Factory tours
 

Echoing the New Belgium and Theo Chocolate suggestions!

Also recommend Hangar One distillery in Alameda California.

I'd forgotten about the river rouge Ford plant. When I went probably 35 years ago they made all their own steel and you walked on a catwalk above bars of steel below on their way to the production facilities. It was awesome and certainly when America was at its most self sufficient.

Herr's Snack Factory tour

Where Herr's potato chips/pretzels etc are made. Nottingham PA about an hour west of Philly. As the website says:

Another vote for A-B (cough cough "Imbev") in St. Louis, and Louisville Slugger in Louisville.

Best ever was some chocolate factory in southern Switzerland near the Italian border, but I don't remember the company or the town. Fabulous samples though!!!

You know, the Ford plant tour is decent, but it kinda pales to the open houses that were done at a number of the GM plants last year. They basically opened up the plant and let you walk along a path on the floor of the plant. Yeah, it was definitely a controlled path, but you were along the lines of 15-20 feet away from the cars on the line in many places. I managed to do both the Lansing Delta Township (Traverse/Acadia/Enclave) and the Lansing Grand River (CTS only then, now they do the ATS also, and on that day, they weren't doing the coupe because of parts issues) plant on the day they had them open. The extra distance you are away from the action in the Ford tour just kinda makes it not quite as impactful.

When I went on the Ford Tour many years ago they did that.

Nowadays you walk around the outside wall of the factory on a raised walkway. It's still definitely a decent experience and I'd recommend it for anyone that gets a chance to take it. And quite honestly, until I'd done the GM open house I would have said it was a great experience. But after doing the GM thing, it kinda downgraded the Ford tour to merely real good. You're just separated enough from the work being done that it kinda sanitizes the experience.

Tsing Tao beer factory in Qingdao. They give you a free sample middle of tour and at the end. Even give a sample to my baby (obvious we drank it on his behalf). :)

It was more than a decade ago, but my favorite brewery tour was the Abita Brewery in Abita Springs, LA. They realized we were there for the sampling rather than the tour and were willing to accomodate that preference.

That's one of the things that was nice about the Sprecher tour. You get a glass (which you get to keep) and a number of chits. You then go straight to the taps and select your first beer before you start the tour. The tour is pretty laid back and whenever most of the glasses in the group are too empty you go back for more beer. Then at the end you use up the rest of your chits and then maybe they just stop asking for chits :D. And the beers are good, too. Also, it is great for bringing kids, too, since they make some pretty good craft sodas as well. The root beer is great, but my favorite is the cream soda made with honey.