Hershey Foods Corporation
1120 South Sierra
Oakdale, CA 95361-9368
(209) 848-8126
Hershey Foods Corporation: Visitors Information
Hershey's is the largest candy maker in the United States, making over 30 million Hershey's kisses each day. Most people associate Hershey with the town of Hershey, Pennsylvania. While there is a major factory there, along with an amusement park and visitor's center, the plant stopped giving tours years ago. Now, the California location is the only Hershey chocolate factory in the U.S. that still gives tours to the public.
Your guide will lead you through the factory, and plays a taped talk on each step of the process. Along the way, you can watch chocolate being made and mixed in huge 10,000 pound vats called "conch machines". Kids usually love seeing the computerized production lines, learning about how chocolate is made, and watching Hershey kisses and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups being produced. My kids raved about this tour for weeks!
At the end of the tour, you'll receive a free candy bar.
Open: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Check in at the Visitors Center for the factory tours, as buses leave for the factory every 15-30 minutes. During the summer, plan on as much as a 60-90 minute wait to take the tour.
Age Limits: None. Strollers, however, are not permitted on the tour.
Cost: Free
Reservations: Not required, unless you have a group of 15 or more.
