7 Top Food Factory Tours to Enjoy

Step inside to sample some of your favorite treats and learn how they’re made

a woman pointing at equipment while giving a factory tour

Go inside a food factory to learn how some of your favorite treats are made. Here, a tour of Seahorse Chocolate in Bend, Oregon.

Visit Bend

Kristen Pope,

AARP

Published March 19, 2026

Key takeaways

Factory tours offer an inside look at how popular foods are made.
Many tours are free or budget‑friendly and take place indoors, making them appealing for travelers seeking low‑cost, weather‑safe activities.
Visitors can explore unique stops nationwide, such as ice cream, chocolate, caviar and beer —each offering its own behind‑the‑scenes experience.

Ever see art made of jelly beans? You can when you take a tour of the Jelly Belly Bean Art Gallery, where art made from tens of thousands of jelly beans is on display in Fairfield, California. Here, artists have carefully constructed portraits of Elvis, Batman and even a 4-by-5-foot Bengal tiger, using jelly beans of all colors and flavors. Factory tours offer fun ways to see these kinds of unique attractions, learn how some of your favorite products are made, taste samples and participate in activities like pouring your own chocolate bar.

These tours are budget-friendly and mostly take place indoors, two factors AARP survey respondents feel are important to them when planning vacations, according to the 2026 AARP Travel Trends survey. Thirty-nine percent of travelers age 50-plus listed cost and 22 percent weather among their top barriers to travel.

Be aware that operation schedules vary, so it’s possible to go on a tour and not see active production, but the tours have plenty of other attractions.

Take a self-guided tour through the visitor center at Blue Bell Creameries to learn about ice cream production and the company’s history.

Blue Bell Creameries

Blue Bell Creameries, Brenham, Texas

See where Blue Bell Creameries produces its delicious ice cream at the company’s production facility in Brenham, Texas. Take a self-guided tour through the visitor center to learn about production and more than 100 years of company history. The highlight is the observation deck, where you can watch production and see ice cream packaged in single-cup containers, 3-gallon tubs for restaurants and plenty of sizes in between. Stop by the ice cream parlor to purchase a tasty scoop (or more), including flavors that are not available in stores. The Country Store on site sells T-shirts, mugs and other items. The company’s plant in Sylacauga, Alabama, offers a similar experience, with an observation window, ice cream parlor and Country Store.

Cost: Free for the self-guided tour of the visitor center and observation deck.

pez dispensers in the shape of shoes inside a glass case

At the PEZ factory in Orange, Connecticut, visitors can see products made of PEZ, try a trivia game and learn the company’s history.

Ayannah Brown/Connecticut Public via Getty Images

PEZ, Orange, Connecticut

Roam around 4,000 square feet of all things PEZ at the iconic candy company’s Orange, Connecticut, visitor center. Take a self-guided tour to enjoy memorabilia, including a PEZ-themed motorcycle. See the world’s largest PEZ dispenser, try out a trivia game and learn the history of the company, founded in 1927. Peek through the viewing windows to see how the candy is produced, and watch videos to learn about the full process. Preview the self-guided tour with a 360-degree virtual online tour.

Cost: $5; $4 for adults 60-plus. Each admission includes a $2 same-day purchase credit and a souvenir PEZ ticket lanyard.

a split image of chocolate being poured and a woman giving a tour inside a factory

During the 90-minute tour at Seahorse Chocolate, visitors can follow the production of chocolate through the stages and pour their own chocolate bar.

Visit Bend

Seahorse Chocolate, Bend, Oregon

Enjoy a mug of hot cocoa while touring Seahorse Chocolate in Bend, Oregon. During the 90-minute tour, learn about the company’s vegan chocolate production, including the sourcing of bird-friendly-certified cacao from organic farms that have a rich bird habitat. Peek inside a cacao seed and taste it, before following the production process through the stages. Pour your own chocolate bar and, while it hardens, taste a sampling of the company’s chocolates. You’ll get to wrap your own bar to take home.

Single-origin chocolates enable people to taste the flavors of where the beans grew. “What you’re really tasting is the terroir of that place,” says co-owner Emily Pappo. “The soil and climate and farming practices and post-harvest practices influence the flavor. And I think that’s something that surprises a lot of people, how distinct and different those different origins can taste.”

Cost: $79

a portrait of former president ronald reagan made from jelly beans

The Jelly Belly Bean Art Gallery showcases art, such as the portrait of former President Ronald Reagan, made from tens of thousands of jelly beans.

Alamy Stock Photo

The Jelly Belly Factory and Museum, Fairfield, California

Stroll a quarter-mile-long walkway to peek down at the Jelly Belly production floor. Take a self-guided factory tour to explore interactive exhibits, watch videos about candy manufacturing and more. The museum shares the company’s history starting from 1869 and explores how candymaking technology has changed over the decades. Admire jelly bean art in the gallery, grab a bag of irregular Belly Flops at the candy store and sit down for lunch at the café, which serves up burgers and pizzas shaped like jelly beans. Also, check out the on-site Chocolate Shoppe. For a more in-depth experience, consider reserving a guided tour for an additional fee.

Cost: Self-guided tour: $8 for adults; guided tours: $199 per group of up to six people

a split image of a woman holding a fish next to an image of fish swimming

After a tour of this family-operated caviar and sturgeon farm, you can taste caviar and smoked sturgeon products, among other offerings.

The Crystal Coast Tourism Development Authority/Marshallberg Farm

Marshallberg Farm, Smyrna, North Carolina

In Smyrna, North Carolina, sign up for a two-hour tour at this family-operated caviar and sturgeon farm. Marshallberg Farm sustainably produces Osetra caviar from Acipenser gueldenstaedtii sturgeon. “It’s the only place where you’d be able to see [this] species of sturgeon up close in the United States in a tour setting,” says sales manager Lianne Won-Reburn. After touring the facility, take some time to taste caviar, smoked sturgeon products and other offerings, including a pairing with local vodka. Check the company’s website for tour dates; sign up for the waitlist to be notified when future dates become available.

Cost: $75

During a tour of Coors Brewery, learn about the company’s history and the production process, including malting, brewing and packaging. Here is the company’s brewhouse.

Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Coors Brewery, Golden, Colorado

Tour the massive Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado. Learn about the company’s history since it opened in 1873 and the production process, including malting, brewing and packaging. You can watch videos of the production process and see actual production if the timing is right. Go back in time with historic photos and beer cans, and see Coors memorabilia and neon signs. Brewery tours are open to all ages, but guests 21 and older can sample up to three beers; nonalcoholic options are also available. The gift shop features Coors merchandise. The tour is approximately 50 minutes, but plan on 90 minutes for the full experience, including the shuttle bus, sampling and a visit to the gift shop.

Cost: $20 for adults 21 and older; $15 for active military and veterans with ID; ticket prices do not include the 10 percent service fee and tax.

workers on an assembly line in a factory

Head to the viewing gallery during a self-guided tour of Tillamook Creamery to watch production and packaging firsthand.

Alamy Stock Photo

Tillamook Creamery, Tillamook, Oregon

Near Oregon’s coast, the Tillamook Creamery offers a free self-guided tour to explore the farmer-owned co-op’s history, which began in 1909. Learn about production, check out the farm exhibit and linger in the viewing gallery to watch production and packaging firsthand. For a more immersive experience, sign up for a Tour + Tasting experience, which provides a guided tour through the viewing gallery and a tasting of Maker’s Reserve Vintage White Cheddars. Another interactive option is the Honorary Tillamook Taste Bud: Exclusive Ice Cream Experience, which includes ice cream tasting. Make sure you stop by the dining hall to try fried cheese curds and grilled cheese sandwiches, and save some room for ice cream. The gift shop sells branded merchandise and cheese, among other items.

Cost: Self-guided tour: free; tour and tasting: $15; ice cream experience: $45.

The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

%{postComment}%

Kristen Pope is a freelance writer who covers travel, outdoor recreation, wildlife, stargazing, conservation and science for publications like National Geographic, Smithsonian, Travel + Leisure and many others.

Unlock Access to AARP Members Edition

Join AARP to Continue

Already a Member? Login

Most Popular

Benefits Recommended For You

See All