Had a fantastic trip to the Sturgis Pretzel Bakery today! Our tour guide Chase (or maybe named Chance... i forget) was incredibly kind, funny and full of interesting pretzel facts!! The tour was 25minutes and included an opportunity to learn how to twist pretzel dough in the same vicinity of the original bakery. It was a total blast and an experience we won't soon forget. My family loves pretzels and this place is a must see for any "pretzel fan" traveling through the area. Everyone working there was friendly and it was a wonderful tour! read more

See all

What a fun tour with Linda! She was knowledgeable and very entertaining. We learned quite a bit from her about the pretzel process and Sturgis family. We bought both a soft and bags of hard pretzels to take home. We are one of the families they talk about who buys a bunch to take home to Florida. Fun quick informative stop. Tours are 4$ for adults. read more

See all

I first came here back in 2012 when I still lived in PA and I absolutely loved it. My wife and I were visiting some family nearby back in Dec 2021 and I loved being able to take my wife here. The pretzel bakery was the first commercial pretzel bakery in the US and it's wonderful to learn about the history of the bakery, history of pretzels, and how pretzels were made back then. They still make soft pretzels for sale here and they are really, really good. They also have a decently-sized gift shop so you can pick up some pretzels to bring back home (we're very happy for that now as we live in TN). You 100% have to come here if you're visiting Lititz! read more

See all

Small store/gift shop and tour highlighting the history of pretzel making. Got to roll out dough into pretzel shape, see the old ovens and building of original small factory. Tour guide very knowledgeable and fun. Got a small bag of hard pretzels which are much better than other commercial ones in supermarkets. read more

Very educational and interactive family-friendly experience. The tour guide was professional, knowledgeable and engaging. We were able to partake in the last tour of the day, sadly we were unable to enjoy any of the pretzels we had just learned all about; hence the 4 out of 5 stars. Best business practices for customer service would be to ensure there was ample product available for the entire day. Maybe another time. read more

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery - Guest book and display - Bakeries Near Me - Lititz, Pennsylvania

See all

Amazing soft pretzels. We stopped in here as we didn't want a big lunch. The gift shop was small but offered a lot of pretzel options from chocolate covered to sourdough. You can take a tour for a price, but we did not have a chance to do that. At the register, you can purchase fresh, hot, soft pretzels. They also have cheese sauce and yellow mustard. Prices were inexpensive. We got 2 pretzels, a bag of sourdough pretzels and a container of cheese sauce for $9.00. The fresh pretzel was amazing. My only wish is they had honey mustard to go with it! read more

When you initially come in your enter the shop of where they sell hard and fresh soft pretzels. The soft pretzels are delicious and warm, the cheese is also good. They have a buy 2 soft pretzels with cheese deal for $4 which is what I got. Great snack :) there is quite a variety to choose from for the hard pretzels in their shop as well as clothing items. There is also an option to pay for a Julius Sturgis pretzel factory tour which was happening when we got there in the back area. Very cool. We would like to do that sometime in the summer just to learn how everything started. We love places that have a long legendary history behind them so I recommend checking this place out if you're in the area! read more

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery - Outside the building - Bakeries Near Me - Lititz, Pennsylvania

See all

Fun tour. Got to learn how to twist a pretzel, and hear about the history of pretzels from human hands to industrial. Pretzel shop has samples and goodies to buy. Parking on the side parking lot. Friendly staff and interactive hour spent. read more

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Lititz, Pennsylvania

Sooooo I've taken the tour like 6 times.... Is that bad? HAHAHAHA I love this place! They created the hard pretzels that we know and love today! It is so nice to see them still in business. Even though I've taken the tour so many times, I still learn new stuff each time that I take it. Did you know that in the past, they were able to twist 53 pretzels per minute??? CRAZY!!!! I also love finding out that this room was their bedroom, this was their kitchen etc. If you get there at the right times, they have fresh hot soft pretzels for sale! They also sell other pretzel related chotskies... Ive gotten their magnets and a few Christmas ornaments! They also sell T-shirts and hats. But most importantly, they sell PRETZELS! Plain, with cheese, extra salt, chocolate dipped! Everything! All in all, a very very cute little tour. It costs $5 per person. I really like keeping places like this going. If you are in the area, make a reservation and go! its so much fun!!! I would like to add that I miss Intercourse pretzel factory ... read more

Such a fun time at the Julius Sturgis Pretzel bakery! The store had a wide variety of treats, pretzels and other snacks. They even had samples so you could try their wide variety of pretzels before buying. The warm soft pretzels did the trick before entering the tour. The prices were pretty great too! We were called in for our tour and our tour guide, Abby was knowledgeable and super sweet! We heard the cool history of the Sturgis pretzel factory and then got a chance to roll out our own pretzel using their technique. After getting some more info on the history and seeing the ovens, we all left with a small bag of pretzels! A fun time for kids and adults of all ages. Important note before you go-- The tour isn't air conditioned, so better off going when it's not super hot outside! read more

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Lititz, Pennsylvania

While in the Lancaster, PA area, I had several different soft pretzels, and they all were very good. BUT when I ate one of Julius Sturgis's pretzels, I had found the absolute BEST hot, fresh, soft pretzel that I have ever eaten !!! If you have the opportunity to visit the Lancaster area, I highly recommend that you go by Sturgis's and get an amazing and delicious pretzel ! Also a big shout out to the staff ! Thanks for a great experience. We will be back read more

Fun and well worth the visit! Their pretzels are top notch! I ate three soft ones before I left. read more

See all

This is my second time doing this activity, but it's been at least 20 years since I participated in the pretzel making experience at the Reading location. The tour is probably more kid-oriented, but we found that it was also enjoyable for adults. They ask that you show up at least ten minutes before your scheduled tour time. The tour starts with some history on Julius Sturgis and his family's pretzel factory. There are tools, ovens, and automated machinery included in the tour for us to see how the pretzels have been created throughout the years. We also used clay to learn how to twist a soft pretzel. Each participant is given a certificate to acknowledge their newly gained pretzel making expertise. The certificate is a very cute touch for children participating in this tour. The tour ends in the gift shop where you can purchase pretzel related souvenirs; from actual hard and soft pretzels, to pencils, magnets, and shirts. We purchased a magnet, and also used a coupon from the Lititz Welcome Center to get two soft pretzels for the price of one. The soft pretzel was salty and pillowy, just as a freshly baked soft pretzel should be! Our tickets for two adults came to $8 total. This is fun activity to participate in while in Lititz! read more

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Lititz, Pennsylvania

The staff at this historical place are warm and inviting ...as are the hot freshly made Lititz pretzels. Plus added fun learning how to twist your very own pretzels for yourselves from my friend Herb. Great teaching and fun experience for the entire family. Don't miss this historical business or, the many other places to see in our beautiful community. hopefully you saved a few pretzels for later, as there is a number of well established well liked brew pubs in town with delicious food available. LITITZ, PA ROCKS! read more

I never did the tour but the pretzel is delicious! I totally recommend the treat. They are always baking a new batch!

This place is adorable and historic! Lots of pretzel options for purchase and they have a tour and pretzel making lesson for like $4. We didn't do the tour but did grab some fresh soft pretzels, which I thought were okay. My favorite part was the giant pretzel out front. read more

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Lititz, Pennsylvania

Everything was Great. Our tour guide Audree ( i hope I spelled it right) was amazing. The pretzel was the best I have had

A bit of history and a true step back into it. The story behind this merchant and its history is something to see. Really great and unique hard and soft pretzels. Take the tour and you will get a look at what's behind the art of pretzel baking. I now am a graduate of the school read more

See all

Small fun tour in a beautiful town. Went to this bakery and sampled all the pretzels. The tour guide was awesome! Great story teller. Tours are short and small, perfect for kids or really anyone. The history is amazing and fun to hear about. Practice rolling a pretzel and sample some on your way out. Soft pretzels are available on site and lots of stuff to buy. Walk to cute town after and stay for lunch or dinner! read more

In part this ship gets 4 stars for its historical importance as being one of the first pretzel shops. I love history and will continue to support a business that has been going for so long. They offer a fair amount of pretzel options from hard to soft and those with chocolate, peanut butter, etc. I had a soft pretzel which I would consider better than a store bought but not the best I've had. read more

See all

I've taken all my kids here. It's so much fun to learn about history and food that was started back in the day. read more

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Lititz, Pennsylvania

See all

Super fun! Great tour guide! The tour was really interesting and hands on for the kids. The pretzels are delicious!!!

This old pretzel factory is a great amount of fun. All the employees were incredibly nice. Our tour guide was energetic and fun. Apologies, I forgot his name. There is a great amount of education and entertainment. The tour is short, about 30 mins. I would not recommend it for young kids. However, as an adult, it's a blast. The tour is only $4, but the history is priceless. read more

We went on a tour with our school group and our guide Colin was absolutely fantastic!!! He had an awesome personality and really engaged the kids in the tour. After the tour we enjoyed freshly baked soft pretzels, which I can honestly say were the best I've ever had. Definitely going to stop in here again when we are in the area!! read more

The majority of things here have been covered ad nauseam so allow me to cover the pertinent things only: * The admission price for the tour is dirt cheap and they do accept credit for it. * The tour itself is twenty to thirty minutes and as mentioned by me prior there is no climate control in the tour area so in the winter it will be cool/cold and in the summer you will bake like a pretzel because it gets hot as hell. * If you come on weekdays during the offseason chances are they will not have any soft pretzels available by the afternoon as only so many are made. On the Monday we went in February we took what would have been the second last tour of the day and according to the girl at the register they had been out of soft pretzels for hours. Maybe they didn't make many or maybe a bus came earlier, who knows? I've been here three times and have yet to see one of the infamous soft pretzels. * This place is located in Lititz, not in Lancaster. * No hard pretzels are made in Lititz. Everything has been made in Shillington (Reading) since the '20s and in their current building on Lancaster Pike since 1970. The tour is not unique in that there are other places to twist pretzels at locally but, what is unique is that only one tour can put you in the place where the hard pretzel began in LItitz and that's here. Is it the most interesting tour? No, but it's cheap fun that's well worth it. read more

See all

Quick 25 minute tour that explained the company's history of making pretzels. I loved how we were able to participate hands on with making the twist of the pretzel and how they go through each step of doing so. It was a very in depth tour and our guide was able to answer all the questions we had. This was a great experience for all ages. read more

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery - a pretzel on a wooden table - Bakeries Near Me - Lititz, Pennsylvania

great little tour! Everyone is friendly, and it is so informative. A tour bus came as we were leaving and boy was there a crowd and a line. The pretzel itself was good, and the hard pretzels were surprisingly light. There was a coupon for BOGO pretzel in the tour map from the hotel. Glad to have gone. read more

This was a wonderful experience. We had scheduled a tour, but ended up two hours late due to some crazy traffic on a travel day. I had called to let them know we could not make it. We eventually arrived and were very lucky that there was space on the last tour of the day. It was a really interesting view into how pretzels were made back in the day, and both our kids and we enjoyed it. Also can't beat freshly made soft pretzels afterwards. I'd also highly recommend the chocolate covered pretzels with peanut butter in them. Absolutely worth the visit! read more

pretzels are amazing!! My family took the tour and learned the making of the pretzels. it was fun and very cool! Everyone were so friendly. read more

Surprisingly busy! We got a couple of soft pretzels but didn't do the tour. Worth a look

What a fun place to go. The staff was super friendly where they took us out a tour they explained it was all about where hard pretzels came from who invented them. We got to try free samples just a lot of fun there's a gift shop in which you can buy pretzels. pretzels were delicious if you're in town what a great thing to do read more

The best pretzels, anywhere! Hot, soft pretzels are wonderful, especially on a cold day! Many awesome specialty pretzel selections as well. read more

enjoyable tour. first hard pretzel maker in the US according to them. cool. interactive pretzel making is part of the tour. high energy tour guide. really enjoyed it. read more

The pretzels were $1.50 which was a good price. They are very small and not too warm which was disappointing. The shop itself was adorable and sold horse and buggy pretzel bags for 50 cents which was a nice "souvenir." Personally, the hard bags of pretzels were much better than the soft ones. Went during the Lititz fire and ice festival so the store was crowded and there were no pretzels at the time. We had to return right before closing and were lucky enough to get one read more

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery - soft pretzels - Bakeries Near Me - Lititz, Pennsylvania

Verdict: Not my favorite but good and a deserved nod for what Julius started. The National Pretzel Bakers Institute (that's actually a thing) has a plaque on the outside of the building that says thinks the world's first pretzel bakery in the world. If you're going to do just one thing, you'd better do it really well. No pressure. Do they make the best soft pretzel in the world? Not in my opinion but I will say that it's a good one. There's a lot more competition these days and bakers all over eastern PA have been steadily improving on this twisted treat. The biggest draw for this place might be the tour even more than the food. I haven't done that yet but there's a fair bit of interest each time I've been in the bakery shop. I suggest going if you're in the Lititz area. That goes for the whole town. It's a great little town to walk and explore. read more

Great little place, tour was great and the guide was really nice and knowledgeable. And the sample pretzels were honestly the best I've tested! That was a great surprise at the end! read more

We stopped here today and took the tour. Even our young kids had a good time. They give you lots of good pretzel history and even a snack for the ride home. Plenty of good items in their gift shop as well. read more

See all

Stopped by before heading home from the Lititz Fire & Ice Festival just as they opened and unfortunately we would have had to wait 40 minutes for pretzels. I understand that you can take a tour and perhaps that's when the first pretzels of the day get made but I doubt I'm the only person who stops in before heading home in hopes of picking up a freshly made pretzel. The displays were really cool and they offer a nice selection of their products for sale in the shop so I was able to pick up some snacks for the road (albeit not warm ones). We'll be back for the 2020 Fire & Ice Festival and will plan for the tour. read more

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Lititz, Pennsylvania

See all

This place is awesome. The tour is super cute and you get to make a (plain dough) pretzel. Our tour guide was a very peppy young woman who seemed to be having a blast despite the heat when we were there. The pretzels have a great light malt flavor. My husband has become obsessed with the horse and buggy shaped ones and we made the hour and a half trip again to buy 6 bags to hold us over. They also had some dark chocolate dipped caramel topped pretzels which were amazing. I'm not sure if they are a winter-only item but well worth it. read more

I'm not going to bore you with the lengthy history of how this is the oldest commercial pretzel factory in America by mentioning the following: The "house" was built in 1784 and is one of the oldest structures still standing in Lititz, Pa. Built using stones dug up from the road and timber from the woods, tall wooden doors are throughout with leather strapped door hinges and beautiful woodwork, planked and pegged hardwood floors. The home had musket firing windows in the cellar to ward off attacks from Native Americans, the building is on the National register of historic places. In 1850, Julius Sturgis ran a bread bakery in Lititz, Pennsylvania and as legend has it a hobo hitched a ride on a train looking for a job, Julius could not offer him work, but did invite him to sit down with his wife and fourteen children for dinner. In exchange for this kindness the hobo offered Julius a pretzel recipe. Julius who had never made pretzels decided to bake some up and tested them on his family. Eleven years later Julius stopped baking bread and devoted his business to baking pretzels. See why you should be kind! In those days, world wide, pretzels were always served soft, but one day a baker had fallen asleep and left the pretzels to bake and dry out too long and the hard pretzel was born and right here in this factory. Generations of the Sturgis family has survived to keep baking these pretzels, during the second world war they found themselves having to close. Tom Sturgis reopened a factory in Reading, Pa., and to this day it is still in operation as well as running the store and museum in Lititz. I love stories like this and the tour is so informative, you will be involved in rolling out dough and forming it into the infamous prayer knot, depicting children in prayer with their arms folded over their heart. The pretzel is the worlds oldest treat and was given to children as a reward for saying their prayers. Some have said in their reviews that they skipped the tour or it was boring and I assure you it is anything but. Did you know they used to use lye in pretzel baking and the hot temperatures the factory would reach with the brick ovens being on all day would be unbearable? For over 150 years this family has been baking pretzels and all because of the kindness that one man showed to another human being. The shop is on the smaller side and most of the building houses the museum. Today pretzels are made by machine but for 10 cents an hour it was a strenuous and hard task to make the dough and then sustain the heat. When leaving the tour you will get a mini bag of Tom Sturgis pretzels along with your certificate for successfully rolling out pretzel dough and forming it into the knot. Admission for the tour $3.00 adults, $2.00 children. Wheelchair accessible. The shop offers free samples, the jalapeno cheese pretzels were my favorite, although I could not pass up a warm soft pretzel that they bake right there. It's kind of amazing how simple things in life are taken for granted, I will never forget the ultra cool story and history lesson that I learned here. Now pass the mustard! read more

See all