Did you know that cheese in its original form is not yellow? Learn the art of making cheese at the Dairygold Cheese Factory in Sunnyside. Dairygold is open for self-guided tours every day of the week; call 509-837-4321.
Watch the Candymaker! The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory uses old-fashioned techniques and tools to make a variety of confections. Visitors to the factory watch the candymaker pour hot liquid fudge onto a 900-pound, four-inch thick granite table, and move the mass around with a giant wooden paddle, gradually coaxing it into creamy fudge. “The granite table provides a uniform surface for cooling fudge. It actually draws the heat right out of the fudge,” storeowner, Ken Fein explains. Located in the Broadmoor Park Factory Outlet Mall in Zillah in the Yakima Valley, the factory is open seven days a week.
Don't miss one of the sweetest tours on the Cascade Loop. Take a refreshing break and visit the candy kitchens of Liberty Orchards. Located just off Highway 2 in Cashmere, continuous tours and lots of free samples are offered! Aplets & Cotlets are a unique Washington tradition. Handmade from a secret family recipe, Aplets & Cotlets and Fruit Festives get their smooth, natural flavor from wholesome ingredients, including pure fruit juices and premium nutmeats. Factory tours are offered year-round. For more information, contact Liberty Orchards Company, Inc. at 509-782-4088.
Boehm’s Candy of Issaquah is housed in a chalet-style candy shop next to a replica of a 12th-century Alpine chapel, built by the late Julius Boehm in the 1950s. The candy store is open daily, and tours of the candy factory are available in the summer months by reservation. Call 425-392-6652.
Ever visited a farm on a beach? Hamma Hamma Oyster Farm is on Highway 101 between Lilliwaup and Eldon. Call to schedule a 20-minute weekday tour to see the processing plant and shellfish beds, 360-877-5811.
Goose Point Oysters, www.goosepoint.com, in Bay City has oyster-shucking tours that provide an overview of the industry. They soon will be adding a viewing window for visitors on the other oyster operations. The retail outlet and tours are open to the general public and groups. Goose Point Oysters is located on Highway 101, between South Bend and the Willapa Wildlife Refuge Headquarters Office. For more information, please call 360-875-6629.
Learn how mint oil is processed at I.P. Callison & Sons, Inc., located on National Avenue in Chehalis. This one-hour tour discusses the distillation process and offers opportunities for tasting. For more information, call 360-748-3315.
Fungas Among Us -- The largest certified organic gourmet mushroom grower in Washington State. Michael and Lynn Monroe started cultivating specialty mushrooms in their Seattle garage over a decade ago, and within a year, the business had grown so much they purchased a two-acre farm in Snohomish. Owner Michael Moore takes groups of up to 20 people on tours that last about one hour and cover everything from cultivation to picking and processing.
Sky River Mead produces the Nectar of the Gods - Legend has it that "Mead", the world's oldest known alcoholic beverage, is a sacred drink brewed from heaven-sent honey. Drinking mead was said to give good health and exceptional strength, to encourage wit and poetry, to increase virility and add years to a lusty life. Now if that doesn't make you want to tour Sky River Mead in Sultan, then you've been spending too much time with your laptop. The meadery has resurrected the age-old art of making mead at their brewery in Sultan. The tasting room is open Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tours should be arranged in advance -- call 360-793-6761 or visit www.skyriverbrewing.com. Tours take from 20-50 minutes, depending upon special interests.