JELLY BELLY FACTORY, FAIRFIELD, CA

On Tuesday, we went to the Jelly Belly Factory. It is about 1 1/2 hours from Crystal's house.

Their tree had Jelly Belly lights.

Beside Jelly Bellys, they made gummy worms and other candy, plus Jim's FAVORITE--candy corn. He loves candy corn!

We stood in line for about 40 minutes for a tour. The factory is on the 1st floor and then the tour in on the second floor. There are walls 1/2 way up and then glass walls the rest of the way, with an opening near the ceiling. You can look down onto the factory. There's a short video at each stop. It was very informative and smelled delicious. On one of the stops it shows how the outer shell is put on the jelly bean. The Jelly Bellys roll around in what looks like a cement mixer. Unfortunetly, they don't allow pictures to be taken during the tour, so you'll just have to go for yourself and be amazed.

This is a Jelly Belly moziac of "the Duke". They have Princess Di, Martin Luther King and many more.

Jelly Bellys were doing a good business before Pres. Reagen took office, but he really got the publicity and popularity of the jelly belly in the spotlight. He loved them. There were often deliveries to the White House. A special jar was made for Air Force One, so the jelly bellys wouldn't fall out during turbulence.

My favorite Jelly Belly is buttered popcorn. On the tour, we learned it is # 2 in popularity. Berry Cherry is # 1. I rubbed it in my family's face, because none of them like buttered popcorn, and they tease me that it is gross. So I was happy for that piece of trivia. The good news is that I never have to share my favorite Jelly Belly.

You have to wear hats on the tour. Check out the Jelly Belly wall behind us.

At the end of the tour there is a free sample bar. Plus tons of Jelly Bellys to buy. They even make the "prank flavors" of Jelly Bellys, like vomit flavor and other gross things.