Interested in seeing millions of dollars rolling through a printing press? Witnessing crabs picked by hand for packing?
Or watching how pretzels are shaped?

Many nearby businesses provide opportunities to find out how things are made and often offer samples, too. Kids can learn everything from how glass is blown to how clocks are made. They can even magically transform a plain pretzel into a delicious chocolate-covered candy. Most businesses require reservations for tours, and some have minimum group sizes, so be sure to check Web sites for specific details.

S.B. Farms, Bison Farm and Ranch
7010 Hynson Road
Hurlock
410-754-5821
www.sbfarmsinc.com
Ages: 5 and up
Hours: Daily, by appointment only
Price: Ages under 6, free; ages 6-10, $5; others, $10. $100 minimum.
Length: 1 hour
Hop aboard a tour wagon and view bison from only feet away, as well as two groups of cows — one with one-year-old babies, and the other with 2-year-old babies. Mid-June to mid-October visitors will see a breeding bull with each group of cows. Experience the handling facility where the bison are weighed and have their check-ups. On-site store features Bison meat products like jerky and snack sticks.

Bureau of Engraving and Printing, U.S. Department of Treasury
14th and C Streets, SW
Washington DC
202-874-2330
moneyfactory.gov/tours/washingtondctours.html
Ages: All ages, best for school-age.
Summer hours: Free, same-day tickets distributed at 8 a.m. on first-come, first-served basis at ticket booth on Raoul Wallenberg Place. Visitor Center open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Tours run every 15 minutes from 9 to10:45 a.m., 12:30 to 3:45 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.
Length of tour: 40 minutes
Learn about U.S. paper currency (coins are made at the U.S. Mint). View an introductory film, then watch machines turn blank paper into bills of all denominations and discover fun facts. See millions of dollars being printed as you walk along the glass-enclosed gallery overlooking the production floor. The visitor center includes exhibits and currency products for sale.
Strollers are allowed in the facility, but may not be taken on the tour. Ticket lines form early and tickets go quickly (by 9 a.m.) during peak season. Visitors pass through a metal detector and belongings are screened before entering.

Moore’s Candies
3004 Pinewood Ave.
Baltimore
410-426-2705
www.moorescandiesmaryland.com
Ages: All
Hours: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. (appointment only, minimum group of 10)
Price: $8, but under 5 free
Length: 30-45 minutes
Visitors start by watching a three-minute Food Network video about Moore’s Candies. After donning hair protection and gloves, visitors encounter what owner Jim Heyl dubs the “I Love Lucy” machine, where participants get to put their own pretzels on a wire belt and watch as it goes under a chocolate waterfall. Then everyone gets to eat their chocolate-covered creation. Visitors will also see how fancy-shaped candies like shells and liquid center candies are made. At the end of the tour, kids have one last lesson, where they learn a chocolate secret (no adults are allowed). Everyone gets to taste test a piece of chocolate and receives an official chocolatier certificate. Items are for sale in the gift shop.

JM Clayton Crab Factory
108 Commerce Street
Cambridge
410-228-1661
www.jmclayton.com
Ages: All
Hours: Weekdays 9 a.m.-noon, by appointment only.
Price: $5 per person, 20 people minimum (or $100 per group)
Length: 30-45 minutes
View the dock where live crabs are brought in from the water, and learn the difference between a male and female crab. See how crabs are cooked for processing in huge pressure cookers. Experience the “picking room,” where people still pick crabs today like they did 114 years ago. Finish the tour in the packing rooms where crabmeat is tallied, inspected, capped and iced. Products are available for purchase and can be iced for travel.

Snyder’s of Hanover
1350 York St.
Hanover, PA
www.snydersofhanover.com
1-800-233-7125 Ext. 8592
Ages: 5 and up
Hours: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. 24-hour advance registration required.
Price: Free
Length: 1 hour
Visitors will see how pretzels and potato chips are made, tour the raw materials warehouse, finished goods warehouse (where you’ll see robotics at work), the packing rooms and the oven room. See how potato chips are made, from beginning to end. Participants must be able to climb stairs. Free bag of pretzels at the end of the tour.

Bluett Brothers Violins
122 Hill St.
York, PA
717-854-9064
www.bluettbros-violins.com
Ages: 10 and up
Price: Free
Hours: Weekdays, by appointment only.
Length: 30-45 minutes
Find out how string instruments are made — beginning with a block of air-dried wood, through the carving process, to the top plates being glued on. Guitars, violins, mandolins and cellos are all being made at one time or another. Guests can get close to the work bench, learn fun facts and feel the horse hair, imported from Mongolia, before it’s put on a violin bow.

York Time Institute
312 W. Market St.
York, PA
717-848-3152
www.yorktimeinstitute.com
Ages: 5 and up
Price: Free
Hours: Weekdays, by appointment only. 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Length: 30-45 minutes
This is a school for learning the craft of watch and clock making, so participants can get up-close and observe as students make watches and clocks from scratch — including making the parts themselves. Participants can talk to students and ask questions about the pieces they are working on. The institute also restores and conserves pieces and tourists will get to view historic items like cuckoo clocks and grandfather clocks.
They do not sell any of their products, but tourists can bring items that need to be repaired, for a fee, and hire a student or the director to fix it.

McFadden Art Glass
6800 Eastern Ave.
Baltimore
410-631-6039
www.mcfaddenartglass.com
Ages: Ages 5 and up for hands-on activities
Hours: By appointment
Price: Varies depending on project, $20-$50.
Watch glass-blowing in progress and view displays of sculptures and other glass pieces in the gallery. Participants can make their own glass-blown objects ranging from marbles and necklace pendants to drinking glasses and bowls.