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Eight Great Factory Tours
Can't make it to Steinway or Boeing? These other factory tours around the country are well worth seeking out.
By JIA LYNN YANG
April 4, 2005

(FORTUNE Magazine) – BEN & JERRY'S FACTORY

Where: Waterbury, Vt., half an hour east of Burlington. Why it's so great: You get to slurp down whatever ice cream has been churned that day, plus gawk at the Flavor Graveyard, where flavors that flopped have their own headstones. Cost: $3. More info: www.benjerry.com.

JACK DANIEL'S DISTILLERY

Where: Lynchburg, Tenn., an hour from Nashville. Why it's so great: It ain't because you get free booze--because you don't. (The county's dry.) But you do get to see whiskey seep through giant vats of charcoal. Cost: None. More info: www.jackdaniels.com.

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER FACTORY

Where: Louisville. Why it's so great: You can witness simple wooden cylinders transform into the stuff of Major (and Little) League dreams--then take home a miniature Slugger bat. Cost: $8. More info: www.sluggermuseum.org.

MACK TRUCK ASSEMBLY PLANT

Where: Macungie, Pa., an hour from Philly. Why it's so great: It'll make you feel like a truck-crazy kid again. Just one caveat: You'll have to walk a mile and a half to see every step on the vast assembly line. Cost: None. More info: www.macktrucks.com.

PARAMOUNT STUDIO LOT

Where: Hollywood, of course. Why it's so great: If you're lucky, you'll catch a glimpse of Kirsten Dunst or Dr. Phil--and maybe even get someone's autograph. Cost: $35. More info: www.paramount.com/ studio.

TABASCO FACTORY

Where: Avery Island, La., 140 miles from New Orleans. Why it's so great: The island is a pepper-sauce factory and nature preserve (egrets! black bears!) all rolled into one. You get tastings and recipes too. Cost: The 50-cent toll to reach the island. More info: www.tabasco.com.

U.S. BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING

Where: Washington, D.C. Why it's so great: Watching the presses spew out 8,000 sheets of currency an hour might just inspire you to make some money yourself. Cost: None. More info: www.moneyfactory.com.

YUENGLING BREWERY

Where: Pottsville, Pa., 2½ hours from Philly (see photo). Why it's so great: You'll venture into a deep, dark cave where the nation's oldest brewery used to age and ferment its beer, then sip and compare six types of Yuengling in a beautiful bar built at the factory in 1936. Cost: None. More info: www.yuengling.com.