Our WILD Wisconsin Adventure!

Yesterday, we decided to adventure into Wisconsin for the day to check out the Prime Outlets in Pleasant Prairie (Restoration Hardware, Under Armour, etc.). We had heard there was a Jelly Belly Center not far from the outlet mall, so we decided to make this our first stop - after all, they offered free tours!

Sweet sensations and a world of delight await you at the Jelly Belly Center, a mouthwatering stop located off the I-94 Milwaukee/Chicago corridor,near the state line. The Center is designed so visitors can take a tour of our warehouse (really, it's fun!) and taste the magic of "the original gourmet jelly bean," Jelly Belly.

You'll start from Jelly Belly Junction, and hop on board the Jelly Belly Express train for a tour inside the large warehouse and distribution center. The 30-minute ride makes stops at a variety of Stations with large screen videos showing the company's century of candy making and how we make candy corn, jelly beans, taffy, gummies and more. Fun sights make the Center a destination for family fun. See a dancing chorus line of Jelly Belly characters and be surprised by "Candy Alley" with its six-foot giant jelly beans suspended from the ceiling. In the large retail store hungry fans can taste samples of the 100 candies we make, or shop for sweet gifts. Visitors can also stop for hot dogs and drinks at the snack bar.

Hmmm... See, at the beginning of the tour, after we had climbed into the "train" (modified golf cart trailers), told not to take any pictures of their trade secrets, and asked to wear paper Jelly Belly hats for the duration of the tour, we thought we were going to see Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. But alas, we literally rode in a large circle around the WAREHOUSE, stopping at VIDEO SCREENS every 10 yards or so. Should have probably noticed all the crabby kids in the train that unloaded before us as an indication that we were in for the time of our lives! Oh well. To Jelly Belly's credit, they did offer large amounts of free samples both at the end of the train ride and in the company store. And, we couldn't resist buying one of these: