The JOURNAL: February twenty-eighth, with a look at industrial tourism.

While many travelers enjoy art museums and dramatic scenery, others are fascinated by the factories and workshops where familiar items are made. All across America, PR savvy companies offer inside looks where visitors can see and often sample the wares, from the Crayola Crayon factory in Easton, PA to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company in San Francisco, CA.

A book titled, "Watch it Made in the USA," by John Muir Publications provides details on hundreds of factory tours in all 50 states. Whether it's watching sparks fly or bottles whiz by on an assembly line, factory tour visitors generally enjoy a unique combination of history and action.

For car buffs, no tour is better than an auto assembly plant.

For example, foreign car freaks don't have to go overseas to see how the vehicles of their dreams take shape. The BMW plant in Spartanburg, SC offers 20 tours a week. In addition, its visitor center has a museum with collection of cars that will make enthusiasts drool. Likewise for the Mercedes©Benz plant and museum in Vance, AL.

Other foreign vehicles assembled in the US include a Mitsubishi in Normal, IL; a Nissan plant in Smyrna, TN, and a Toyota plant in Georgetown, KY. Kentucky also boasts a Ford facility in Louisville, and the Corvette plant in Bowling Green, which includes the National Corvette Museum. And Saturns take shape at the plant in Spring Hill, TN. You'll find contact info for all at our Website: travelersjournal.com.

FMI For information on touring automobile factory tours:

BMW, Spartanburg, SC 888-868-7269
Mercedes-Benz, Vance, AL 888-286-8762

Mitsubishi, Normal, IL 309-888-8203

Nissan, Smyrna, TN 615-459-1444

Toyota, Georgetown, KY 800-866-4485

Ford, Louisville, KY 502-364-3625

Chevrolet Corvette, Bowling Green, KY © 270-745-8287

Saturn, Spring Hill, TN 800-326-3321

You can purchase "Watch it Made in the USA," through our partnership with Amazon.com by clicking on the link above or by visiting The Traveler's Journal Bookshelf.

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