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Factory Tours
updated: Oct 05, 2011, 2:06 PM

My kids are totally into how things are made. What suggestions do Edhatters have for factory tours?

Places People Are Talking About:

JellyBean Factory

What People Are Saying:

COMMENT 220257	2011-10-05 02:22 PM
Not local but If you're ever up in the Bay Area - Fairfield to be exact, try the JellyBean factory -- free, fun, educational and yummy !!
COMMENT 220262P	2011-10-05 02:37 PM
Sorry, I don't have any local recommendations, but your question is bringing back my own grade school memories of factory tours - mainly the three times we went to the Kellogg plant in Battle Creek, Michigan. They always served Froot Loops over ice cream at the end of the tour. Yum! I'll be interested in seeing what's available locally. I can't come up with any real "factories" here, at least not the kind that would have regular tours.
COMMENT 220267P	2011-10-05 02:45 PM
I toured the L.A. Times printing plant when I was in high school (VERY noisy, as I recall), NBC studios, Radio City Music Hall in New York and the mint in Philadelphia, but I did an online search and found http://factorytoursusa.com/, which lists various tours by state. They mention baseball park tours, which are great fun -- members of my family have toured Dodger Stadium, AT&T Park in San Francisco (despite being hardcore Dodger fans), Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago. Have fun!
COMMENT 220269	2011-10-05 02:46 PM
Watch "How It's Made." They often leave out some steps, but overall it's very educational and an appropriate level for kids to understand.
COMMENT 220270P	2011-10-05 02:48 PM
Slap on a few fake moustaches and take them on a wine tour.
COMMENT 220272	2011-10-05 02:54 PM
The sorting facility on storke road is a amazing site. There is so much going on in there with all the machines. My daughter went on a field trip with Hollister school and they got stamp coloring books and a tour.
SBJULES	2011-10-05 03:01 PM
When I was in grammar school in Santa Maria, we walked down the street to the dairy for a field trip. The dairy is long gone now.
COMMENT 220282P	2011-10-05 03:20 PM
A vintage rail car day trip!
COMMENT 220284	2011-10-05 03:30 PM
Not local, but there are two I can recommend in Pennsylvania, the Hershey Factory in Hershey, PA and the Martin Guitar Factory in Nazareth, PA.
AQUAHOLIC	2011-10-05 03:44 PM
Sorry, I don't know of any local tours, but your query brought back a flood of memories....As kids growing up in the L.A. area, we used to go to a lot of factory tours on field trips, including the Helms Bakery, my favorite was Lays Potato Chips!...also recall touring the now defunct Goodyear tire factory where they used to have the blimp :-) Anyone growing up in the San Fernando Valley, specifically Van Nuys, remember "Busch Gardens"? I remember going there as a kid and visiting the park, taking the factory tour, which culminated in all the free beer you could drink...no joke, my Dad and any other adults would sample all the Budweiser, Michelob & Busch beer they wanted! The place closed in the late 70's, but I remember my older brother and friends going there a lot! Sorry, a little off topic, but I couldn't help myself!
COMMENT 220290	2011-10-05 03:50 PM
In Spring, Carpinteria has greenhouse tours that show how flowers and vegis are grown.
COMMENT 220293	2011-10-05 03:54 PM
Again, not local, but if in the Bay Area sometime, Scharfenberger Chocolate and Anchor Steam Beer are worth the effort.
COMMENT 220301P	2011-10-05 04:11 PM
I too went to Kellogg's in grade school, like 262P. I sure can't think of anything around here.
COMMENT 220311P	2011-10-05 04:22 PM
AQUAHOLIC, I'm right there with you. My high school prom was held at Busch Gardens.
AQUAHOLIC	2011-10-05 04:28 PM
@311P....that's great!....what were they thinking!?! The most vivid image I have from touring the "beer factory" was seeing the guy whose job it was to stand in the same spot all 8 hr. shift and load the can tops into a machine....I knew right then and there, I would definitely go to college!
AUNTIE S.	2011-10-05 04:40 PM
Do they still have the self-guided lumber mill tour at the Pacific Lumber plant in Scotia? Way northern Calif. but if you're up that way on vacation it's fascinating to walk through on a catwalk and see huge redwood logs go in at one end and through a series of steps, come out into boards at the other end. Very noisy but lots of fun. Maybe it's not PC (too dangerous) to let people go through any more. It was a long time ago when my 50-something kids were teenagers.
COMMENT 220333	2011-10-05 05:01 PM
I'll second How It's Made - I love that show! Modern Marvels is pretty good, too. I don't know of any tours locally. But if you get to PA & take 284's advice, throw in a trip to the Just Born facility. There is nothing like a fresh Peep, right off the assembly line, still warm. You know they spray the eyes on?
COMMENT 220334P	2011-10-05 05:05 PM
Folks, we don't make stuff in America anymore! Isn't it sad? Factory tours are how kids were exposed to how things are made. I got to tour a fortune cookie factory in San Francisco, that was fun.
COMMENT 220347	2011-10-05 05:40 PM
not sure how much they are into automotive items, but ARP fasteners are made in ventura. I hear thats actually a pretty cool place. One of the most basic parts of a car but also very important. I think you can get tours.
COMMENT 220376P	2011-10-05 06:12 PM
This thread reminds me of watching Mr. Rogers with my daughter when she was small. I always loved his factory tours. I remember the Crayola factory, some place that made applesauce, and seeing stamps and paper money printed.
COMMENT 220379	2011-10-05 06:15 PM
284 - The Hershey, PA factory has moved to Mexico. No more Hershey's made in USA. The Hershey web site describes how you can now take a "virtual tour" of chocolate being made when you visit the former factory. Now made with Mexican water - gives new meaning to a phrase we used as kids - "Gotta run home quick 'cause I got the Hershey Squirts." LOL!
COMMENT 220383	2011-10-05 06:28 PM
@379 I bet you never been to Mexico let alone tired the water, and remember chocolate came from Mexico.
COMMENT 220386	2011-10-05 06:36 PM
Way before the whole SB News-Press debacle my father worked at the printing plant fixing the robotics and machinery. He gave us a tour of the facility once. It was pretty cool seeing the giant printing presses, conveyor belts running all over the place and robots that move the huge reams of paper the size of a small car. Not sure if the News-Press does this for the public, but if they do it really would be fascinating for a young child.
COMMENT 220388	2011-10-05 06:54 PM
Where to go would depend on the age of your children; preschool, elementary of secondary. As a preschool teacher there are many places to go see in this area. We have visited a donut store, glass blowing studio, bakery, sewage plant(they were fascinated),green house nurseries,sign shop, candy store, the list goes on and on it just depends on what you are looking for. Most places are happy to oblige and usually give the kids something.
COMMENT 220398	2011-10-05 07:08 PM
379 - Actually my first trip to Mexico was back in 1969 as a teenager from New York. "Montezuma's Revenge" did, in fact, put me in a world of hurt on that trip. Don't know if it was the water or something else. As an adult I've not had trouble during numerous trips. Was just making a little joke. I'm still a "chocoholic" regardless of where it comes from.
COMMENT 220414	2011-10-05 08:24 PM
This is really sad that there are no recommendations for local factory tours. How about Powell Skateboards in Goleta? Or, are they now made in China?
COMMENT 220417	2011-10-05 08:31 PM
Seymour Duncan, the very famous guitar maker and musician has his factory in Goleta. w w w seymourduncan . com He is the best in the world.
COMMENT 220418P	2011-10-05 08:34 PM
414....good idea!...Powell skateboards are definitely NOT made in China. George Powell built all the machinery himself...would be a very cool thing for kids to see!
SHORELINE	2011-10-05 08:55 PM
I know that McConnel's used to give tours but when I called and asked, they said that it would be up to the new owners to decide if they would continue the tradition. We had an awesome factory tour this last summer at Marich Confectionery Company in Hollister, CA. http://www.marich.com/ They do them for schools in their area but we must have gotten connected with just the right people to get a 2 hour private tour for our family. It is a huge place with top of the line equipment and amazing assembly areas (both automated and by hand). They provide chocolate for some of the biggest names in the business but you have sign confidentiality forms. Boy...do I want to tell you what we saw in there!!!!!
COMMENT 220428P	2011-10-05 09:17 PM
A decade ago, my children had classes at La Colina Junior High in Industrial Arts, where students learned about how things were made. When your kids are in 7th grade, won't they learn all about how our world of industry works?
SBJULES	2011-10-05 10:19 PM
I don't think the News Press has been printed the "old fashioned" way any more.
PCONRAD	2011-10-05 11:45 PM
in 1996 I went on the Celestial Seasonings tour in Boulder CO... Very interesting.
SBSB	2011-10-06 07:06 AM
If you have no more than 4* kids, I can show them how I assemble clocks. Although I don't make the movements themselves, we can take one apart to see what's inside. If you're interested, OP, you can contact me through the website sbcrafts.net *The limit of 5 people is due to a Goleta city ordinance for home businesses.
COMMENT 220450	2011-10-06 07:14 AM
Call The Frame-up custom picture framing in the Calle Real Center. 805-964-2244. While they are not exactly a factory, they do all the work on site and would be happy to arrange a tour and demo for you and your kids. They will take you through the process from the design and material selection, through the cutting and joining and finishing processes. You can even watch their computerized automated mat cutter, the Wizard 9000, cut out a mat.
COMMENT 220452P	2011-10-06 07:20 AM
What a kind offer, SBSB!
COMMENT 220465	2011-10-06 07:42 AM
Try the Proctor and Gamble plant in Oxnard, they sometimes offer tours.
COMMENT 220469P	2011-10-06 07:43 AM
I don't know if this is still open, but several years ago, my grandson took surfing classes and they went to the Sex Wax Company, which I think is in Carp. They make the wax to put on surf boards. The kids got stickers and met the owner. Might be fun if your family is into surfing. Another might be the McConnells' Ice Cream manufacturing facility on E. Cannon Perdido, SB. Not sure if they offer tours, but it is worth checking out.
COMMENT 220470	2011-10-06 07:44 AM
334P - Actually, in terms of inflation corrected dollar value of the items produced, we make as much in America as any time in my half-century life and if you don't correct for inflation, the value of goods produced here kept rising pretty much steadily until a couple years ago. A smaller percentage of Americans work in manufacturing "touch labor" jobs by far but this reflects a higher level of education and higher use of automated production, not of factories disappearing. You see fewer factories and more imported goods on the shelves now because the cheap stuff is mostly imported and California has become a lousy place to run a large scale manufacturing business compared to other states - the "middle" of the country has a lot more to offer in terms of stable laws and regulations, access to ground transport, and reasonable land costs.
COMMENT 220482P	2011-10-06 08:21 AM
If you can swing it, the ultimate factory tour is the Ford F-150 Assembly Plant in Dearborn, MI. I went through it several months ago. It is astonishing. So many parts coming from all over the world and they just kind of snap together to make a truck. Must visit if you are ever in the area.
COMMENT 220485	2011-10-06 08:28 AM
Yay for the Seymor Duncan referral! That was my first thought and then PJ MIlligan made all his furniture here. Not sure if he still does but he gave me a private tour of his operation and it was interesting. Ask ANY professional 'How it's done" from a Acupuncturist-how does a needle in my hand help my stomach ache? Chiropractor-What is an adjustment anyway? Dentist-how to fill a cavity. Medical doctors-how exactly does that pill help me? Banks: how do you get a bail out and still not loan money to my parents to buy a house, I digress
COMMENT 220490	2011-10-06 08:33 AM
There is an excellent show on television (discovery channel I believe) which shows how virtually everything is made. Each time they focus on a particular product. Excellent show and one of the few I would recommend as worthwhile for kids to watch T.V. for.
COMMENT 220495	2011-10-06 08:39 AM
There is plenty of manufacturing still in Santa Barbara... but a lot of the companies here are in the defense industry, making it tough for them to give tours for security reasons. Still, I think the OP has a great idea, and I would like to see schools taking kids out to see "stuff" being made along with the standard field trips to the Mission, museums, etc. America's industrial heritage is every bit as important as the other subjects children study in school, but I think it gets skipped over (probably more so in CA than in places like the upper Midwest). Just my 2 cents....
COMMENT 220505P	2011-10-06 09:02 AM
I toured a broccoli packing plant in Santa Maria and a commercial flower growing farm in Carp (a hundred-million dollar local industry). Both were fascinating tours and fresh broccoli tastes like nothing you get from the market, which might be good for kids to know. Also when I was in college I went on a hotel tour where they showed us how they tracked the guests -- hotels know way more about you than you think! It's quite a business and the huge kitchens would intrigue most kids.
ARCHIE	2011-10-06 09:02 AM
I bet Robataille Candy in Carpinteria would give a tour.
ARCHIE	2011-10-06 09:04 AM
I bet Robataille Candy in Carpinteria would give a tour.
COMMENT 220516	2011-10-06 09:16 AM
Deering Banjo Company in San Diego.
COMMENT 220559	2011-10-06 10:23 AM
I second the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield. I grew up in the Bay Area and went on several field trips there - so much fun! I also went to a Hershey factory tour in Oakdale, but that facility is now closed. Another idea is the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, operated by NASA. They do tours on weekends I believe.
COMMENT 220565	2011-10-06 10:34 AM
I'd second the Seymour Duncan factory. They're out at Patterson and Hollister. The kids will get a little science lesson on how wires and magnets are used to make electric guitars electric. Very cool.
LAS	2011-10-06 10:36 AM
I took the Boeing Factory tour in Seattle (well, just north of it) this summer. You get to see the planes built right in front of you... you go to a viewing area above where the workers are located to get a great view. Pretty spectacular b/c of the size of the planes and the machines that move the large sections of them. Highly recommend it. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to bring your camera along, so you do not get photos of the experience.
COMMENT 220676P	2011-10-06 02:13 PM
Edhatters are amazing! Thank you all for these great ideas! Many thanks also from my children! P.S. I remember watching packs being sewn at Jaand! Okay, now I've really dated myself ;)
COMMENT 220731	2011-10-06 04:35 PM
I didn't know there is a Proctor and Gamble plant in Oxnard. I went on a field trip to their San Pedro plan when I was a kid and it was great. We got to see Prell shampoo made! We also got to hold unfinished bars of Ivory soap that hadn't hardened yet, the squish them in our fists. I loved it. To top it off, we each received a sampler pack of P&G products -- I loved having my own little tube of Prell when I was about 5 years old, I felt so special.
COMMENT 220738	2011-10-06 04:53 PM
Two factory tours I took as a kid that left an impression - the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook, Oregon. Really cool walk through, with free samples. And the Pendleton Wool Factory in North Eastern Oregon - I seriously couldn't get the dye and wet wool smell out of my nose for hours, and the noise in there was deafening...I'll never forget it!