Spice is Nice: Our Avery Island Tabasco® Factory Tour
Last Sunday, we took a drive out to beautiful Avery Island, Louisiana to explore the home of Tabasco® Pepper Sauce, the hot sauce heard around the world! Sold in nearly 200 countries, in 25 languages and dialects, this local hot sauce has global reach. As a Louisiana native who loves spicy food, it just felt wrong that I had never taken the Tabasco® tour!
Whether you’re living la vida local or visiting from a far away land, making the drive out to Avery Island is a great way to spend a few hours of a South Louisiana day. Just 45 minutes south of Lafayette, this tourist destination is home to the Tabasco® Factory & Museum and the breathtakingly beautiful Jungle Gardens.
The Tabasco® Tour is budget friendly, which is perfect for folks who don’t want to break the bank trying to stay entertained. My sweet Mother-in Law, “B” (a.k.a. Barbara/Babs), Sean & myself got into the air-conditioned doors for just $5.50 each. *Don’t worry, snacks and samples are waiting for you at the end in the Country Store!
We started our self-guided tour in the museum, filled with history and artifacts from Avery Island, the McIlhenny family and the hot sauce empire they created. Then we followed the signs out of the museum to the next stop of the tour. There is some outdoor walking involved to get to and from each building of the tour. So prepare for whatever elements may pop up!
You’ll walk through the Tabasco® Greenhouse, then the Barrel Warehouse. The smell was pungent from the outside of this warehouse, filled with thousands of salt crusted whiskey barrels, housing the fermenting pepper mash. You may or may not want to hold your nose through this stop!
Next, you’ll see where the blending and bottling happens, learn about the importance of Avery Island Conservation and the massive Salt Mines that sit right below the island!
You can grab a quick sample at the end of the tour, before snapping a pic with a life size version of your favorite flavor of the hot sauce. Then head on over to the TABASCO® Country Store for samples galore!
We tried nearly every product that Tabasco® offers, from sauces, pickles, peppers, honey & jelly. They sell their own Bloody Mary mix and even had their own Tabasco® ice cream, which was…interesting, but definitely worth trying! We left with a few bottles (found a new fav in Tabasco® Sriracha!) and a renewed love for this world famous hot sauce from our home state!
TABASCO® BRAND FACTORY TOUR & MUSEUM
Open every day from 9am-4pm
Price: $5.50
Children under 4 - Free
Phone: (337) 373-6139
*As of June, 2019. Check out their website for full details and info about Avery Island, Tabasco® & Jungle Gardens.
Thanks for Chewsing!
Hi, hungry friends! We’re Ashley & Sean, Louisiana natives with a big love of food! We’re a husband and wife dynamic duo who film & photograph people, places & food for a living. Craft Chew is our food photography playground, inspired by our love of tasty chews, craft brews, and a little nod to our furry pup, Chewy! Thanks for stopping by!
