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America’s Iconic Interactions

John Deere Factory Tours

Waterloo, Iowa

Anyone who has spent time in rural America is familiar with John Deere, the leading manufacturer of tractors and other large farming implements. Since it was started by a blacksmith in 1837, the company has become an intrinsic part of the agricultural lifestyle around the country. Deere has numerous manufacturing facilities throughout Iowa that offer tours, including the Tractor Cab Assembly Operations plant in Waterloo.

Up Close: On 90-minute guided tours at the Tractor Cab Assembly Operations plant, visitors can walk alongside the assembly line, where workers put together four different kinds of tractors. There’s also a gift shop on-site.

Enhanced Experiences: A tour of the tractor cab plant pairs well with a visit to the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum, also in Waterloo.

Nearby Fun: The Waterloo CVB can help group leaders arrange visits to an extensive, privately owned collection of tractors and steam and gasoline engines.

www.deere.com

Jelly Belly Factory

Fairfield, California

Jelly beans have been a staple of the classic American candy store since the 19th century, and the product got a big boost of visibility when President Ronald Reagan talked about his love of them in the 1980s. The country’s most famous jelly bean company, Jelly Belly, has been around since 1866, and groups that visit the Jelly Belly Factory in California can learn all about the history and manufacturing of this chewy, fruity candy.

Up Close: The basic tour at Jelly Belly is a self-guided excursion along a quarter-mile catwalk above the factory floor. The tour includes high-definition videos, interactive exhibits and numerous free samples.

Enhanced Experiences: Sweets lovers will want to plan time for a Jelly Belly University tour at the factory, in which they will suit up in lab coats, gloves and hairnets and venture onto the factory floor.

Nearby Fun: Fairfield is also home to an Anheuser-Busch brewery that offers tours, as well as numerous small wineries and farm stands.

www.jellybelly.com

Airstream Factory

Jackson Center, Ohio

Almost immediately after it was created in 1929, the Airstream trailer was in high demand for its functionality and its sleek, aluminum styling. Airstream trailers came to define the luxury camping experience in midcentury America, and the company continues to manufacture its signature campers in a variety of sizes. At the Airstream Factory in Jackson Center in northwest Ohio, groups can hear the company’s story and get an inside look at how trailers are made today.

Up Close: The Airstream Factory tour is free and takes between 90 minutes and two hours. Participants walk about a mile along the factory floor. The first half of the tour focuses on the construction of the classic Airstream trailers, and the second half showcases the assembly line that is used to create full-scale touring vehicles.

Enhanced Experiences: The factory doesn’t have a showroom to display finished Airstream products, but it does have a small gift shop that sells Airstream apparel.

Nearby Fun: The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce offers a self-guided architectural walking tour that features homes built in the early 1900s.

www.airstream.com

Harley-Davidson Vehicle Operations

York, Pennsylvania

Born in Milwaukee in 1903, Harley-Davidson is the oldest surviving motorcycle manufacturer in the country, and its bikes, as well as its brand, have become enduring symbols of attitude and freedom on the American road. Today, the company assembles many of its vehicles at a plant in York, Pennsylvania, where travelers can get a firsthand look at the work that goes into crafting these powerful machines.

Up Close: Visits start at a tour center, where exhibits detail the factory’s manufacturing and assembly, and where visitors can sit on finished motorcycles and shop for souvenirs. Then guests proceed onto the factory floor, where they see people and machines in action fabricating Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Enhanced Experiences: The tour center offers an enhanced experience called the Steel Shoe Tour, which includes behind-the-scenes access to “employee only” sections of the factory, as well as commemorative pins and safety vests.

Nearby Fun: York is home to numerous other factories that offer tours, such as Bluett Bros. Violins and Martin’s Potato Chips.

www.harley-davidson.com

Brian Jewell

Brian Jewell is the executive editor of The Group Travel Leader. In more than a decade of travel journalism he has visited 48 states and 25 foreign countries.