Do you remember that Mister Rogers Neighborhood episode where he took a tour inside a Crayola factory? This is one of the best MRN episodes ever, and is a blissful blur of color and procedure, narrated slowly and simply by Mister Rogers. It’s sublime. Way back before Google and YouTube, when we wanted to learn about something we had to either research it in a book or experience it firsthand (or, in this case, tune in to Mister Rogers Neighborhood).
Thankfully there are still places around Cincinnati where your family can go and learn how things work with a real-life experience. Many factory tours are offered in our region and cover everything from candy to garbage, so there’s bound to be one that interests your family!
Check out these Fun Factory Tours near Cincinnati:
American Whistle Cooperation
6540 Huntley Rd., Columbus, OH 43229
We all know children love to make noise, and what better way to do it than with a whistle? Â Tour a working manufacturing plant and see how a whistle is made from start to finish. Â Tours are scheduled in advance and are customized to the interests of the patrons; so all ages are welcome and encouraged!
KitchenAid Mixer Factory
1701 KitchenAid Way, Greenville, OH 45331
The KitchenAid® stand mixer is legendary for a reason: quality construction, materials and stylish design. Find out for yourself the secrets behind the KitchenAid mystique by touring the Greenville factory plant. KitchenAid offers guided tours of the mixer factory where visitors will actually walk through the entire manufacturing process, down to the final assembly stage.
There is a small charge per person for this tour. Please consult their web site for dates and times tours are available.
Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory
800 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202
For the baseball loving family (and even non – fans!), the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory should be at the top of your list. There are many different attractions to keep your children’s interest and a mini bat is included with the price of the tour. Â
Maverick Chocolate Co.
2651 Edmondson Road, Cincinnati, OH 45209
See and smell the chocolate making live! Taste chocolate samples, meet our chocolate makers and pick up your favorite chocolate bars, drinks and truffles. Public tours are free on most Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2 and 4pm. These tours run about 30 minutes as they show and explain how chocolate is made from the farm to our factory.
Rookwood Pottery
Rookwood – OTR Flagship Store 1920 Race Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Rookwood is dedicated to sharing our longstanding legacy of handcrafting ceramics that are as artistically breathtaking as they are functional. In continuation of this mission, we invite you to explore Rookwood’s 88,000 square foot production facility in the heart of Cincinnati’s historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood with a guided working factory tour led by resident historian, George Hibben.
Rumpke Landfill Tour
3800 Struble Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45251
Do you have a child is incredibly interested in trucks, dirt, the environment, or how things work? You may not think that taking a tour of a garbage dump is appealing, but in fact the landfill tours offered by Rumpke are extremely interesting and entertaining. Tours must be scheduled at least 2 months in advance and children must be kindergarten age or older. The one-hour tour is free and takes place from a bus and is perfect for groups or you can call and request to be put in with a smaller group.
Tour of the World’s Largest Toyota Manufacturing Facility
1001 Cherry Blossom Way, Georgetown, KY 40324
Just a little over an hour south of Cincinnati is the world’s largest Toyota Manufacturing Facility. Toyota offers free, hour-long tours that are perfect for all ages. You’ll go behind the scenes of the facility on a tram tour around the property and learn quite a bit about the history, present, and future of Toyota vehicles.
The South Bend Chocolate Company
33300 West Sample Street, South Bend IN 46619
If you’re a chocolate lover – and who isn’t? – then you’ll want to plan a little trip to South Bend, Indiana. Located near The University of Notre Dame, The South Bend Chocolate Company is the fastest growing chocolate company in the nation. Inside Scoop Tour: $5.00 ages 12 and up, $2.00 children 2-11 – Go behind the scenes—where few have gone before, except those with golden tickets. These personal tours, which run at the top of each hour, last 45 minutes or more depending on whom you meet and where you go! Expect chocolate surprises. For Wonka-wannabes only!
Velvet Ice Cream Tour
11324 Mount Vernon Road, Utica, OH, 43080
At the Velvet Ice Cream headquarters, your family can enjoy a museum tour that includes the history of the company and a look inside their factory from the viewing gallery. Â
Airstream
1001 West Pike Street, Jackson Center, OH 45334.
If you’ve ever wondered how Airstream quality is built into each and every travel trailer and touring coach, we’d love to have you see for yourself at our headquarters, right here in Jackson Center, Ohio, USA.