Free is Good

When Herr’s Snacks are involved it’s even better.  We’ve always been on the frugal side, and with the way the economy is, there seem to be more people who are looking to be frugal as well, so I thought I’d share one of our little secrets. We often look for factory tours when we are visiting places ( just Google the area you’re going to visit).  Many companies are happy to promote their products and it’s a fun way to spend a few hours learning about something new.

For those who aren’t in the middle of the East Coast, Herr’s makes snack foods, chips, pretzels, popcorn, that type of thing. They offer a free tour of their plant during the week. You can go on-line or call to make reservations. During the school year they do have lots of school trips, so you’ll want to make sure they’ll be able to accommodate you. We went on a Tuesday and while there were 2 class trips, we were able to have a small group with just our little family and another couple.

Hubby and the little two get ready for to watch the movie

The tour starts with a little movie about the founder and his wife, how they started the business and how it grew, it’s a nice reminder of the American Dream. After that you’re broken down into smaller groups to tour the plant. The pretzel room smells so good!!!! Our tour guide Ki, was great, she explained the different equipment, got down on the kids level if they had any questions. The yummy part of the tour is when the guide goes into where they’re making the chips and gets a tray of fresh chips for the group to share. (warm chips are quite tasty!!)The tour ends with a bag of a Herr’s snacks for each person.

There’s a nice little cafe if you’d like to buy lunch. They also have their snack products available for purchase. Hubby loves the buffalo flavor chips the best.  I’d suggest getting a small bag of creamy dill pickle, just because they have such an unusual flavor, you have to try just a few.

So if you’re in the lower part of Pennsylvania and looking for a way to spend a cheap couple hours, visit Herr’s Snack factory. You’re taste buds will be glad you did.