Are you game for treating your kids to some pure sugar at 10:00 a.m.? Why not?! Tour a soda factory. Learn how soda is made. Put your very own Avery Soda apron on, and invent a one-of-a-kind flavor of soda. Watch your soda transform from syrup into a real soda pop! You might even try some prototypes. Take 3 bottles of your very own invented soda home! So fun!
Mom’s Review:
We all loved it! The staff is friendly, and fun. Going inside is like traveling back in time to the old Laverne & Shirley shows. Remember that? “Schlemiel, schlimazel, hasenpfeffer incorporated!” I would definitely visit again. I will think of this as a birthday party destination. Good Stuff!
Favorite Season To Visit:
Summer is always the best time to enjoy a nice cool beverage.
Any season would work, because it is all indoors. I even saw some holiday-themed soda.
Activities/Things to do:
- Tour
- Make your own soda
- Shop – small gift area
- Educate yourself on the history
- Laugh and have fun
What to Pack:
- $$ – They do accept credit cards, thankfully!
- Usual kid stuff
- Camera/video camera
FYI:
- Avery’s has a few souvenirs next to the cash register (bottle openers, bottle top catcher, etc…)
- Tours book up about 6 weeks in advance. Call now!
- Minimum of 5 people that are actually making the soda to book a tour. Moms, dads, and friends can make their own or just tag along for free.
- Would be a great birthday party idea.
Kids thoughts on this place:
Mike’s favorite part – Making your own soda
Ella’s favorite part – Drinking your own soda
Abi’s rating (an 8 year-old kid’s take on the place) – she rates it a #10! For Super, Duper Fun. (Abi has a sweet tooth!)
Is there anything that made this mom nervous?:
Be sure to watch your head on the steep stairs!
Holding my one year-old next to a hugely stacked pile of soda crates! I can only imagine the disaster if he reached out his hand to pull one! 🙂
Dad’s 2 cents$$$ – What is all of this quality time going to cost me?
$11.50 per active participant in making soda timers our 3 older kids. It was worth it. This was a unique experience and we all had fun together making soda. There were a lot of laughs, great company from friends, and huge smiles on the kids faces!
Location:
520 Corbin Ave.
New Britain, CT
860-224-0830
Hours:
Monday – closed
Tuesday – 8:30-5:30
Wednesday – 8:30-5:30
Thursday – 8:30-7:00
Friday – 8:30-6:00
Saturday – 8:30-3:00
Our experience:
We pulled up to a much smaller building than we imagined. The first thing we noticed was the waves on the roof. We wondered what might be in store for the morning. After we stepped inside, we saw people in their pajamas loading up a variety of sodas into a case. More patrons were coming in with bottle returns and leaving with loads of soda. One of the 4 or 5 guys running around noticed our big family coming in, and asked if we were there for the tour. While we waited, we noticed bottle caps EVERYWHERE! (walls, floors, and displays) We had a fun time guessing to see how many bottle tops are in the see-through container. Boy, were we off!
While we waited for our friends to arrive, I was getting a little nervous. I had gotten everyone so excited to make soda. Briefly, I wondered if I had read the description correctly and if we really were going to be able to make our own soda. Then finally, thank goodness (and it was only about 5-10 minutes later), someone motioned us to the back. They asked the kids if they were ready to make some soda! Phew!
A very nice gentleman was there to greet the kids with their very own aprons. We were given a demonstration of the machines-this is where the flashback to Laverne and Shirley comes to mind. Our guide threw out some questions about soda making. The adults didn’t have a clue. But, the kids managed to get some answers right.
Then we proceeded up some of the most narrow and steep stairs I’ve ever been on. This time, I was reminded of Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory heading down the tiny, narrow hallway into the candy room. Waiting upstairs was the syrup room. The kids got to label a soda bottle, and squirt their own combination of flavored syrups into their bottles. Every once in a while a door alarm would sound, and our guide told us we should all hop on one foot to stop the alarm! It was very funny to watch the kids and adults hopping around with each beep.
When we were done, we headed back down the teeny, tiny stairs to the machines. There, we watched the machine turn our syrup into soda. The machine bottled our sodas, and our guide placed them in bags for the kids to take home.
We even got to sample some of our guide’s soda. They were prototypes. Yum!:) That’s it! The tour was done! What fun!
More Pictures For A Better Visual:
go to http://www.kidfriendlythingstodo.com/2012/01/avery-soda-pictures/
To Find Out More From Avery’s Soda:
Go To: http://www.averysoda.com/
wonderful! looks great!