Anyone go to the Jelly Belly Factory?

[splash5]

We will be in Napa and I'm thinking of detouring to Jelly Belly Factory. How far away is it from Napa?

 

[LavenderPeach]

Oh, I love the jelly belly factory! We used to go there every once in awhile when I lived up in northern california. I'm not sure how far it is from Napa though since I was coming from Santa Rosa.

 

[barkley]

depending on where you are in napa it's around 30 minutes one way. you will get on southbound highway 29 and then turn on to jamison canyon. you then merge onto highway 80 and it's just a couple of exits up (near anhauser busch).

we used to live near by-fun place, nice (free) tour. the food in the caf area is nothing fancy-simple, but tasty (o.k. for a quick snack or lunch).

check out the "belly flops"-they sell them by the bag and by the case-we grab them when we visit just so we can share them with family and friends (they get a kick out of them). the chocolate items they've added are PHENOMINAL-the giant smore is to die for

if you want to have a realy nice lunch afterwards head up about 2 exits on the freeway and there's "mimi's cafe"-great food in a relaxed environment.

 

[woody73]

We visited the Jelly Belly factory, and enjoyed it.

Woody

 

[hildatk]

As others have said, about 30 mins depending how far deep into Napa you are. It's a really fun place to go. You get free samples along w/ the free tour. Go on the weekdays if you want to see it. Their production line don't run on weekends. Have fun and try all the flavors.

 

[pixiewings71]

Actually the tours do run on weekends, they just run them on video screens, you still go thru the factory but there are no people working, you just watch the whole thing on TVs. I drive past JB on my way to and from work, it's about 7 min. from my house. I've done the tour a time or two, the girls enjoy it. The cafe has fun foods but nothing spectacular, it's basically burgers and pizzas. There are plenty of places around to eat tho if you're looking for a meal. The drive from Napa is about 20-30 min. depending on what time you drive.

 

[GrandBob]

Agree with both hildadk and pixiewings. Yes, they're open on weekends, but yes I definitely recommend going on weekdays. Took my 6 year old granddaughter on a Saturday. Nobody working -- you just see idle machines and a bunch of videos. She was so bored that she kept asking if we could leave. But of course we couldn't because the tour escorts you into and out of the factory. I felt so bad for her -- I was bored too.

-Bob

 

[eduk8r26]

The hamburgers and pizzas are shaped like jelly bellies. That makes it kind of cute for kids.

 

[mamacatnv]

My DD and I went a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday. We wished we could have seen the plant in action but we still really enjoyed the video tour.

 

[Rio_san7]

It is definitely a good place to visit.

I have read a lot of good stuff about jelly belly. If you have kids then this is a hit for them.

Enjoy!

 

[Dizneydaz]

Go on a weekday and but the belly flops-worth visit alone! Also, my DM and I had fun eating them and guessing the flavors.

 

[alisonh]

we went a few years ago and it was fun. the drive was not bad to Napa. I do have to say, the smell was almost too much, it was SO sweet and strong... I would have never thought something could smell too sweet for me, but this did!

 

[pixiewings71]

we went a few years ago and it was fun. the drive was not bad to Napa. I do have to say, the smell was almost too much, it was SO sweet and strong... I would have never thought something could smell too sweet for me, but this did!

The smell in that general area is weird, very sweet but also wheaty...there is a Budweiser plant near the Jelly Belly plant and the smells mix together to create a very odd scent in the air. It's very distinctive and strange. lol

 

[CindyT]

We went several years ago, definitely worth the trip.

 

[kovets]

I would say definitely worth a visit if your kids are 7+.

All the older kids in our group LOVED the tour and learned about the manufacturing process and how factories work.

The younger set (under 6) were extremely bored and did not get much out of it.

If I could do it again, I would NOT bring the younger children.

Good luck!!

 

[Kim10110]

Just a heads up about 10 to 15 mins from the factory is the vacaville premium outlets they have a jelly belly outlet store belly flops are i think buy 2 get 1 free. they also have a bunch of clearence stuff in the back. its def worth the 15 mins