Sidetracked! Jelly Belly Factory Tour
August 19th, 2009 | by Debbie Abrams Kaplan 9 comments
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side·track (sīd´trăk): n. 1. A diversion from the main course. 2. A detour taken with children that you would never, ever take without them. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Who:
Me, my husband Mark, and 2 kids (ages 6 & 8)
What and Where:
The Jelly Belly Factory Tour. Fairfield, California.
Why:
I’m a sucker for factory tours, and we were in the area. Plus it’s free! And you get a 2 oz bag of Jelly Beans as a prize for completing the tour. Plus you get ONE Jelly Belly as you wait in line for the tour to start.
The High Point:
It’s cool to see trays and trays of colorful Jelly Bellies stacked up and moving through various production lines. Much cooler if you could actually see the candy being made, but they were on summer cleaning hiatus at the time. The conveyor belt full of colorful beans made me imagine Lucy and Ethel at their factory job.
The Low Point:
This is commercial America at its peak. Giant plastic jelly beans hanging from the ceiling, Jelly Belly carpeting. A shiny store brimming with products. The Jelly Belly Cafe.
A tour guide reading off a script. Having to yell “Belly” after the guide yells “Jelly.” What, are we 5 years old? In fact so many tourists were adults, it was hard for the kids to see through the factory windows (even those strategically placed at kid-level). Plus they took pictures of you wearing dorky hats and tried to make you buy them.
The Kids’ Take:
They had more fun than I thought they would. They liked the free candy and the sample bar. Zack liked the robots that moved boxes and trays around.
The Bottom Line:
Like so many interesting factory tours, this one’s in the middle of nowhere. If you’re in the area, stop by. Don’t make a special trip, though. Or better yet, just hit the small “sale” store at the entrance by the cafe. The regular store only has full-priced items.
Hat photo courtesy of Mike Monteiro. Read Debbie’s full review of her tour on her blog Frisco Kids.
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Jenna Schnuer on August 19th, 2009
What, no tour train to ride? And you had to yell things out? Hmmm, I wonder if I would have liked the CA tour as much as the one in the Wisconsin warehouse. Here’s how mine ended:
Jennifer Margulis on August 19th, 2009
Hey Debbie, fun to read this article by you on TravelSavvy mom! We are often CLOSE by to this tour and we keep thinking we’ll do it. I’m not sure after this not-so-enthusiastic recommendation but I’m keeping it on the family to do list.
xo,
Jennifer
Outer Banks Revealed on August 19th, 2009
Sounds like it was OK, but nothing to write home about. But if you are a jelly bean fan, maybe even then you take the side trip?
– Dan
Debbie Abrams Kaplan on August 20th, 2009
Jenna – we did the Wisconsin one a few years back. I think they actually called it a factory tour, thought I was laughing how we were basically driveing around the interior walls of the warehouse. And we waited an hour in line for the privilege. I loved your “flyover” story.
Dan – we’ve thought of going there many times, especially since it’s 45 minutes from Mrs. Grossman’s sticker factory (see Sidetracked piece on that). But it was a 2 hour drive from home, so I wasn’t going to make a special trip for it.
Erin on August 20th, 2009
Great honest tips. I think the kids would love this and you said they would love the free candy.
Cheers Erin
Amy on August 23rd, 2009
Great Sidetracked location! We were there a few years ago, and I completely agree: the kids had more fun than I thought they would, and it IS very commercial. We had plenty to snack on for the rest of our road trip though! If interested, I reviewed it here: http://pitstopsforkids.com.s27494.gridserver.com/?p=99
Finding More Fun: Family Travel Roundup, 08/25/2009 | Travels with Children by minnemom on August 25th, 2009
[...] Jelly Belly Factory Tour (Fairfield, CA) at Travel Savvy Mom. [...]
Amie from Ciao Bambino on August 25th, 2009
We drive by here all the time and I was almost convinced it was worth a stop until I read the part about having to yell Belly after Jelly. I’m laughing reading about it, but I’m not sure I can handle that :)
Sharlene on September 3rd, 2009
I used to live close to Jelly Belly Factory (aka middle of nowhere) so we went once. It wasn’t bad. No Ben and Jerry’s Factory tour for sure but still, I think its worth doing if you are in the area. Its just off a major interstate and maks for a nice stop. Why not? Would I drive out of my way for it. Nope.
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