The tour hours are generally from 9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. The self-guided tour is easy to follow they provide a map with numbers to guide you. Stop #5 is labeled "Call Avery Island"; it has some steps, but you don't have to go up if you don't want to. I didn't see any elevators in that area. There are screens at each stop with videos about the area, and in the storage area, you can press a button to smell the peppers ,fun and interactive! The tour is easy walking and not crowded, especially if you go after Christmas. Guided Tours: * If you want the guided tours, you need to book at least 2 weeks in advance (according to the Tabasco website). * I wish I had booked because they teach you some recipes. * The bulletin we received said 3-day notice, so maybe it wasn't available due to the holidays when everything is busier. Distances: * Everything on Avery Island is less than a few miles apart, so you can easily walk or drive between the gardens, factory, restaurant, and store. Bonus Tip: * Download the Tabasco app for a guided voice tour with location recognition , it makes the experience even more fun and informative read more

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I've been wanting to come here for years to check it out and finally Easter weekend found us some extra time to go. So glad we stopped by. We did the factory and Jungle Gardens tour together. We loved that it was self guided. Everyone was so polite and it was such a cool adventure. read more

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This is a self-guided tour that actually ended up being a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. They really put a LOT of work into producing our beloved Tabasco Sauce. They also have a lot of history on Avery Island and the McIlhenny family also has a lot of their family history on display which is also really fascinating that they have been so fortunate with preserving so much of their history. In combination with the Tabasco Restaurant 1896, the gift shop and the Jungle Gardens this makes for a really nice tour (and add in the nearby Rip Van Winkle Gardens for even more fun). Tip: Take a Saturday to do the Avery Island Tabasco Sauce and Jungle Garden tour in the morning with a breakfast at the Tabasco Restaurant 1896 then do lunch at Rip Van Winkle Gardens Jefferson Cafe and do that tour in the afternoon for a full day adventure. Then head into Lafayette and stay at the Blue Moon Saloon & Guesthouse get some ice cream at the Borden's Dairy Dip across the street then go back to the guesthouse to enjoy the music. read more

There's really not too much to do near Youngsville, LA, but we did find the Tabasco Tour! It's a self guided tour that takes you from museum to greenhouse, barrel storage, mashing room, bottling and more! The history is interesting for sure. Family owned since 1868 (I think) ... the great grandchildren run it today. In the gift shop they have a tabasco bar where you can taste test all the flavors. Surprisingly, there's a RASPBERRY tabasco! It's so good - drizzle on a salad - or they gave us a small ice cream sample with Raspberry and boy was it good! Also on Avery Island is the Jungle Garden Tour (same family owns it). Beautiful trees, ponds (with alligators!). Great way to spend an afternoon! Awwww read more

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A must see world destination when visiting southwestern Louisiana. I've brought several groups and family here over the years and it never fails to impress on how Louisiana products and natural resources have helped shape the world. Impacts of Salt mines, Peppers, Water, oil and gas, fisheries, and animal life such as alligators, birds, trapping animals have all played a part is shaping the story of this region of southwestern Louisiana. It is definitely on the recommended day trip places to visit by our the RVer guests from Harvesthost.com when they visit the www.campingonthebayou.com facility in St Martinville, LA ~ 30 min drive time towards New Iberia, LA. - Educational, Food related, Walking Tour, Day trip, Historical, Nature centered, Food, Nature Photography, etc. Recommend visits to nearby Jefferson Island as well and the Jungle Gardens. read more

This place is amazing, we all enjoyed it. It is definitely at the top of our list on things we did on this vacation. You buy your tickets on line and when you get there they give you a bag of little Tabasco bottles they are pretty cool. Then you follow the self guided tour and they tell you the history of Tabasco, how they make it and the process it takes to make it to your table. They whole thing was so interesting. When you are done the store is so amazing. We went a little overboard. They will give you a map to drive around Avery Island where it's located. Such a beautiful tour, you download an app and you can listen to an audio tour. Everything about the experience was awesome. Highly recommend read more

Ever wondered where/how Tabasco sauce is made? No?! Me either! Lol. But guess what? I found out it's made right here in Louisiana, on Avery Island. No visit to Lafayette is complete without a tour of the TABASCO® factory, so off we went. It is located approximately 40 minutes from Zero Degrees (try the ube milkshake!). Per their website, "The Avery Island Fan Experience includes a self-guided tour of the TABASCO® Museum, Pepper Greenhouse, Barrel Warehouse, Avery Island Conservation, Salt Mine diorama, TABASCO Country Store®, TABASCO® Restaurant 1868! and the 170-acre natural beauty of Jungle Gardens." Edmund McIlhenny is the mastermind behind Tabasco sauce. Originally from Ireland (per a video at the museum), he traveled to NOLA to seek fortune and ended up on Avery Island when his banking business went bust. No one can say for sure where McIlhenny acquired his peppers from, but he experimented heavily and eventually developed Tabasco sauce using these peppers. Red chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens variety Tabasco) is crushed, mixed with Avery Island mined salt and aged in white oak barrels for up to 3 years. They have a very pungent smell! This "mash" is then blended with vinegar for 2-3 weeks, and strained to remove the skin and seeds. And...Ta-da! That's how Tabasco sauce is made. The lady at the admissions desk was super friendly and informative. We also sampled Tabasco ice cream, which honestly wasn't good, but interesting to try. read more

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Enjoyed the tour being self pace. Samples were offered at the gift shop of the sauces which helped you really be able to see whay flavors you like to purchase. read more

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I have been eyeballing this place to come to for quite some time now. Like a long time. I got a wild hair and decided to come. Well, I am not disappointed at all. There is a discount for military and Veterans and for people of a certain age. You start learning the history of the area, and how it came to be populated. This island is on top of a salt mine, and it is evidently very beneficial to growing of peppers, and if the popularity of Tabasco is any clue, it is beneficial to hot sauce. I never really realized the whole process it takes to make this sauce, but I guess that is the reason for this tour. I would suggest this for anyone, lover of hot sauce or not. The price of admission also covers admission to the jungles, which I would suggest visiting as well. All in all, a very lovely day. read more

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It was a short and sweet tour. Very informative! The store at the end was so fun with so many items to choose from! I would love to go again during the winter months. No complaints at all!! read more

What an amazing adventure! The plant is so informative that if you are not a Tabasco lover, you will be! Try all the new flavors in the Gift Store, and restaurant. Buy the garden tour, "Jungle Garden". You will see beauty, Alligators, and peacefulness. Get out of the car and experience tranquility. read more

This is a wonderful way to learn about how Tabasco is made. Even young children were excited to see the bottles on the assembly line being filled and bottled. The tour explained the geography of Avery Island and how the McIlhenny family developed the area. The gift shop was not your typical ripoff place. We bought so many wonderful items here and in the back, one could sample the different Tabasco varieties and even Tabasco ice cream. It was delicious, by the way. read more

Being a local and visiting the plant for the first time in 30+ years, I had a really good time! A self guided tour, took a couple of hours. Definitely recommend going during the weekday, so you can see some action going on. Also, I would rather go during winter time, summer is a little to hot for my liking! Really awesome staff and make sure to try out the good food there!! There's free sampling at the shop, the ice cream machine was down, so I did not get to try the Tabasco ice cream! Make sure to check out Restaurant 1868 for some delicious food! read more

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We had a fun time at the Tabasco Food Tour! It was so interesting to learn the history of Tabasco, read about the McIlhenny family and tour the factory and grounds. There was a lot to read -I wish they had the audio tours that you carried around-but it was interesting and fun. Loved the gift shop too and got some fun stuff. Oh they give you samples at the beginning of the tour to take home! read more

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Enjoyed this little piece of hot sauce heaven. Took advantage of the self guided tour. Learning about the history of Tabasco was very interesting. Warning, if you have a teenager, they may hate it and resent you for making them go. One point of interest here is the fermentation warehouse. So many barrels. You can also see in the green house (part of the self guided tour) some of the plants they use in their sauces, like the Tabasco pepper plant. FYI they sell the seeds in the Tabasco store. You get the chance to see the mixing room as well as the area where they bottle the sauces and finish packaging. Overall, this was a really enjoyable look into culinary history. If you are a food nerd, you will love this experience. Avery island is beautiful and nice too. After the tour we decided to hit up the restaurant. Did not care much for the food here. It looks cafeteria style but it was more concession stand quality. I sent back my boudin po boy. I was expecting boudin sliced in rounds and fried or at least a whole link. What I received was the inner turd of a boudin. It was soft and it looked like cat food. Switched it out for the chili. It was greasy. I'm basically saying you really don't come here for the food. Service was great at the restaurant but the food needs an overhaul. The cool thing about the restaurant is that all the tables have huge containers with all the Tabasco products so you can try all of them. Recommend the Tabasco scorpion hot sauce. Really great. Everyone else seemed to enjoy the raspberry chipotle hot sauce. Venturing over to the store was interesting. There are items for sale outside the store in the covered porch area. Inside, you'll find everything Tabasco that you will every want or at least want to look at. There is a sampling bar in the back for all Tabasco products and they also have Tabasco ice cream. Surprisingly good. They have gallon sized Tabasco hot sauces but not in all varieties. Just the common ones like the original and buffalo style sauce. Tons of T-shirt's, hoodies, bags, mugs, tumblers. They also carry a few cookbooks showcasing the area's unique regional style. Expect to spend at least a couple of hours here. Definitely would come back just to shop at the store. read more

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I do not just give our 5 stars! Years ago my young son wanted to go and today we finally did it! I cannot say enough about how much thought and planning went into this self guided tour!!! This place is beautiful and loved! There is zero way to get lost! I'm not into Tabasco sauce and now I have an appreciation for the process! It seems like a weird stop but go for it!!! Warning don't drink the samples!!! One will burn your mouth and they will not try to stop you, my son learned the hard way!!! read more

I wasn't sure what to expect with a visit to the Tabasco production plant, but this ended up being one of the highlights or our Louisiana trip. The ladies manning the ticket booth were friendly and helpful. They told us about their military discount and we were able to save on tickets and Mr. R got a special military tiny bottle of Tabasco to boot. The tour was self-guided, following the path to the numbered stops to showcase the saucy process from start to finish. We were there on an 82 degree sunny day, which made it wonderful for us to walk around the grounds surrounded by bamboo. We had no idea that Tabasco mash is aged in oak barrels for up to three years, so this was an interesting tidbit to learn. We also didn't realize that Tabasco was the name of a pepper. I thought it was just the name of the brand of sauce. There are video stations throughout the property where you can press a button and listen to someone describe the next stage of production. After our tour we headed to the gift shop and sampled a few sauces, bought some goodies to take home and then I sat on the porch for a bit in one of their rocking chairs and enjoyed the lively music that was piped onto the porch. After taking a tour of the adjacent Jungle Island, we ended up coming back to the Tabasco property to have lunch at the Restaurant 1868. We really enjoyed our time on Avery Island. read more

Closed due to the weather 1/16/18. Called day before re Martin Luther King Jr day and never got a call back. I've been here before, but this would have been my brother's first visit, after using the sauce for years. So I'm kinda bummed we didn't get to take the tour. I'm also really bummed that my review is one of so few, and that it is a poor. I hope I get a chance to fix that soon. But don't let my poor review deter you, if you like the sauce, you need to visit Avery Island. Bottom line: I'd say call first, but I doubt the phone will be answered, or the call returned. Oops, somehow I missed this page: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tabasco-pepper-sauce-factory-avery-island The link above has many more reviews than this listing. read more

Great place to visit with family and friends. Super interesting to see how such a "petite" operation produces and ships to 89% of the planet, supplying the hot stuff. Very informative, great staff - very happy to see you - and lots of sampling at the end. I'm not a heat fan, but my boys are. The tabasco soda was "interesting" and so was the icecream - wouldn't eat it but was interesting enough to taste. All served with happy staff! BRING THE HEAT! read more

For 13.50, I was really impressed, we were there for about 4 hours. We started at the jungle tours, the ladies inside the store were very personable and helpful. The gardens themselves were beautiful (you can do a cell phone guided tour, we winged it!) There are plenty of places to stop for a photo op. The factory is also self guided with about 8 stops - very informative. With the 2 tours I got so many free gifts! That was the best part! A jar of tobasco green beans, a jar of tobasco olives and 3 mini tobascos. The country store at the end of the tour has samples of everything! Tobasco cola and icecream, say whaat? Tobasco chili starter? Yes please? After such a great tour and so many freebies I had no problem plunking down 10 bucks for a bottle of family reserve! Go here. read more

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Amazing tour of the Tobasco plant on Avery Island. I learned so much! You get to see every part of the process from see growth to packaging. Very informative and the staff are so knowledgeable... we stopped a couple people and asked a few random questions and nobody hesitated to answer. So much fun and incredibly well priced. read more

This was a detour on a road trip for a family member who is a fan. I am not the fan, and I honestly was doing this as a favor, as I was the one who was going to be driving to close to midnight as a result. But you know what? I had a great time. I'll start with the bad. Because of the location, I'm assuming that this is a road trip, and that you potentially have a pet in tow. Supposing that you don't have a Tesla with "dog mode," this place didn't make it easy to have your pet. There was no information on visiting with pets on the website; there was no place to give your dog a drink; and, while your dog obviously isn't allowed inside the buildings on the tour, your dog isn't allowed even remotely close to the tour buildings. I think this needs to be re-thought, as I spent a significant amount of time sitting at an outdoor table while my family did their tour so that I could then take my turn. That said, dogs were certainly welcome at the patio tables in front of the gift shop, and they were welcome on the porch of the restaurant. The restaurant, by the way, was honestly pretty good for what I'll term a "museum restaurant." Have I eaten at better? Yes, yes I have. But, prices were reasonable; service was quick; and the staff was welcoming and helpful. Is it the best Cajun food that you've ever eaten? No, your sister-in-law's gumbo is probably still better, but it was quite good. I recommend that you try the boudin egg rolls. Why? Because it's weird. Where else are you going to eat those? The gift shop is amazing. There's such a huge selection of all kinds of different Tabasco-related and Tabasco-themed products. And, the clerks were quick to spot me carrying around stuff and offer to hold it at the counter. Also, be sure to try the ice cream samples in the back made with Tabasco products. I think you'll find one of the flavors good and wonder what people were thinking with the other. But that's part of the fun, right? It's not clear when you're booking from the website, but the "Avery Island Fan Experience" includes both a factory tour and admission to the "Jungle Gardens," a drive-through (with stops for waking/wandering) garden/nature preserve. Tickets for just the tour were available at the factory itself if you are pressed for time and don't need the gardens. There is a toll gate at the entrance to Avery Island. Just pull up, stop, and a guy hands you a parking pass for your dash . . . there was no actual toll. The tour itself is relatively quick. There's a small greenhouse where you can see some of the peppers used in the products, and there's a building where you can see how the peppers are aged. Most of the rest of the buildings have "museum-typical" displays of artifacts and information. There's a plate window where you get to look in and see the bottling, but I think that's only Mondays through Thursdays. All-in-all, we had a great time. For the Tabasco lover in your family, this is quite the treat. For those who are less of a fan, it was fun and the food was above-average. read more

I have been living in Louisiana since I was 12 (46 years ago, if you really need to know) and I have never been here......until today. We took the factory tour first, then to the General Store, went to the restaurant, winding up in the Jungle Gardens. So, this review is about all that we seen here. The factory tour is self-guided. *NOTE* If you have sensitive sinuses, you may want to skip "STOP 8" on the map. It is where the pepper mash sits and basically ferments and the smells ABOUND. But the tour is very informative with videos telling different aspects of the making of Tabasco sauce, as well as, how it has been a private company owned and run by the same family since 1868, when it was started. The General Store is just that, a Store with all Tabasco items. Interestingly enough they had samples of ice cream as well as soda made with Tabasco. Good stuff. At the restaurant we split a chili dog and an Brunch Biscuit. The Chili dog was straight up off the hook good. The hot dog is a beef dog with chili. It's the chili that really rocks you, it is so good. The Brunch Biscuit is a Biscuit topped with Crawfish etouffee. Today, the Jungle Gardens were half price because there was work being done on a lot of the car trails but beautiful scenery nonetheless. read more

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We enjoyed the tour very much. You get to learn about the history of how Tabasco was started and learn about the owner and generations after. You get to see the process of how the Tabasco is made. I had no idea they aged the pepper mash in barrels. It was very cool. They have a nice restaurant. I had the crawfish etoufee. My husband had the chili dog. We both liked it. We prices are very reasonable too. You know how you go some places that have restaurants (like ball parks, roller coaster parks) and they jack up the prices really high because they know they have the only restaurant near by. This is not like that at all. I was satisfied with the amount of food and quality for the price. We absolutely loved the shop. We bought so much stuff. It was just so fun. They have all their products set up for sampling AND they had raspberry chipotle ice cream and habanero ice cream samples . How neat is that??! read more

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We liked the go at your own pace which lead to your own time frame. It has good stops to rest from the heat. One thing they could add is subtitles to their videos throughout the museum. The museum was well put together and easy reading and listening. read more

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We booked this tour by calling the country store to avoid the online fees. Our tour guide George, a long time native of the area and Tabasco employee, was fantastic! My wife and I were lucky to be the only two on the tour on a warm muggy Friday. We learned a lot about Tabasco, Avery island, New Iberia, and Cajun people and culture. We got to meet the owners of the terrific eating establishments we visited. We really enjoyed all the food: crawfish étouffée, Crawfish and onion rings, Praline cupcakes, Boudin sausage, fried boudin balls, and cracklings, and finally seafood gumbo and sausage and chicken gumbo. George shared his preferences for enjoying these local delicacies and some of the nuances of the food. This was a highlight of our trip and we highly recommend it! Lots of leftovers too! read more

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Thank you George, (our food tour guide), for a great afternoon of food fun. My wife and I have been enjoying full time RV travel and eating our way across America and this tour was the best tour we a have been on. read more

The factory tour was closed. But we still enjoyed the visit to the property and the store. We are big fans of Tabasco in all its forms. So it was cool to try the different kinds of tabasco (oh the jalapeno jelly is to die-for) and the sweet and spicy and jalapeno icecreams. Every icecream maker should adopt this recipe. OMG! Overall, it was a great experience and we would love come back for a full tour at some point. read more

This self guided tour is very interesting and well worth the time and cost ($5.50 a person!). We were there about 2.5 to 3 hours. At the little store you can sample all the different products, including Tabasco ice cream! We ate at the Tabasco cafe, the food was quite good and is of average price. There is alot of walking, but there are many places to sit and take a break if u want. Would recommend this place to persons of all ages. read more

Save your money and stay home. I was NOT impressed. I expected to see fields of peppers, a factory making the mash and bottling it. NONE of that was found. I still don't know where the peppers are grown. On the long, exhausting tour, (after a long exhausting drive) they have one tiny little greenhouse with 3-4 bushes, certainly not enough to produce any quantity. The bottling plant was shut down, the only mash I saw was in photos that I could have looked up online at home, and the rest was trying to sell you tabasco branded - well, anything you can imagine. Almost every building was just photos to look at. Had their "gumbo" at the cafe - among the worst I've ever had. 2-3 pieces of meat, a spoonful of rice and the rest liquid. At least they had several varieties of tabasco to try out. Then there's these mysterious tanker trucks going in and out of some off-limits buildings. Tried to find out what they were, but staff claimed not to know. If they produce and bottle it onsite, why are there tankers coming and going? All in all, just a waste time time and money... read more

My wife, friends, and I enjoyed a fantastic three hours on this tour. George, our tour guide, is a long-time employee of the Tabasco company.He had an excellent fund of knowledge of both the company, its history, as well as the geography, geology, and history of the surrounding area. His family and he have a long tradition of making many of the foods that we enjoyed, and could explain how they were made and their history, as well as their relation to the local culture. We stopped at five separate places-popular with the locals. All of them were very good to excellent. At $49 per person, it was much less expensive than many food stores and well worth the money. read more

Fun self guided tour. We just did the factory tour. Bottelling was going on this Saturday because they had to close for tropical storm Cindy during the week but they said not normally botteling on weekends. Really interesting and enjoyed the tour but must confess I , like many others , am a huge fan of their products read more

Bad business. We got robbed. We got our tickets online since we live in Florida. We never really got the tour. First we were told the employee didn't show up. Then we were told the places were closed. They we were told the tour was cancelled. Now they are telling us we can't get our money back cause we used the online option. Be careful dealing with this company. Fast to take your money. read more