Cheese / chocolate / BREWERY - TOP CA CATEGories
California Factory & Maker Tours Near You
Discover all the great factory and maker tours around you in California (CA). Industrial and food factories, farm and maker tours are becoming more popular as they provide hours of entertainment and are cheap and often free. Tours are great for creative date ideas and family adventures with many factory production lines surprisingly kid friendly and educational.
01. Jelly belly
Fairfield, CA
Self-guided tours allow you to explore the ¼ mile journey above the factory at your own pace, enjoying the all-new look at our candy making. Included in your factory tour ticket you have access to the Jelly Belly Museum and the Jelly Belly Express Train Ride. At the end you can shop the Jelly Belly Chocolate Shoppe and Fudge Counter.
You can also browse the Jelly Belly Jelly Bean Art Gallery, shop the Jelly Belly Candy Store, dine at the Jelly Belly Café, shop the Jelly Belly Chocolate Shoppe and Fudge Counter & more…
The working factory operates Monday – Friday. If you want to see the full factory in action, they recommend joining a tour during the week.
02. Oakdale Cheese & Specialties
Oakdale, CA
Come by and learn more about the process and the people of Oakdale Cheese & Specialties. Enjoy a free self-guided tour of their facility. Enjoy their varieties of national award-winning Gouda. Customers can enjoy their cheese, relax and have a picnic under the trees next to the pond.
03. Joe Matos Cheese & Farmstead Co.
Santa Rosa, CA
The farmstead is open daily. No official tour but a simple visit is quite a unique experience of its own as you travel down their quarter mile gravel driveway right into the heart of their working farm. Drive carefully and watch for children, tractors, cows, chickens, ducks, geese and goats! Taste the St. Jorge cheese and purchase cheese & beef at their Cheese Factory sales room.
04. Golden Gate Fortune Cookie
San Francisco, CA
Since 1962, San Francisco’s legendary Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory has been making custom fortune cookies by hand. Visit and watch their team make these delectable treats by hand. Over 10,000 fortune cookies made each day, baked fresh on a cast iron rotating griddle wheel. This unique experience is not to be missed!
05. Dandelion Chocolate
San Francisco, CA
A lively tour of their active bean-to-bar chocolate factory. A self guided walk-through of our chocolate-making process (and plenty of samples!). They talk about sourcing from various cocoa origins and share info about cacao trees, then taste your way through fresh cacao pods, roasted cocoa beans, molten chocolate, and finally finished single-origin chocolate bars.
05. Anchor Brewing
San Francisco, CA
Get a glimpse at centuries-old craft brewing traditions, a taste of San Francisco history, and a flight of selected Anchor beers.
06. Bates Nut Farm Educational Tour
Valley Center, CA
They offer a variety of tours for your group of 15 or more.
Visit Bates Nut Farm and be reminded of the simpler things in life! Each year the Bates family welcomes thousands of visitors from all over the world. Today the fourth and fifth generation families are working on the family farm that was established in 1921.
“Nuts For You” Tour • Weekdays January – September.
Pumpkin Patch Field Trips • Weekdays in October.
Harvest Tour • Weekdays November – December
07. Kennedy Goldmine Tour
Jackson, CA
The Kennedy Mine, famous for being one of the deepest gold mines in the world (at 5912 feet), demonstrates how gold changed an entire way of life in California. Open every Saturday, Sunday and Holiday from 10 AM to 3:30 PM.
A free self-guided tour or a guided surface tours that cost $12 Adult and $7 Child.
Visit the Kennedy Gold Mine and gain new insight into the complications and hardships of the miner’s way of life!
08. Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience
San Francisco, CA
At Ghirardelli, they pride ourselves on making quality chocolate so delicious it makes life a bite better. They are the longest continually operating chocolatier in America, Ghirardelli has delighted consumers with new chocolate experiences for nearly two centuries and you can learn more about their history here!
Please note: Parts of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience are under renovation with a reopening date of Summer 2023. The renovated store format will showcase the brand’s history in chocolate, sundae making and other fountain and bakery favorites like milkshakes, hot chocolate, brownies, cookies and freshly made daily hot fudge.
09. Hilmar Cheese Tour
Hilmar, CA
Free Self-Guided Visitor Center Tours. Learn at your own pace how cheese is made and explore interactive, hands-on exhibits about cows, dairies and cheesemaking. Watch Daisy’s MOOvie, ask any staff member to start the show. See employees package the “big cheese” – 640-pound crates of cheese.
For a little extra try the Public Ice Cream Making Tour.Come create (and eat) your own ice cream. Take the tour followed by the ice cream activity. Join the fun as you “shake, rattle and roll” to create your own homemade individual ice cream. Fun for all ages, especially those “young at heart.”
10. McEVOY RANCH Walkabout tours
Petaluma, CA
The walkabout tours are a quintessential way to experience the Ranch’s natural beauty and many unique facets.
Learn about our rich history while you explore the Lower & Upper Ranch, exclusively accessible by tour. Select from a Public Walkabout Ranch & Art Tour or a Private Ranch & Art Tour which is paired with our Reserve Olive Oil Tasting.
For reservation questions or changes, contact us at (707) 778-2307 or email us at Visit@McEvoyRanch.com.
11. Eagle Mining Co. Mine Tours
Julian, CA
Discover an exciting learning experience at The Eagle Mining Co. in Julian, California. Their old-fashioned gold mine offers terrific and informative California tours that guide adventures through the world of a 1870s mining operation. Join us and learn as we help preserve our state’s rich history. The tours last one hour, and are conducted by a courteous professional. They are also oriented towards good, clean, family fun.
