Submitted by Deanne
When: Friday, March 30
Where: Columbus, Ohio
Times and cost: Candy Factory tour is Free and starts at 10:30 AM
Whistle Factory costs $4.00 person (includes a whistle) and starts at 2 PM (under 2 is free but they don’t get a whistle)
Who: Homeschoolers of all ages
Deanne wrote: We plan to arrive at the Candy Factory at around 10:15. The tour lasts from about 10:30 - 11:30, then we will drive over by the Whistle Factory, have lunch from about 12:00-1:15 and after head over to the Whistle Tour that starts at 2 PM. The web sites below provide lots of interesting information about the tours. I don’t know if they make candy with nuts in this factory so if this is a concern for you, or if you have any other allergy questions, you can call them at 1-877- 226-3921 and try to get that information.
Anthony Thomas Candy Company
1777 Arlingate Lane Columbus, OH 43228
http://anthony-thomas.com/Tour.html
Walk along our comfortable, glass-enclosed suspended “Cat-Walk” and observe eight lines producing 25,000 pounds of chocolates per shift. Our experienced tour guides explain each process step-by-step, from our kitchens to the final packaging. View interesting sights such as our huge copper kettles where the centers are created, and our unique silver wrapped pipes that carry liquid chocolate throughout the factory. The tour finishes in our beautiful 2,500 squarefoot retail shoppe.
American Whistle Corporation
6540 Huntley Road Columbus, Ohio 43229
http://americanwhistle.com/whattoexpect.html
See the factors of production* beginning with the process of manufacturing a whistle from raw material to shipping packaged product to our customers. View mechanical engineering at work in one-of-a-kind machines designed and
built specifically for our exact manufacturing needs. Learn who buys whistles and why, and how a commonplace - yet fundamental - product is successfully marketed.
Directions from Mapquest
To Anthony Thomas Candy Factory From Cincinnati:
I-71 N toward COLUMBUS. Keep LEFT to take OH-315
N toward DAYTON. Merge onto I-70 W via EXIT 106A
on the LEFT toward DAYTON. Take the WILSON RD exit-
EXIT 94. Turn LEFT onto TRABUE RD. Turn RIGHT onto
ARLINGATE LN. End at Anthony-Thomas Candy Shoppes
Total Est. Time: 1 hour, 33 minutes
To Whistle Factory From Candy Factory
Start out going NORTH on ARLINGATE LN toward
ARLINGATE PLZ. Turn LEFT to stay on ARLINGATE
LN. Turn LEFT onto N WILSON RD. Turn LEFT onto
ROBERTS RD / CR-28 W. Merge onto I-270 N toward
DUBLIN. Merge onto N HIGH ST / US-23 S via EXIT
23 toward WORTHINGTON. Turn LEFT onto E WILSON
BRIDGE RD. E WILSON BRIDGE RD becomes HUNTLEY
RD. End at 6540 Huntley Rd. Total Est. Time: 21 minutes
What a great day! We got to the candy factory early and were excited as we saw about 60 other homeschoolers show up for the tour...pretty amazing that so many made the almost 2 hour trip (and you can only get a handful at something held locally, go figure!). The tour started out in the gift shop of the candy factory and we were greeted by the intoxicating smell of CHOCOLATE! Our guide gave a brief history of the company and then led us upstairs so that we could view the factory from above. One of the first things we saw was a candy wrapping machine, it was amazing that the girls working the line could pick out a piece of candy that was wrapped the wrong way! We then saw different lines producing different product, it was absolutely fascinating! We saw the largest easter bunny that they made (35 lbs, cost $195). The kids LOVED getting to pick out candy in the shop when we were finished. Amazingly, many picked suckers over chocolate, difinitely NOT their mother's child! I indulged in a small dark chocolate candy bar, it was so smooth and yummy! I was a bit disappointed that the factory was more "Willy Wonka-ish" as the person who recommended it had claimed, I was expecting a chocolate river and lickable wallpaper, but it was still an AWESOME tour!
We stopped at McDonald's for lunch (I was so hungry even that tasted good!) and then found a local park to kill the 45 minutes we had left between tours. We headed to the whistle factory.
I was shocked at how SMALL the whistle factory was. The owner and tour guide was very informative but you could tell from EVERYTHING he said that the bottom line is always the almighty dollar! It was amazing that they could produce so many whistles in such a small place (honestly no bigger than a football field, if even that big!). He did mention that his factory is going to be featured on 2 different tv shows, we are going to try to find them when they air. Each of the tour participants received a shiny whistle at the completion of the tour.
Amazingly, even with being on my feet from 10 AM until after 3 PM, I only had minimal swelling in my ankles (well major swelling in my RIGHT ankle and hardly any in my left, go figure!) and my back really wasn't bothering me! Of course you have to wonder at the sensibility of a woman who would travel 2 hours from home less than 3 weeks from her delivery date! The boys rode home with Deanne and the girls and I stayed in Columbus for the rest of the weekend for the dance competition!
Only 19 days until D-day!
1 comment:
you look so beautiful!
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