I recently took my daughter to the Jelly Belly Center and Tour to get some sweet treats and also to ride the Jelly Belly Train. It’s just a short hop across the border into Pleasant Prairie, WI (and very close to the Pleasant Prairie Premium Outlets!).
As you walk into the building, if you have as big of a sweet tooth as I do, be prepared to be in awe of all the delicious “eye-level” candy. Not only does this company make and sell jelly beans (of literally almost every flavor you can imagine), but they also make salt water taffy, chocolates, gummies, fudge, and a variety of other sweets.
One on side of the store is all the Jelly Belly merchandise: clothes, stuffed toys, bags, and other gifts. Then, spanning an entire wall, is the Jelly Belly bean bulk bins, all sorted by flavor.
Pick and choose which flavors you like, pour them into the little bags provided, and pay by weight.
If jelly beans aren’t your thing, there are numerous other candy displays set up offering all the other types of candy and chocolates, also sold in bulk.
On the far side of the store (the store is quite large), they have a snack bar offering hot foods and many tables so you can sit down to enjoy lunch or a snack.
Make sure to stop by the fudge counter after you leave the snack bar – so many choices and all looked incredible! (Free samples are offered here, too!)
If you aren’t sure which Jelly Belly flavor you want, there is a sample bar where you can try them for free! They also have some organic flavors now which I was happy to see and try. We tried their newest flavor: maple syrup and pancakes. It really did taste just like the real thing!
Some of the flavors are outrageous and from experience I do not wish to try them again (earwax, rotten egg, stinky socks….um no thanks). My daughter tried the dirt flavor and didn’t mind it.
Now for the tour! Every day they offer FREE tours of their warehouse. Please note, this is not a factory where they actually make the candy. It is a warehouse where they process and package all the orders from their website.
The train has four cars that can hold up to 16 people per car, so quite a lot of people can go on each tour. Everyone receives a mandatory paper hat to wear throughout the tour.
The tour consisted of a 25-minute journey around the perimeter of the warehouse, traveling to and stopping at several stations. We watched many short videos on various things having to do with the history of the company and how the jelly beans and other candy is made.
While I thought it was all quite interesting, my four-year-old was a bit bored. She was so excited about riding the train, but we did spend most of the time in the train stopped at various stations. At the end of the tour, everyone receives a little bag of jelly beans which was a super nice touch.
Having been on their other “warehouse tour” at the San Francisco location, I can honestly say that this tour is better. I’m pretty sure that all the videos are the same, but the one in California is a walking tour, so being on the train is a bit more fun.
The Jelly Belly Center is a fun place to visit and for any Jelly Belly fan, a must see. My daughter and I each chose a bag of our favorite flavors before we left; mine: buttered popcorn, and hers: toasted marshmallow. Mark your calendars and stock up for National Jelly Bean Day on April 22!
Jelly Belly Center fun fact: the most popular flavor is Very Cherry.
Jelly Belly Center
10100 Jelly Belly Lane, Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158 | (866) 868-7522
Open daily 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Warehouse tours daily from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.*
*No tours on New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Please see website for more details and up to date hours.
What’s your favorite Jelly Belly flavor?
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