The Iconic Pennsylvania Snack Factory Tour That's Just Hours From Philadelphia

There's nothing like a fun food factory tour to make you feel like you're on an episode of "Unwrapped," that Food Network show hosted by Marc Summers. This is especially true when you love the food said factory is making. And who doesn't love potato chips? In the southeast corner of Pennsylvania, just across the border from Maryland and under two hours from Philadelphia, is the small town of Nottingham, where Herr's potato chips and snacks are made. The company welcomes visitors to take a tour of its production facility in action, and yes, they get freshly fried chips right off the conveyor belt.

The tour, which lasts anywhere from one hour to an hour and a half, begins with a video overview of Herr's origin and history. Guests then are able to go inside the production facility to witness potatoes going from whole spud to chips. Finally, there is an impressive gift shop on site, where visitors can shop the dozens of snacks and flavors that Herr's makes, along with other merchandise. 

Ticket prices are a steal at $8 for adults and $4 for kids aged 4 to 17. You must make reservations in advance, and it's worth noting that tours are held only Monday through Wednesday. There is a 15-person limit for each tour, unless you're bringing a school group.

Pennsylvania is home to several chip and snack-making companies, not to mention incredible Pennsylvania restaurants that are worth visiting. In fact, the state makes the most potato chips in the nation. Although Herr's competes with other big brand names, like Utz and Wise, which are also in the Keystone State, it's the only company of these three that offers factory tours. Utz did previously have self-guided tours, but they appear to have been closed for some time.

One exciting element about the Herr's factory tour is that visitors are likely to get a glimpse of more than just potato chips being made. In fact, there might be up to five snacks in production at any given time, including pretzels, tortilla chips, corn chips, and popcorn. Still, it's potato chips that are most associated with the brand, and the number made each day is astonishing. The factory's chip fryers produce 5,000 to 6,000 pounds of potato chips every hour. About 12 truckloads of fresh potatoes arrive there each day, with each truckload bearing around 55,000 pounds of potatoes.

Not only are the tours fun for visitors, but they serve as a great marketing tool for the company. In 2015, the president of Herr's Foods told The Mercury, "We believe it's one of our most beneficial marketing tools because we have one-on-one contact with each of our guests. ... We hope it connects them with our snacks so when they're out purchasing products they will think of Herr's and the experience they had with us."