Jelly Belly Factory Tour

There are hundreds of wonderful things to do within the city of San Francisco. Nevertheless, sometimes it’s nice to get out and about to enjoy the surround Bay Area. There are a lot of cool things to see in this area that you don’t get to see inside of the city. For example, there aren’t really any factories inside of San Francisco’s city limits so you can enjoy factory tours unless you head out into the rest of the Bay Area. If exploring the way that products are made is something that interests you then you’ll probably want to check out the Jelly Belly factory tour, which is one of the most popular factory tours in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Overview of the Jelly Belly Factory Tour 
This is a forty-minute free tour that you can take to learn all about how Jelly Belly jelly beans are made. This tour is great for people of all ages. The factory is filled with wonderful sights and smells. You’ll get a little bit of education into the creation of a great candy product. And of course you’ll get to taste some of the great candies that are made at this factory. Best of all, the tour is free, so families on a budget can definitely enjoy this attraction. 

Indulge All of your Senses 
One of the main reasons that the Jelly Belly Factory Tour is such a great experience is because it really appeals to all of your different senses. You’ll get the opportunity to indulge in: 

• Sight. This factory is filled with all of the wonderful colors of the different jelly beans that are produced by the company. You’ll get to see all of these great colors and also let your eyes take in the amazing machinery that is used to make these candies.
• Smells. The smell of this factory tour is absolutely delicious. Think chocolate, fresh fruit and sugar. Yum!
• Sound. The sounds of a factory tour are a bit unusual for a lot of people which makes the tour that much more interesting.
• Touch. You won’t get to touch too many different things in this factory tour but you will get to explore a few things that you can handle. This adds yet another dimension to your experience.
• Taste. The best thing about the Jelly Belly factory tour is, of course, the candies that come out of this factory. You’ll definitely want to indulge your sense of taste while you are here! And best of all there are free samples handed out throughout the tour.

Experiences that allow us to use all of our five senses are experiences that tend to really stick in our memories. For that reason alone the Jelly Belly Factory Tour will be memorable. 

Some Facts about Going on a Jelly Belly Factory Tour 

Some of the things that you might want to know about this great tour include: 

• It can take up to 20 days for a single jelly bean to be created. You’ll learn why that is on this tour!
• Jelly Belly doesn’t just make jelly beans. They make everything from chocolate-covered fruit to seasonal candies. You’ll get to see a lot of different things being made at this tour.
• There are portraits of famous people on this tour. They are large-scale and made entirely of jelly beans. This is a cool artsy addition to the trip.
• In the store that you can check out after the tour you’ll be able to buy “belly flops”. This is the cute name given to the candies that don’t come out quite right. They’re sold for cheaper than the regular candies.
• There is a café on site. It offers regular foods (like hamburgers) that are shaped like jelly beans which adds another fun little experience to your trip to this factory.
• This is a guided tour that lasts approximately forty minutes. You will have the opportunity to ask questions about what you see and learn on the tour.
• The tour is free and no reservations are required. The factory is open to visitors every day from 9-4 except for on major holidays. It’s first-com, first-served but guided tours start every fifteen minutes and it rarely takes longer than half an hour for your turn to begin.
• Weekday mornings are the best times to go. The machines aren’t always operating on the weekends so you get the most education during a weekday trip. Mornings tend to be less crowded than afternoons.

Location and public transportation 
The Jelly Belly Factory Tour is located in Fairfield, California at 2400 S. Watney Way. The majority of visitors drive to this location because that is the most convenient way of getting there. However, it is possible to get to this tour using just Bay Area public transportation. To get there from San Francisco you would take the Richmond-bound BART train and get off at the El Cerrito Plaza BART station. From there you would get on Bus #90 and take it to the Fairfield Transportation Center from which it is just a short walk to the Jelly Belly Factory Tour. See 511 Transit for more detailed information. 

Bonus Day Trip: Vacaville Outlet Stores 

While you’re already in the East Bay enjoying the day you might want to make it a point to head over to nearby Vacaville. Here you will find a terrific selection of outlet stores where you can do some shopping. Get terrific deals on name brand items from stores like Banana Republic, Gucci and Michael Kors. You’ve already saved some travel money by enjoying the free Jelly Belly tour so you might as well do some bargain-priced shopping to round out the day! The Vacaville Outlet Stores are located at 321 Nut Tree Road in Vacaville. This is just about a fifteen-minute drive from the Jelly Belly Factory. If you’re taking public transportation then you’ll take Bus #20 to the outlet stores.