tabasco food tours

I went on the Tobasco tour last Wednesday. It was very interesting. Saw Tobasco being bottled and watched a short film on the history of Tobasco. They have a store there where you can buy basically everything they make. I would recommend this tour to lovers of hot sauce and people interested in American history. Oh......and as a bonus they give you a bunch of free samples.

This is a decent place for a couple of hours. The tour itself is a basic ten minute movie and then a walk thru of the factory. The country store has numerous samples and anything Tabasco for sale. Tour and store takes about an hour and a half. Weather was cold and windy so we did not see anything else on the Island but in good weather it would be worth a trip. Factory tour is free and there is a one dollar toll to get on the Island

We're from Minnesota and we joined couples from Texas (west) and Wisconsin for this 3.5 hour food tour of the New Iberia area. 'Cajun Country' has to be one of the best places in the US to enjoy food full of flavor. Sure there's some spicy hot food here, but really it the great flavors of the food here that really make it spin!! We not only sampled local foods from the area, but also had a guided tour of the history and culture of the region. It's like a foreign country inside the USA with a whole different set of flavors. Thanks George, we really enjoyed it!!

I loved this place. I went with some good friends and had a blast. The samples were great. I grew up eating Tabasco on everything and loved learning more about how it is made.

We visited on a Friday and unfortunaly nothing was being made or bottled that day. The 10 minute video was a glorified commercial that mentioned the country store several times.

The food tour was fantastic. We went to places that we never would have found on our own and visited restaurants and businesses that are family owned For the price, this is a great value and George is the best tour guide. Don't miss this tour.

We visited Avery Island in late January, when things are typically slow on Avery Island. Despite the fact that only the two of us signed up for the tour we were given the VIP treatment by people who really know and love their job. George is an outstanding guide to the local foods, culture, art, outdoors ... you name it. He gave us a full history of the area and went into detail on any subject that was of interest to us. The food was fantastic and, as other reviewers have noted, we went to small local establishments that you won't find touted on the internet or tour guides. We were warmly welcomed by the owners or staff of each restaurant and given a quiet area to eat and learn about the food. Each place had a special offering and George or the owner gave us the culinary and cultural background for the food.This tour was the highlight of a month-long stay in the area for us. George is planning on adding tours through another parish in the near future, so if we are ever back in the area, we will surely take another tour to learn more about the Cajun foods and culture.

My spouse and I took the Tabasco Food Tour in mid December 2014 with tour guide George. After spending a few days in New Orleans we believe the Tabasco tour was a more personal and down to earth experience than anything we did in the Crescent City. We went back and visited two establishments on our own before our travel itinerary forced us to move on. George was a wonderful host. He would not accept a tip asking only that we put a good word in on this site. It is our pleasure to do so, George.Our particular tour had a bonus. Half the participants were Tabasco Company employees. In addition to George's stories, these employees had their own stories about the local area. Their pride in their work and the Tabsco brand was very evident. I am a Tabasco addict and I was glad to have witnessed and shared the comradery of these employees.We now know where six of the tour stops are. When we get back to New Iberia we'll visit them on our own to enjoy the full menu or purchase their products. But we will sign up for another tour just for the opportunity to meet again with George, the Tabasco Store folks, and hopefully the factory employees.

I visited New Iberia on several occasions on business during the 1980's and wanted to share the culture and unique food with my wife on a recent trip through Louisiana. Our recent food tour experience was fantastic, and we couldn't wait to suggest this as a "must do" for our friends. Despite the fact that this was a return trip to the area, the tour took us to restaurants and other venues, each with unique and delightful offerings, that we would not have found on our own. George and Lisa treated us royally, and added anecdotes about the culture and history that made it a memorable occasion. If you are ever close to Avery Island, be sure to plan this tour into your itinerary.Bob & Carol

We went after Christmas and two of the five local establishments were closed for Boxing Week, so they managed to cobble together a Tour for us. The regular Tour Guide George was on vacation and Lisa from the Marketing Department replaced him. She was very generous with her local knowledge and love of the food, but she probably didn't have the full historical script. The Tour was oversold by 4 and was 16 instead of the normal maximum of 12 and the Bus was overcrowded. I know at least one couple that didn't have a reservation was added a few hours prior to the Tour. If you have any flexibility, avoid the week after Christmas and double check about George's availability, as the local Merchants seem to know and ask for him. The places we did visit provided an ample taste of Cajun and Local Cuisine and if back in the area would revisit. We did get a few unique experiences though: We met a McIlhenny while dining in the Company Deli, saw two Black Bear Cubs and even drove through the Salt Mine.

We were not sure what to expect heading from Baton Rouge to Avery Island during a thunderstorm for a family pre-Christmas outing. Once we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised that the rain stopped and we could visit the bottling tour, the country store, the jungle gardens, and then the best part of all...the food tour with Lisa. It was Lisa’s first tour but we could not tell because Lisa was an expert on the local cuisine and the history of Avery Island. Lisa has been with Tabasco for over 17 years and has a wealth of internal knowledge. She shared her love of cajun food and taught us about the varieties of boudin and gumbo. We sampled so many delicious dishes from red beans and rice to crawfish etouffee to gumbo to stuffed breads to pecan rice to boudin. The tour was well organized and dispersed with history about the island, the McIlhenny family, local food history between eating and visiting local restaurants. We highly recommend stopping at Avery Island when you are in Louisiana and going on this fabulous tour.

My wife and I thought the local food we experienced on the Tabasco Food Tour was excellent, and far exceeded our expectations. The various kinds of authentic boudin, gumbo, bread pudding, cracklin’ and stuffed bread were all amazingly good (and interesting). Equally interesting was a unique variety of brown rice (new to us) that has the “mouth feel” of white rice. (We bought some and it got rave reviews at Thanksgiving). We also sampled a delicious local shrimp “boil,” but unfortunately were a little early for crayfish season. If you’re there at the right time for crayfish so much the better. The portions are quite ample, so better be hungry at the start.But as good as it was, the food on the tour was only half the story. The other half, and equally impressive, was how well the culture of Avery Island and New Iberia was conveyed to us. My wife and I are experienced travelers, and we both agreed that our guide, George, was just about as good a tour guide as we’ve ever had in 40 years of travel. He is part foodie, part historian, part sociologist and part social director (everyone in town seemed delighted to see him and to meet and greet us). Moreover, we thought he was a delightfully warm and personable companion for a fascinating travel experience.We’re not normally in the habit of writing such enthusiastic reviews, but took the time to submit this one because we truly think it’s a very worthwhile half day if you’re in the area. Also, be aware that it would make a wonderful day trip from New Orleans (about 2 hours away).

While visiting Louisiana, went on the Food Tour sponsored by Tabasco. The tour left from the Tabasco Country Store on Avery Island, Louisiana. The tours leave on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, at 1:00 p.m. and last between 3 1/2 to 4 hours. The tour leader, George, is a Tabasco employee and resident in the area. Another long time Tabasco employee and local resident rode shotgun. Both regaled the group, a total of six, with stories of the history of the Avery and McIlhenney families, the Tabasco products and history, and local lore. We were taken to places that only locals would know about to eat freshly and locally made Cajun foods. None of the places visited appeared in any tourism pamphlet or brochure. All of the places were family owned and operated. Several of the places where we sampled food were located in so nondescript buildings that if I was driving on the road, I would have passed them by without a second thought. All of the food sampled was tasty and delicious. We sampled three types of boudin at two different locations. Each type was good in its own right. It was a matter of personal taste and preference as to which location had the "better" boudin. The same can be said abut the location where two different types of gumbo was sampled, along with home made potato salad. Overloaded on the freshly made cracklin' and fried pork rind at another place and home-made bread pudding at yet another place. Visited and sampled foods at 6 places. The leftovers were packed and distributed to the tour participants.The Tabasco employees were very accommodating. Four of the tour members had gotten lost on their drive to Avery Island and did not get a chance to browse around the Tabasco Country Store and sample the Tabasco products and Tabasco flavored products (soft serve ice cream and cola soda pop) as they arrived within 5 minutes of the tour's departure. The tour usually arrives back after the Country Store closes so the tour leader radioed ahead and the manager of the Country Store agreed to keep the store open for some period of time after the Food Tour arrived back at the Country Store to give those people a chance to walk around the store. Very friendly people.Overall, an excellent time was had.

basically just watching a video and walking thru a glassed off viewing of the bottling process. They did have a nice general store.

This was the best food tour I've ever been on. Truly authentic Cajun food at obviously local, non-touristy places. Our guide, George, was very fun and knows a lot about the area in general and the food in particular. We visited 6 places and ate a huge amount of delicious food. As George explained, the food is geared as to what is in season at the time. I would definitely recommend this tour as a must-do!!