This week we encourage you to discover how things are made by taking some unique factory tours across the United States. You’ve seen the shows on TV, now it’s time to plan a trip to see for yourself. Who says we don’t make anything in the U.S. anymore? From airplanes to wooden bats, go check out some of these incredible factories.
Keep in mind: Factory tours are fascinating, but they are often located just outside of a major city, requiring some extra effort to get there. Many tours have limited capacity and reservations are necessary. There is usually a standard tour and a more comprehensive tour that takes you a little further behind the scenes.
Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour
Mukilteo (Everett), Washington
This facility is the largest building by volume in the world and home to the 747, 767, 777 and 787 production lines. The Boeing Factory Tour takes you inside a working assembly plant where you will see airplanes being manufactured for customers. Explore the interactive exhibits and displays and then take the 90-minute guided tour to learn about the facility and manufacturing process of the airplanes. Note that the employees only work Monday through Friday, so weekend tours will not observe active production.
Tickets & Getting There: Tours are available seven days a week and cost $25 (adults) and $15 (youths). Purchase your ticket in advance— tours sell out on the weekends and during the summer. Walk-in tickets may not be available. The town of Everett is located 25 miles north of Seattle.
Hours of Operation: The Aviation Center’s hours are daily from 8:00am to 7:00pm. Boeing Tour hours are daily from 8:30am to 5:00pm. Check the website for rules and restrictions before purchasing a ticket.
Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour
8415 Paine Field Boulevard
Mukilteo, WA 98275
Hatch Show Print
Nashville, Tennessee
Hatch Show Print is a historic shop (1879!) that designs and prints posters for touring entertainers and venues around the world. During their one-hour tour, learn about the shop’s history and the printing process, listen to the presses crank, and watch the brilliantly colored posters being made. You will even get a chance to crank a keepsake poster of your own.
Tickets & Getting There: Tickets cost $18.00 (adults) and $15.00 (kids). Purchase your tickets in advance on the website. Hatch Show Print is conveniently located in downtown Nashville in the 5th Avenue lobby of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum building.
Hours of Operation: Hatch Show Print is open daily from 9:30am to 6:00pm. Tours start daily at 12:30pm, 2:00pm, and 3:30pm, with an additional 11:00am tour on Saturday and Sunday.
Hatch Show Print
224 5th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Tour
Louisville, Kentucky
The iconic museum and factory tour of Louisville Slugger will take you behind-the-scenes into the heart of the wooden bat production lines to observe the manufacturing process and learn the secrets behind the legendary bats. A visit to the museum includes interactive exhibits, historic memorabilia, and a new film to introduce the factory tour. You will never watch a baseball game the same again after seeing the factory and hearing the stories. You also get a free souvenir mini-bat at the end of your visit.
Tickets & Getting There: Tickets cost $16 (adults) and $15 (kids ages 6-12) online and are good for one year after the date of purchase. The museum and factory are conveniently located on Main Street in Louisville.
Hours of Operation: Museum and tour summer hours are Monday 9:00am to 6:00pm and Thursday to Saturday 9:00am to 8:00pm. Guided factory tours depart every 10 to 30 minutes. Allow two hours to watch the film, visit the museum, and take the tour.
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory
800 West Main St.
Louisville, KY 40202
Martin Guitar Museum and Visitors Center
Nazareth, Pennsylvania
The Martin Guitar factory tour demonstrates how a raw piece of lumber becomes an impressive musical instrument in 300 steps. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the state-of-the-art facility, learn about the process, and see the craftsmen and women at work. Spend some time in the museum with the exhibits and over 170 guitars on display and then join your guided one-hour tour. Afterwards, visit the Pickin’ Parlor to play some of Martin’s high-end and limited-edition models.
Tickets & Getting There: There are two tour options available— a free guided tour in which tickets are available on a first come, first served basis and a behind-the-scenes tour. Tickets for the behind-the-scenes tour cost $25.00 per person and must be scheduled in advance by calling 610-759-2837. Nazareth is located 75 miles North of Philadelphia.
Hours of Operation: The Visitors Center is open Monday through Friday from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Public tours are conducted from 11:00am to 2:30pm. The Behind-the-Scenes Tour is only at 9:30am, Monday through Friday.
Martin Guitar Museum & Visitors Center
510 Sycamore St.
Nazareth, PA 18064
Rock of Ages
Graniteville, Vermont
Rock of Ages is a granite quarrying and finishing company that creates monuments, mausoleums, and civic memorials. Your Rock of Ages tour experience begins at the visitor’s center with an introductory video highlighting the quarrying and manufacturing processes. Browse the historic photos and exhibits before heading out to the largest operating deep-hole, dimension granite quarry in the world. Keep in mind, the quarry operates Monday through Friday, weekend tours will not experience the quarry in operation.
Tickets & Getting There: Tickets cost $6.00 (adult) and $3.00 (child 6-13) and are available only on a first come, first served basis. The guided quarry tours take 40 minutes and operate rain or shine. Graniteville is located approximately 15 miles South of Montpelier, Vermont.
Hours of Operation: The museum is open seasonally (May – October) Monday through Saturday from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Tours depart at 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:40pm, 1:40pm, and 2:40pm.
Rock of Ages
558 Graniteville Road,
Graniteville, VT 05654
