Ever wondered how toothpaste gets in the tube?
Or how enormous Winnebagos roll off the assembly line?
Then check out Watch it Made in the U.S.A., a book that goes behind the scenes of America’s factories, giving us the inside scoop on how our favorite products are made.
Since 1992, husband-and-wife team Karen Axelrod and Bruce Brumberg have been traveling thousands of miles throughout the countries to visit hundreds of factories.
Peter Greenberg Worldwide (PGW) sat down with Karen to find out more about the family’s travel experiences:
PGW: How did you get the idea to chase America’s factory tours?
KA: I grew up in New York and I used to visit Rochester aunt and uncle. We used to go to Corning Glass Museum, which I just loved. [My husband and I] decided that it would be neat to write a book about how things were made.
PGW: What kind of traveling did this involve?
KA: During heavy duty research parts, we used to do a week a month. (That was before kids). We did a road trip from Boston that was 2,500 miles, 14 days and 17 tours. We started in Boston and traveled all over to West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania…we were able to see how the US economy really works, to meet the people behind the scenes of the back roads of our country.
PGW: How do you handle traveling with kids?
KA: Now we always tag tours onto existing vacations. We were in the Keys and went to the Key Lime pie factory. We’ve done bike trips in Hawaii and gone to the different coffee plantations. On our way back from St. Thomas we flew into Puerto Rico and visited the Bacardi Rum factory.
PGW: How do the kids like it?
KA: Our kids are 12 and 8 ½–our 12-year-old just wrote a section in the latest edition of the book geared toward kids. They’ve also added a lot of insight. At a tour of a West Virginia glassblowing factory, there is no minimum age, but in that kind of environment, we realized that there really ought to be a minimum age. At a pewter factory in New Hampshire, you realize that the viewing window isn’t low enough for anyone who is under four feet tall!
PGW: What are some of the more memorable factories for the family?
KA: It really depends on what people want. If you want fine craftsmanship, I liked the Martin Guitar Shop. It’s got a lot of low tech in a high-tech world: They actually use clothespins to hold the rim of the guitar to stay in shape and stay attached. We love seeing candy canes being twisted. And the kids love teddy bears–at the Basic Brown Bear factory you can actually stuff your own bear! [Editor’s note: the Basic Brown Bear factory is relocating at the end of June, so check https://www.basicbrownbear.com for further updates.]
PGW: What about all the free stuff?
KA: We’ve gone on so many tours that we have lots of keys to cars, but no cars in our driveway! I think the best is the 16-inch miniature Louisville Slugger. If you’re buying, there are some factories that have true outlets, where you can get some real high-quality “seconds.” And of course there’s the Hershey’s factory with all the free chocolate.
PGW: Do you have any parting travel tips for our readers?
KA: What people may not realize is that because factory tours are often free, and with all the free samples you get, we think of them as the best value for family and multi-generational travel.
For more information and to order a copy of Watch it Made in the U.S.A., visit https://www.factorytour.com.
For other vacation ideas that show you products’ origins, check out “Bottled Water: Straight to the Source”.
For more Travel Book Spotlights, click here.
