The Travel Channel is doing it again! That is, making a TV series out of a blog series we did, like years ago. Okay so maybe it's not totally inspired by us (or maybe it is?). This fall will welcome "Made in America, " a round-the-country tour of 39 factories still making good old, Made-in-the-USA products, something we've been documenting since early 2009.

According to our buddies over at Eater National, the show will be hosted by George Motz, he of burger connoisseur fame and author of two volumes on the meaty topic. His destinations? Oh just the "Jack Daniels factory in Tennessee and Krispy Kreme headquarters in North Carolina, but also places like the New Balance factory in Maine and the Louisville Slugger factory." ]]> JetSetCD 2011-08-16T17:06:56-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/12/21/20353/593

When it comes to candy we just can’t get enough of the sweet stuff, so that’s why we’re off to check out another holiday factory tour. Even though the machinery is working overtime in preparation for Christmas, tours are still available at Sweet’s Candy Company in Salt Lake City.

The place has been cranking out the chewy and the crunchy for over 100 years, as things first got started all the way back in 1892. They might not be as well known as Hershey’s or Nestle, but they certainly have achieved their own candy pedigree.

To show off their skills, they welcome one and all on a free 40-minute tour of their factory. You do have to call first and let them know you’re coming, and tours are only available Mondays through Thursdays. They do ask that you leave the cameras at home, because they don’t want any wannabe Slugworths stealing their recipes of course! ]]> kjb 2010-12-22T12:00:57-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/12/15/233840/06

Growing up, we were satisfied with grabbing our candy canes and other holiday goodies from a place like CVS or Walgreens, but now that our palettes are a little more refined we’re eager to sink our teeth into more gourmet candies. So if you’re traveling through Denver this Christmas season you might want to take a detour to Hammond’s Candies where they’ve been cranking out the sweet and sticky goodies since 1920.

Even though they’re plenty busy adding stripes to candy canes this time of the year, they’ll be happy to show you around their factory. Tours are totally free and are offered every 30 minutes during the week, as well as on Saturday. Things close down on Sunday, as even candy makers don’t love their jobs that much. No reservations are required, so you can just pretty much show up and see how all the confections take their shape. ]]> kjb 2010-12-16T11:33:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/12/8/183817/210

We’ve already let you know about where Teddy Bears come to life this holiday season, but now we’re moving onto something a little tastier. Sure it might not be filled with all chocolate and candy, but nothing says we’re kind of friends like getting someone a fruit basket. The local florist is always an option for an overpriced bundle of bruised apples and oranges, but no one does it as well as Harry and David.

We’re just kidding about being strictly H&D people; we appreciate all sorts of presents, so this holiday season we’re suggesting that you take a peak at where all those truffles, cookies, and Moose Munch get their start. Harry and David offers factory tours four times a day during the week, and even though they're cranking out the baskets at full speed, they’ll gladly show you around this month. ]]> kjb 2010-12-09T14:05:51-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/12/1/9170/43313
Umm, that's not us posing there. Just FYI

If you can’t afford a trip to the North Pole this year to go with Santa on a tour of his workshop, there’s another holiday factory tour worth checking out. Find out where Teddy Bears come to life, as the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory welcomes one and all to take a look through their workshops just outside of Burlington each and every day.

On the guided tour, you’ll visit the cutting station where about 20 different parts of fur are cut out to make all the bears, and then you can see where they start to put about 430,000 bears per year into commission in the sewing room. If you’ve ever been to one of those Build-a-Bear places you know the best part of the tour has got to be where the little bags of fur are stuffed. Even though the machines they use are from the 1940s, the workers are able to stuff the bears with fuzz and fluff at 100mph. ]]> kjb 2010-12-01T12:11:05-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/11/12/9447/2651

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so we’re taking a look at where our favorite Turkey Day foods are created. No we’re not taking a tour of Grandma’s kitchen, but we did find some factory and farm tours where you can see at least three foodie options to include on your table. So here’s our picks for three of the best Thanksgiving food tours

· Carry Cranberries Fresh From the Bog in New England:
Flax Pond Farms wants you to know that there’s a lot more to cranberry sauce then just opening a can and plopping it onto a plate. It might be a little chilly this month in Massachusetts, but the bog is still open and it’s available for tours on November 20, 26, 27, and 28 from 1 to 4pm.

Expect to learn about the unique way in which cranberries are grown, harvested, and shipped from the fields. There will be plenty of cranberry goodies to sample and buy, as well as gift shop of course. The website has the scoop on which roads to navigate in order to find the place in Carver, Massachusetts. Tours seem to be free, but we’d still bring plenty of cash, as there’s no way you’ll be able to resist bringing home some fresh cranberries. ]]> kjb 2010-11-12T16:39:34-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/10/10/222613/47

What's better on a rainy fall day in Vermont than a pint of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream? Nothing, that's what. So last week when we found ourselves up in the Green Mountains, we did a road trip to Waterbury, to the original factory and home of Ben & Jerry's for their production tour. We ate ice cream, we got rained on in the Flavor Graveyard and we spent way too much on souvenirs.

The biggest obstacle to taking the Ben & Jerry's tour is getting up to Waterbury, because believe us—this place is rural and without any nearby public transportation. The options aside from renting a car and road tripping there is to join a group bus tour, and that was definitely the most popular option when we visited. Whole busloads of German, Welsh and Japanese tourists dropped by, in addition to Americans on fall foliage tours.

Once you're up at the factory, it's not long until the ice cream starts flowing. Pay $3 per adult for the tour, or check-in on Foursquare to get the tour for free. ]]> JetSetCD 2010-10-11T11:30:01-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/