You could go on a food tasting tour that takes you from one full meal to another, but that’s a quick way to rack up the calories or become so full that you can’t enjoy the last few places on the list. So why not take a snacking tour instead? It’s just as fun, it’s lighter on your waistline, and there are more opportunities for a snack tour than you’d expect. For instance, there are a surprising number of snack-food factories in York County, Pennsylvania, that offer tours and let you enjoy some of those treats at the end.
1. Martin’s Snacks
Martin’s is a local Pennsylvania brand that began in York County and has been around ever since. The company had humble beginnings as snacks made in a farmhouse kitchen in 1941, but over time, the Martins got more customers than they could handle and eventually built a factory in Thomasville just west of York. Martin’s offers free factory tours on Tuesdays (be sure to call ahead) where you can see the potato chips and popcorn they put in every bag.
2. Snyder’s of Hanover
To no one’s surprise, Snyder’s of Hanover is southwest of York in Hanover. They’re a popular national brand that specializes in pretzels of all different kinds, and they offer factory tours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The tour is free and includes a complimentary bag of pretzels at the end.
3. Utz’s Quality Foods
Utz creates snack foods under several brands, including a few you might have heard of. They’re another Hanover factory located at the north end of town, and they have a glass observation gallery where you can watch the snack creation process from start to finish. This lets them offer self-guided tours from Monday to Thursday.
4. Revonah Pretzels
Stay in Hanover to find Revonah Pretzels. Revonah (Hanover spelled backwards) is a small-scale pretzel factory where they use a special sourdough recipe and twist the pretzels by hand before baking them slowly in a kiln to create the perfect crunch. You can buy their pretzels in 3-or 5-pound bags, or you can visit them in person, take the tour on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, and then take home some delicious pretzels.
5. Hershey’s Chocolate World
It’s closer to Harrisburg than it is to York, but Hershey, the original home of Hershey’s Chocolate, is less than an hour’s drive due north of town. The factory here still makes much of the chocolate and other sweets sold under the Hershey’s and Reese’s names, but these days it’s also a major tourist attraction with tours of the chocolate factory, a chocolate tasting experience, and a candy bar creation workshop.
Pretzels are popular in this part of Pennsylvania thanks to the influence of the early German settlers, but even so, there are a surprising number of snack factories near York. Not only that, but they’re also open to public tours. So if you want to see something interesting and finish it with a snack, visit one of the snack factories near York and take the tour.
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