Behind The Scenes - list of factories that offer free tours, United States

Travel America, Sept, 2001

From headstones to Harleys, cheese curls to chocolates, here's where and how to see "Made in America" in action. Tours are free, unless otherwise noted.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Bureau of Engraving and Printing, 14th and C Streets, SW, Washington, D.C.; (202) 874-3188. www.bep.treas. gov. Who's not fascinated by money? One of two locations, and the only one available for tours, the Bureau produces nine billion Federal Reserve notes each year and--who knew?--20 billion postage stamps. A 35-minute public tour is offered from 9 to 2, Monday through Friday. From June through August, they offer additional tours from 5 to 6:40 p.m. The tour is closed weekends and federal holidays. Pick up tickets at a booth located on Raoul Wallenberg Place (formerly 15th Street). The booth is open from 8 to 1:45, or until supply is gone. In summer the ticket booth reopens from 3:30 to 6:30.

MASSACHUSETTS

Cape Cod Potato Chip Tour, Independence Park, Breed's Hill Road, Hyannis, MA; (508) 775-7253. Find out why these impossibly thin, hand-cooked chips have become a favorite of chip connoisseurs world-wide. On a self-guided tour, see the entire potato-to-bagged-chip process. Coolest job: stirring the big kettle 'o chips with a rake. Tours run Monday through Friday from 9 to 5; and (in July and August) Saturday from 10 to 4.

NEVADA

Ethel M Chocolates, Sunset Way & Mountain Vista, Henderson, NV (near Las Vegas); (702) 433-2500. www. ethelm.com. Chocoholics from all over the world visit Ethel M's headquarters to see how these luscious treats are made. Tour the processing kitchen, walk through the enrobing and molding rooms, then, finally, indulge in a sample. Walk off the damage with a stroll through the company's cactus garden. Self-guided, the tours are offered seven days a week, from 8:30 to 7.

PENNSYLVANIA

Crayola Factory, 30 Centre Sq., Easton, PA; (610) 515-8000. www. crayola.com. What's the new name for politically-incorrect Indian red? Learn crayon trivia, see an assembly line that molds, labels, and packs crayons, play with computer art, and visit the Crayola Store at this family-friendly "factory." The original tour was so popular, parent company Binney & Smith created this interactive space just for kids. Tours operate September through May, Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 to 5; Memorial Day to Labor Day, Monday through Saturday 11-6. Adults and children $7; seniors $6.50; under 2 free. Herr's Snack Factory Tour. Routes 1 & 272, Nottingham, PA; (610) 932-6400 or (800) 284-7488. www.herrs. com. Just how much air is in a cheese curl? About 1,500 pounds per square inch. (So why are they fattening?) Why does a bath make a pretzel crispy and brown? You'll learn all this and much more snack food trivia at the Herr's factory tour, where salty snacks rule. A family-run business, Herr's sells snack foods in 10 states in the Northeast. Tours operate Monday through Thursday 9 to 3 and Friday from 9 to 11 a.m.

TENNESSEE

Jack Daniel Distillery Tour, Highway 55, Lynchburg, TN (75 miles southeast of Nashville); (931) 759-6183. www.jackdaniels.com. The historic Jack Daniel Distillery is the major claim to fame of tiny (pop. 361) Lynchburg. This facility is, they say, America's oldest registered distillery. Purveyors of fine "Tennessee sipping whiskey" since 1866, the company offers guided tours that take visitors through the process, from cave spring to mash, charcoal mellowing to oak barrels. Tours are offered from 8 to 4 every day except major holidays.

TEXAS

Pape's Pecan Company, Highway 101 South, Seguin, TX; (830) 379-7442. Tour the facility, pecan orchard, and collection of more than 3,000 antique pecan crackers. You'll see the harvesting, processing, and packaging of pecans. The harvest begins in September and continues through December, while processing continues through May. Tour times vary; call for current schedule.

VERMONT

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory, Route 100, Waterbury, VT; (802) 244-5641. www.benjerry.com. Last year 275,000 ice cream fans toured this facility. Not bad for a company launched in 1978 in a renovated gas station. As visitors soon learn, it's not just about ice cream--there's a social mission behind Ben & Jerry's. Thirty-minute tours are offered daily, beginning with a seven-minute video, continuing on to the tour mezzanine, where you watch ice cream production. If production is down, a narrated video will fill in the details. The tour ends at the Scoop Shop, where guests try old favorites like Cherry Garcia, and perhaps, test-drive a new flavor. Tours run November through May, 10 to 5 (every 30 minutes); June, 9 to 5 (every 20 minutes); July and August, 9 to 8 (every 20 minutes); and September and October, 9 to 6 (every 15 minutes). Adults $2; seniors $1.75; under 12 free.

Rock of Ages Quarry Tour, Exit 6 off 1-89, Barre, VT; (802) 476-3121. www. rockofages.com. Rock of Ages, a company specializing in memorial products, has been conducting narrated tours of its quarrying operations since 1924. You'll take a 30-minute shuttle ride to the 600-foot-deep, 50-acre, active quarry. As a guide explains the process, you'll watch skilled craftspeople cut granite from the massive quarry face. Tours are offered from June through mid-October, Monday through Friday, from 9:15 to 3. Adults $4; seniors $3.50; children 6-12 $1.50.