My first impression of the Hammond's Candy Factory was a good one. It's got nostalgia, it's got charm.
It's got free paper hats.
And on Monday, it had our family of four to visit. Joy!
{Note to self: next time you go on a factory tour, avoid being stuck somewhere come naptime...}
My advice for those of you thinking of visiting would be this: plan ahead. When we read on their website that tours are given every 20 minutes, we went assuming we wouldn't have to wait long...
As it turns out, this place is busier than you'd think. We did have to wait. Long.
Luckily there was some 75 cent taffy to buy to bribe keep the girls happy with.
When the tour finally started, we were all shuffled into a room and shown a 5-minute video. Violet most certainly ruined the video for our tour group... but I don't feel that bad, because the video is basically a 5-minute commercial. Also, it's pretty dated. {Hammond's, I love you, but you need to update your video.}
Finally we were shuffled onto "Candy Cane Lane." Basically a long hallway with several windows where you can watch candy making commencing.
There are TVs that give a more up-close view of what's going on, as well as a tour guide narrating what's taking place and giving information on the Hammond's history {the typical factory tour stuff.}
Honestly? For me the best part of it was their candy shop. You are free to walk through the shop before and after the tour. You can also just visit the shop anytime, and skip the tour altogether.
Oh yeah! I bought two of these chocolate bars... I forgot to try them...
I have always known about Hammond's hard candy treats, I wasn't aware they did chocolates, too.
Yes, let's do get a closer look at these sweets, shall we? Yum...
Oh, and their packaging alone is just darling! Well done on that note, Hammonds! Well done...