Travel Tips

Travel Tip: Foodie Factory Tours

Locations in this article:  Las Vegas, NV

I’m always a fan of learning about the process behind product, and in some cases, I mean that literally! I’m talking about visiting a factory to see how specialty food is made.

When someone says “chocolate” you probably don’t think “Nevada.” But the town of Henderson, near Las Vegas, is home to the headquarters of Ethel M Chocolates. It’s part of a desert botanical garden, so the whole experience is pretty cool—from seeing how the chocolate is made first-hand to the obligatory samples, to burning off calories while you explore the garden.

Wisconsin and cheese go hand in hand, but you probably don’t know about all the small-scale production throughout the state. Check out places like Widmer’s, where you can actually meet the master cheesemaker while you’re touring the facility.

Now, when I say Vermont, you probably think…Ben and Jerry’s. But just a couple of miles down the road is another factory: Cold Hollow Cider Mill. You can see the entire process of grinding and pressing apples to make cider.

And if you can’t stay away from Ben & Jerry’s, make sure you stop by the ice-cream factory’s Flavor Graveyard. It’s an actual cemetery, only they’re paying tribute to the ice cream flavors that didn’t survive public opinion.

For more information, visit the Culinary Travel archives.

Click here to read more travel tips.