USA Today: 10 great places to watch stuff being made

Written by Shawn Sell, USA Today

Jan. 24, 2003

Destinations & Diversions; Travel

Need something new to do on your next trip? Travel and learn simultaneously in this new year by visiting some of the nation's many factories -- fun and fascinating places to see just how things are made. Great factory tours are available from hundreds of companies in many states, says Karen Axelrod, author (with husband Bruce Brumberg) of Watch It Made in the U.S.A.: A Visitor's Guide to the Companies That Make Your Favorite Products (Avalon Travel, $19.95). Here, Axelrod shares some favorite stops with USA TODAY's Shawn Sell.

Harley-Davidson Motor Co.
York, Pa.

"See how workers and machines labor together to assemble these legendary motorcycles" that travel overhead by conveyor. Cost: free. Freebies: copy of The Enthusiast fan magazine and a product catalog. 877-746-7937; www.harley-davidson.com.

Basic Brown Bear Factory
San Francisco

From start to finish, "watch how teddy bears are born and even learn how to stuff your own bear with a mixture of air and polyester." Cost: free, although prices for stuffing your own animal run from $12 to $300. Freebies: none. 800-554-1910; www.basicbrownbear.com.

Jelly Belly Candy Co.
Fairfield, Calif.

"See a sea of jelly bean colors along with mosaic portraits of famous faces and figures, such as Ronald Reagan and the Statue of Liberty, each made of 14,000 jelly beans." Cost: free. Freebies: 3- ounce bag of Jelly Belly beans with menu that matches colors to flavors, plus a paper hat to wear during the tour. 800-522-3267; www.jellybelly.com.

Toyota
Georgetown, Ky.

At the largest Toyota plant outside of Japan, "ride on a tram to get a close-up view of flying sparks as computer-controlled robots weld vehicles' body shells." Cost: free. Freebies: Toyota vehicle in the form of a refrigerator magnet. 800-866-4485; www.toyotageorgetown.com.

Boeing
Everett, Wash.

"From a third-story walkway, visitors can oversee the airplane assembly areas in the world's largest-volume building (11 stories high, spanning 98 acres)." Cost: adults, $5; children under 15 and seniors 62 and older, $3. Freebies: brochure. 800-464-1476; www.boeing.com.

Fenton Art Glass
Williamstown, W. Va.

Started in 1905, when the Fenton brothers pooled $284, the business is now in its fourth generation of family ownership. "Walk onto the factory floor as glass blowers perform their art. The tour takes you from the extreme heat and speed of the glassmaking shops to the decorating area's exacting calm." Cost: free. Freebies: glassmaking brochure. 800-319-7793; www.fentongiftshop.com.

Celestial Seasonings
Boulder, Colo.

"Located at the corner of Sleepytime Drive and Zinger Street (named after the company's two best-selling teas) is America's largest herbal tea manufacturer." On the tour, learn about the origins of tea, see how it's put into little bags, "and get your sinuses cleared from the intense aroma in the mint room." Cost: free. Freebies: samples of any or all iced or hot flavors at the tea bar. 303-581-1202; www.celestialseasonings.com.

Herr's Snack Factory

Nottingham, Pa.

Started with one old-fashioned cooker in a barn, Herr's now produces tens of thousands of snack foods daily. The tour is salted with fascinating facts ("smart" machines sense and discard discolored potato chips), although the highlight is "savoring warm potato chips right off the production line." Cost: free. Freebies: warm chips during the tour; small sample bag at end of tour. 800- 637-6225; www.herrs.com.

Hillerich & Bradsby

Louisville

Here at the factory that makes the famous Louisville Slugger bat, three techniques are used to turn Northern white ash billets into baseball bats. "Watch the sizzle and smoke as the famous oval trademark, model number, and player's autograph are seared into the wood bat." After the tour, visit the Louisville Slugger Museum, featuring the world's biggest baseball bat, weighing 68,000 pounds. Cost: adults, $6; seniors 60 and older, $5; children 6-12, $3.50; children 5 and under, free. Freebies: 16-inch miniature wooden bat. 502-588-7228; www.sluggermuseum.org.

Ben & Jerry's

Waterbury, Vt.

"Learn how Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield started this offbeat, successful company with a social mission from a $5 correspondence course on ice cream making." Cost: adults, $2; senior citizens, $1.75; children 12 and under, free. Freebies: two ice cream samples and a Ben & Jerry's button. 866-258-6877; www.benjerry.com.

[Illustration]
PHOTO, B/W, Anne Marie Hunter, Harley-Davidson Motor Co.; PHOTO, B/ W, Sam Upshaw Jr., The Courier-Journal; Caption: Go hog wild in York, Pa.: Visitors to the Harley Davidson Motor Co. can watch the legendary motorcycles being assembled as they travel overhead by conveyor. More than 3,000 employees work around the clock assembling Touring and Softail models. Go to bat in Louisville: The world's largest bat is 120 feet tall and made of steel.