play with modeling clay, draw on the walls, and try out the latest Crayola products in their ever-growing line of creatively designed markers, clay, crayons, pencils, and other items. Ticket prices are $9 for adults and children and daily admission is conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. Open Tuesday-Sunday; closed Monday.
Boeing Commercial Airplane, (tel. 800/464-1476; www.boeing.com/companyoffices/aboutus/tours/), at the Everett Tour Center in Everett, Washington, is the manufacturing home of the 747, 767 and 777--all of which are on display. The building itself is remarkable, as it's rated the largest in the world, based on cubic volume. Visitors can see airplanes in various stages of testing and development. Tours are available Monday through Friday, last a little over an hour, and reservations can be made. Non-reserved tickets are available for same-day use and are $3 for children 15 and under and seniors 65 and older; adult price is $5. All reserved tickets are $10.
The company that gave us Pyrex, a huge breakthrough when it was invented in 1924, runs a museum with ample opportunities watch the glassmaking process. At the Corning Museum of Glass (tel. 800/732-6845; www.cmog.org), there are no factory tours, but there is a Hot Glass Show, which takes place seven days a week at various points throughout the day. Master glassmakers start with gobs of molten glass and transform them into bowls, vases and other objects. The experience is a live, narrated event, and a camera is situated right inside the furnace, so you don't miss a thing. In the summertime, the show includes a demonstration that borders on performance art, encouraging audience interaction. Admission is $12 for adult day pass, free for kids and youth (17 & under), $10.80 for seniors and students with valid ID.
The Ford Rouge Factory Tour (tel. 800/835-5237; www.hfmgv.org/rouge/default.asp) is a five-part tour that takes you in various stages of the production and history of the quintessentially American icon that changed our lives forever: the automobile. The tour is not conducted when production periods are busiest, so it's best to inquire about that and make reservations (you can buy your tickets online). Tours depart in front of the Henry Ford Museum and a bus takes you through a narrated drive of famous landmarks and the manufacturing complex. Other aspects include glimpses at historic footage and a walking tour through the assembly plant to see how Ford F-150s are made. The tours are conducted seven days a week from April 15 through January 1, starting from 9:30am. Between January 2 and April 14, it's closed on Sunday. Adults $12; Kids ages 5-12, $8.50.
A tour of the Gibson Guitar Factory (tel. 901/205 2526; www.gibsonmemphis.com/thefactory.html#tour) in Memphis, Tennessee, allows visitors to watch guitars go through neck-fitting, buffing, tuning, binding and painting. For over 100 years, the company has been assembling quality American guitars by hand. Les Paul, Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page all have their own signature solid-body models; B.B. King and Eric Clapton, for example, have their own archtop signature models. The tour lasts 45 minutes, costs $10, and you must be at least 12 years old to be admitted. On Sunday-Wednesday, tours depart 12pm, 1pm and 2pm; from Thursday through Saturday, they start at 11am and depart hourly through 2pm. The factory is located in the Gibson Beale Street Showcase (www.gibsonshowcase.com/bealestreet/index.html), which includes the Lounge, a live performance space that also serves drinks and dinner, and The Smithsonian Rock 'n' Soul Museum.
Though the headquarters for the Harley-Davidson Company (tel. 877/883-1450; 414/343-7850; www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/Factory_Tours/factory_tours.jsp?locale=en_US) are located in Milwaukee Wisconsin, there are three places in the country where hog lovers can witness some part of the company's manufacturing process. In Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, you can visit the Powertrain engine plant and see where motorcycle replacement parts are made, and where Sportster and Buell powertrains are made. In Kansas City, Missouri, Harley-Davidson runs a Vehicle and Powertrain operations facility--observe the Sportster, Dyna and RSC families of motorcycles go from fabrication and finishing through final assembly. The largest facility is located in York, Pennsylvania and is responsible for custom bikes and putting together the Touring and Softail models; activities such as polishing, painting, forming and welding take place here, too. Tours are free at all three locations, last about an hour, and visitors 18 and over are required to present a valid photo ID. Those who visit during the week have the best opportunity for watching the bikes come to life.
Homer Laughlin China Company (tel. 800/452-4462; www.hlchina.com) makes the iconic, brightly colored Fiestaware, which was launched in the late 1930s and became the company's most popular creation, thanks to its utilitarian, mix-and-match approach and easy care. Today, the company is the largest domestic pottery with and their products feature lead-free glazes. Located in Newell, West Virginia, there are free factory tours twice a day, Monday through Friday, 10:30am and 12:30pm, and you need a reservation ahead of time. Note: there is no information about factory tours on the website but directions are provided. There's also a factory outlet onsite (www.homerlaughlin.com/outlet/home.asp), in case you are inspired to add some new items to your collection.
Jelly Belly Candy Factory (tel. 800/953-5592; www.jellybelly.com) in Fairfield, California, about an hour north of San Francisco, makes some 150 varieties of Jelly Beans. Visitors can take the free, 40-mintue tour and inhale the fruity and savory flavors wafting in the air. The company also makes gummy, taffy and chocolate candy, too. You can taste the freshest sweets made at their sampling bar afterward or eat, if you dare, a jellybean-shaped pizza. Tours depart about every fifteen minutes and are conducted daily except for major holidays; weekend tours, however, don't allow you to see production, so a video is shown instead.
The Louisville Slugger Museum (tel. 877/7SLUGGER; www.sluggermuseum.org/visitorguide.aspx) in Louisville, Kentucky, has been the bat of choice since the company's inception in 1884. Honus Wagner of the Pittsburg Pirates signed a contract in 1905 to endorse promote the bat--the first deal of its kind for a bat manufacturer. Today, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Reds center fielder Ken Griffey, Jr. favor the Slugger. Other features of the museum include a batting cage, theater, ball field and the oval room, where you can come face to face with a fastball. The museum admission cost includes a tour, which lasts about an hour and a half. Tours depart every twenty minutes and the last tour of the day starts at 4pm. In order to watch bat production, however, it's best to tour before 3pm. Admission is $8 for adults, $4 for kids 6-12 and free for kids 5 and under. They're open on Sunday, but no bat production takes place.
Want to see how the U.S. Department of Treasury, specifically, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (tel. 866/874-2330; www.moneyfactory.com) makes money? Here, you can watch bills go from large reams of blank paper into intricately inked forms currency. There are two locations--one in Washington, D.C., and another in at the Western Currency facility in Fort Worth, Texas. Tickets are required for their peak tour season at the D.C. facility, from March through August in D.C.; no tickets are needed from September through February. Tours are conducted Monday through Friday. One person can pick up to four tickets; they're free and tend to go quickly. They depart every fifteen minutes and tend to last about 40 minutes. At the Texas facility (tel. 866/865-1194), tours are free, conducted every half hour; the last tour is at 2pm during August through May.