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Contents» Lodi: It’s more than a place to sip zin » Area pros have some useful golf tips » If you’re a golfer, Lodi is the place » Answering every golfer’s favorite questions » And then there’s the 19th hole » Plenty of rooms for every pocketbook » Love fun, music, festivals? Find them in Lodi » Pull out your map; make plans for a day trip » Lodi’s fine wines begin on the vine » Lodi wines continue to grow in prestige » Area wineries offer a chance to taste » Love to eat? Then Lodi’s the place » There’s a restaurant for every taste » Lodi’s best places to quench a thirst » Travel adventures that taste good » Lodi is paradise for antique hunters » There’s plenty of things to fly, see, do » For visitors, the great outdoors awaits » Visitors can find a hike to their liking » No matter your faith, Lodi has a place |
Travel adventures that taste good
By Ripley M. Howe Mmm — the classic murmur of longing and appetite. Even Homer Simpson knows that while a balanced meal is hard to beat, not all things tasty are meant to be served at the dinner table. The Lodi area has many producers of such various and delicious delicacies as cookies, nuts, cheeses, jelly beans and chocolates. While out and about, have a look at these producers of yummy treats. Some are open for tours of the production floor, and all have gift shops where they sell their tasty wares: Mmm — cookies Spaans Cookies — Galt’s family-owned business has been baking cookies locally since 1958, and they now turn out an astounding 70,000 cookies an hour. The quaint gift shop features antique stained-glass windows, and there are always plenty of free, warm, fresh-baked cookies available and nice hot coffee. The shop offers buckets of cookies for sale, with prices from $2.50-$5.50. Rhubarb pie is another specialty, as well as other fresh berry pies, fresh parker house rolls and Russian tea cakes. As well as a giant 4-ounce “killer cookie,” the gift shop offers a wide variety of sugar-free cookies and candies. A new addition is the paint-can of cookies, $10, for people who need some nourishment during a difficult home renovation. During the holidays they offer fresh gingerbread and special cookies that can be hand-decorated and hung from a Christmas tree. The gift shop is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. There are no official factory tours, but if you’re lucky and the time is right, the staff may show you around. Spaans Cookies, 465 C St., Galt, 745-1974 Mmm — cheese Oakdale Cheese & Specialties — For 20 years, a cheesemaker has been crafting cheese by hand, using old-world techniques to produce 12 varieties of delicious gouda cheese. Visitors can watch the one-man operation during tours of the cheese-maker’s shop. Year-round, guests can frisk and frolic on the 3-acre grassy property, complete with picnic tables and a koi pond. The property also has a petting zoo, featuring a donkey, a llama, rabbits, ducks, geese and the most recent addition, a turkey. The gift shop features gourmet foods, and a variety of cheeses and cow-related products. Fresh baked goods are brought in daily. Oakdale Cheese & Specialties, 10040 State Highway 120, Oakdale, 848-3139 On the Web at www.oakdalecheese.com. Mmm, — nuts The Lodi Nut Company — First established in 1919 as the Stone Nut Company, the company counts Haagen Dazs Ice Cream, Pepperidge Farm and See's Candies among its corporate customers. While the plant does not offer tours of its sanitary and up-to-date plant, it has a gift shop stocked with a tantalizing variety of nuts in tins, trays and custom-made gift baskets. The gift shop also carries a variety of glassware and vases. The goodies range in price from $5 to $150, and are beautifully wrapped, especially during the Christmas season. During the holidays, the shop offers hand-dipped candles, greeting cards, as well as stocking stuffers and an assortment of gifts made of nuts. The gift shop is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. During the fall and winter holidays, the shop is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is open Saturdays. The Lodi Nut Company, 1230 S. Fairmont St. Lodi, 334-2081. On the Web at www.lodinut.com. Mmm — chocolate Hershey Candy Factory — While factory tours of this aromatic real-life chocolate factory have been discontinued since the events of 9/11, the company does consider requests from schools to tour the plant. But the gift shop is still open, and offers several new items this year. Brand new are a variety of sugar-free chocolates, including milk chocolate, almond and dark chocolate bars, and peanut-butter cups. The gift shop also has new “Italian charms” with the Hershey’s logo. Extreme chocolate lovers can partake of a giant 5-lb. chocolate bar, or a 7-ounce kiss. In addition to coffee and hot cocoa, of course they have milk. Hershey Candy Factory, 120 S. Sierra Ave., Oakdale 848-8126. On the Web at www.hersheys.com/visit/oakdale.shtml Mmm — jelly beans Jelly Belly Factory — The jelly bean maker has factory tours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, except for some holidays. No reservations are required, and there is no age limit on the tours. The tours of the large factory take approximately 35 minutes, and are accessible to strollers and wheelchairs. On weekends, they have “quiet tours,” when the production line is shut down. DVD monitors show what the working production line looks like. Naturally there are free samples at the end of the tour, and a jelly bean sampling bar. A brand-new offering is called JBz, a chocolate candy with a jelly-bean flavored candy shell. The factory also has a 5,000 square-foot retail store, with 83 flavors of jelly beans, chocolate covered macadamia nuts, and seasonal candies. The shop offers tasty pectin fruit gels, and a variety of sugar free and no-sugar added goodies. At the gift shop’s restaurant, they offer jelly bean-shaped hamburgers and pizza with an assortment of toppings. Visitors are encouraged to visit the candy demonstration kitchen and the ice cream counter. Jelly Belly Factory, One Jelly Belly Lane, Fairfield. (707) 428-2838. On the Web: jellybelly.com And finally, Mmm — beer Budweiser-Anheuser Busch Factory Tour & Gift Shop — Take the one-hour tour of the brewery where six different beers are crafted, and watch a short film about the giant beer maker. Free tours are conducted every hour on the hour, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Children under 5 are not allowed on the production floor. Yes, they have free samples. The gift shop has all things Budwieser for sale, including hats, T-shirts and beer steins. Budweiser — Anheuser Busch Factory Tour & Gift Shop, 3101 Busch Dr., Fairfield, (707) 429-7595. On the web at: www.budweisertours.com/docs/calif.htm. |
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