Most snacks show up in a bag with no backstory. You grab them, you eat them, and that is the end of the tale.
In Pennsylvania, the story starts much earlier, and you are allowed to watch it happen. This state makes a huge share of the nation’s pretzels and potato chips, and it has a long list of candy makers that open their doors, windows, and viewing hallways to curious guests.
Some stops feature giant production lines with thousands of chips riding conveyor belts. Others are tiny bakeries where one person twists dough by hand while you wait in line.
A few even let you try twisting a pretzel yourself, which is harder than it looks. The places below include family businesses older than your great-grandparents, a chocolate shop with a powerful mission, and a brand-new factory with an elevated viewing deck.
You will find tour days, reservation tips, and the best times to arrive so the machines are actually running. Pack some patience, a few dollars for the gift shop, and an appetite for history.
Your next road trip is about to get a lot tastier.
1. Herr’s Snack Factory Tour & Gift Shop, Nottingham, Pennsylvania
Back in 1946, James S. Herr started frying potatoes in Lancaster County with a small operation and big hopes.
Today, his family’s Nottingham factory welcomes guests on guided tours of its working production lines.
The walking tour lasts about 45 to 60 minutes. Guides explain how potatoes arrive by the truckload, get washed and sliced, then cooked and seasoned before heading to bagging.
Depending on the schedule, you might also see popcorn, pretzels, or cheese curls in action. That surprise factor keeps repeat visits fun.
The crowd favorite is a sample of warm chips straight off the line. Few snack fans ever get chips this fresh.
Reservations are required, and tours run Monday through Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Groups are kept small, so book early.
Save room in the trunk for the gift shop. Its discounted Oops bags hold snacks that missed the weight or seasoning target but still taste great.
2. Sarris Candies Chocolate Factory, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Ten thousand pounds of chocolate per hour travels through overhead pipes at this factory. That number alone makes Sarris worth the drive to Canonsburg.
Frank Sarris founded the company in 1960, and its new 130,000-square-foot facility began welcoming tour guests in July 2026. Visitors watch the action from an elevated observation area.
Below, workers prepare, coat, cool, and package treats. Pretzels pass under a stream of chocolate, and caramels are cooked in copper kettles before being cut and enrobed.
Much of the work is still done by hand. Screens along the route show close-ups of individual workstations, so nobody misses the details.
The guided tour runs about 45 minutes and ends with samples. Public tours happen three times daily, Monday through Friday, and reservations are required.
Afterward, the factory store takes over. Oversized candy displays, exclusive merchandise, and seasonal goodies make it very hard to leave empty-handed.
3. Asher’s Chocolate Co., Souderton, Pennsylvania
Some candy companies brag about being old. Asher’s has the paperwork, tracing its roots to 1892 and calling itself the oldest family-owned and operated candy manufacturer in the country.
Its Souderton factory store in Montgomery County offers a self-guided viewing experience. A corridor behind glass overlooks the working production floor.
Visitors can watch candies move through different stages. On some days, orange jellies roll under a curtain of chocolate before being cooled and sorted by hand.
The corridor recently got a digital upgrade with video segments. They explain each step, so even younger visitors can follow along.
Viewing hours run Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Photos are not allowed in factory areas, so keep the phone in your pocket.
The Victorian-style candy store comes next. Check the hurt section for imperfect chocolate-covered pretzels at a discount, because a broken pretzel tastes exactly the same.
4. Purity Candy Company, Allenwood, Pennsylvania
Candy canes made by hand are rare these days. At Purity Candy Company, they are a holiday tradition worth planning around.
This family business started in Lewisburg in 1907. Its Allenwood factory store now has interior windows where shoppers can watch confectioners at work.
On a typical day, you might see pretzels getting dipped in chocolate or molded candies taking shape. The menu of possibilities changes with the season.
Before Christmas, the candy cane process is the main event. Sugar is boiled to exact temperatures, cooled on a table, colored, cut, and rolled by hand, and each batch takes about 90 minutes.
The store also sells peanut clusters, caramels, barks, and molded chocolates. It is a good stop for stocking stuffers.
Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., year-round. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, Saturday hours run 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Call ahead to ask what is being made that day.
5. Moka Origins, Honesdale, Pennsylvania
Free tours, free samples, and no reservations needed. Saturday mornings in Honesdale are hard to beat for curious snackers.
Moka Origins sits on the Himalayan Institute’s 400-acre campus in the Pocono Mountains. Founded in 2015, it makes bean-to-bar chocolate and roasts coffee under one roof.
Tours run every Saturday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and last around 45 minutes. Guides explain where the cacao and coffee beans come from and how the company supports farming communities.
Guests see cacao being roasted and stone-ground. Then comes tempering, the step that gives a chocolate bar its clean snap.
Tastings compare different chocolate varieties. It is a fun way to learn why two dark chocolate bars can taste so different.
The cafe and store are open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Try the single-origin hot chocolate.
Groups wanting a private tour can book one by reservation.
6. Highland Chocolates, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Extraordinary Chocolates by Extraordinary People is the motto here, and it is more than a catchy line. Highland Chocolates is a nonprofit that provides job training and employment for adults with disabilities.
Its factory store sits on historic Route 6 in Wellsboro. After renovations, it offers public tours where guests watch the team create treats.
Tasks you may see include stirring chocolate, crushing pretzels, packaging, and labeling. Arrive before 1 p.m. for the best chance of seeing active candy making.
Groups under 15 can join tours on a first-come, first-served basis. Larger groups should book a paid tour ahead of time.
No tour running? A viewing window still lets you peek at the work.
Grab the signature pretzel bark, a true Pennsylvania mashup. The Tree Stumps are another hit, with caramel and peanut butter between two pretzels, all coated in chocolate.
A second shop operates in downtown Wellsboro.
7. Martin’s Potato Chips, Thomasville, Pennsylvania
Chips from this York County company have flown on Air Force One. Not bad for a business Harry and Fairy Martin started in their kitchen in 1941.
Martin’s runs guided tours at its Thomasville facility. Guests walk on a marked section of the factory floor for a close view of the cooking process.
The journey starts with truckloads of potatoes. They get sanded clean, sliced, fried, cooled, and seasoned before landing in bags.
Popcorn gets its turn too. Kernels pop in large air poppers, then pick up flavor and ride conveyor belts to packaging.
Tours are typically offered on Tuesdays at 9, 10, and 11 a.m. Each lasts about 45 minutes, and reservations are required, so confirm availability before you go.
The retail shop sells chips and snacks for the ride home. Can’t make the trip?
A virtual tour of the Thomasville headquarters is available online.
8. Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, Lititz, Pennsylvania
America’s first commercial pretzel bakery opened here in 1861. The building itself is even older, dating to 1784.
Lititz visitors can take a guided tour of about 25 minutes. It feels more like a history lesson than a factory walk, and that is the charm.
The highlight is a hands-on twisting session. Guests shape practice dough into the classic knot, and most first attempts look a little lopsided.
Guides point out the original brick ovens built by Julius Sturgis. Old baking tools are also on display.
Bakers twist real soft pretzels on site, too. Visitors don’t bake their own because of regulations, but samples often appear in the shop.
The store sells soft and hard pretzels, chocolate-covered versions, and souvenirs. Tours run daily from opening until a half hour before closing.
Reservations are smart for bigger groups. Pair this stop with a stroll through downtown Lititz.
9. Hammond Pretzel Bakery, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Since 1931, the Hammond family has rolled pretzels without taking a break from tradition. The bakery calls itself the oldest continuously family-operated handmade pretzel bakery in America.
There are no formal tours. Instead, viewing windows on the side of the building show bakers shaping dough during production hours.
Inside the shop, customers can watch pretzels leave the oven and travel along a conveyor belt. It is simple and refreshingly honest.
The family sourdough recipe dates back to the late 1800s. Each pretzel is hand-rolled, twisted, and baked in a hearth oven for a dense, tangy crunch.
Production usually runs Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Some Saturdays are added in November and December.
The store sells pretzels warm from the oven, plus chocolate-covered pretzels, seasoned pieces, and dipping mustards. Bring a bag big enough for gifts, since hard pretzels travel well.
10. Immergut Hand-Rolled Soft Pretzels, Intercourse, Pennsylvania
Immergut means always good in Pennsylvania Dutch. That is a bold promise, and this little shop has been backing it up since 1998.
Find it inside Kitchen Kettle Village in Intercourse, right in Lancaster County’s Amish Country. The counter gives customers a front-row view of Amish women rolling dough by hand.
Every pretzel is made to order. You watch the twist, then wait a few minutes for your snack to come out of the oven.
Classic salted pretzels lead the menu. Cinnamon sugar, garlic, sesame, whole wheat, and sour cream and onion add plenty of options.
Hungry for more than a snack? Pretzel wraps stuffed with hot dog and cheese or ham and cheese make a quick lunch.
Fresh-squeezed lemonade and blended iced coffee round things out. The shop typically opens Monday through Saturday, so plan Sunday visits elsewhere.
11. Martin’s Pretzel Bakery, Akron, Pennsylvania
Over 22,000 pretzels a day leave this small Akron bakery, and every single one is twisted by hand. That is a lot of busy fingers.
Henry Martin founded the business in the 1930s. Today it is owned and staffed by Mennonites who still follow old-fashioned methods.
A glass window in the storefront lets shoppers watch the action. The dough is simple, with flour, water, sourdough starter, salt, and yeast.
It gets cut, sent through a hand-cranked grinder, and twisted. After a quick boil and a sprinkle of salt, pretzels go into a stone oven with a wooden paddle.
They bake for about 10 minutes, then dry for an hour. That extra step builds flavor and crunch.
Choices include butter pretzels, honey mustard pieces, and hickory smoked BBQ. Warm samples are common.
Hours are weekdays 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
12. The Pretzel Shop, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Wake up at 4 a.m. and fire up a brick oven from 1872. That is the daily routine at this South Side bakery.
The Pretzel Shop has hand-twisted and hearth-baked soft pretzels since 1927. Third-generation owners still run it, and the process has barely changed.
Arrive before noon for the best view. Bakers shape dough and feed it into the century-old oven right in front of customers.
Thousands of pretzels come out daily, five days a week. Classic salted and unsalted options sit next to flavors like jalapeno cheddar, tomato basil, and pepperoni mozzarella.
Pretzel buns turn up in sandwiches such as steak and cheese or a chicken club. Breakfast sandwiches and dips are also on the menu.
Here is a quirky bonus. You can still buy pretzels at the back alley entrance, a nod to the days when street vendors picked up their stock there.
13. Center City Pretzel Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philly soft pretzels need only three ingredients here: flour, yeast, and water. No preservatives, no additives, and no fuss.
Center City Pretzel Co. has worked in the Italian Market since 1981. The family-owned bakery turns out tens of thousands of pretzels each week for vendors across the city.
This is a real working bakery, not a staged show. Morning visitors can see fresh batches rolled, twisted, and baked for customers.
Timing matters, so set an alarm. Hours usually run weekdays 6 to 11 a.m. and Saturdays 6 to 10 a.m., with Sunday hours during Eagles season.
Beyond the classic twist, try pretzel sticks, minis, or Pop-Its. The Zagel, a pretzel and bagel hybrid, is a local curiosity.
Planning a party? Custom letter and number pretzels are available.
The facility is kosher-certified and free of peanuts, tree nuts, and dairy, which makes it a friendly pick for many families.
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