#Tillamook cheese factory full#
#Tillamook cheese factory plus#

Bring your appetite, because youвЂ™re going to need it. But it is also home to the Blue Heron French Cheese Company, Debbie DвЂ™s Sausage Factory, Pacific Oyster, Tillamook County Smoker, WernerвЂ™s Gourmet meat and many, many restaurants serving amazing, local gourmet fare. And Yes, There is CheeseвЂ¦ДЇoodie Alert! Tillamook is well know as the home of the Tillamook Cheese Factory. And the Tillamook Forest Center offers science and eco-tourists a chance to view the regionвЂ™s largest forrest resource sustainability center. Airplane buffs will be in awe of the rare war-bird collection at the Tillamook Naval Air Museum. A half dozen museums in the area await the history entusiast. The area is home to the Three Capes Scenic Loop вЂ“ a scenic drive with breathtaking views of the ocean, the Three Arch Rocks, Netarts Bay and Haystack Rock (near Pacific City).

#Tillamook cheese factory plus#

Tillamook is home to more than a dozen mapped and maintained hiking trails, more than 800 miles of navigable waters for the kayak enthusiast, plus crabbing, clamming, and fishing opportunities in Tillamook and Netarts Bays. During your exploration, you will find that Tillamook just about has it all. Since 1788, when Captain Robert Gray sailed the American sailing sloop Lady Washington into Tillamook Bay thinking he had found the вЂњgreat river of the WestвЂќ this area has been a rapidly growing, hard-working community built around the areaвЂ™s timber, dairy and fishing industriesвЂ¦and now tourism too. While not exactly a вЂњbeach townвЂќ in the strictest sense, the city of Tillamook is on the eastern edge of Tillamook Bay and a great crossroads from which visitors can reach Tillamook CountyвЂ™s many beaches, parks and a veritable host of recreational possibilities. We were able to get out and stretch our legs, have a bit to eat and also discover a really cool company.вЂњOffering a Whole Lot More Than Just Cheese.вЂќ It does seem a little strange to visit a factory while youвЂ™re traveling through, but our visit turned into the perfect stop. I love everything that the company stands for: a quality food, locally sourced and naturally produced. ThatвЂ™s a lot of people! It can get pretty busy, and it was busy while we were there, but at no time did I feel suffocated. I wonder if the workers trade off who actually works in front of people so theyвЂ™re not always being watched.Д®very year over a million people visit this factory. The actual building stretched far beyond what is open to the public.

You can only see a small portion of the factory on the tour and I think much of it is the packaging process. ItвЂ™s not every day you get to watch cheese being made. Kind of strange, but also fascinating at the same time. The glass was tinted so I donвЂ™t think they could see us, but knowing that there were people behind it watching them, must be so strange and uncomfortable.Д®ven by me watching them, I felt uncomfortable. The whole time I was wandering around the factory on the self guided tour, I couldnвЂ™t help but wonder how the workerвЂ™s felt about being watched. Darn, if only I knew this before, I could have had more! It turns out because of the way they make their cheese, much of the lactose is left in the liquid whey, meaning their cheese is almost lactose free. While I was perusing their their website, I stumbled upon a question about lactose. Those sample boxes would make the perfect gift. You can grab a bite to eat at their cafe.

You can take yourself on a self guided tour and learn about the cheese making process. What exactly is there to do at a cheese factory? Anywhere from 60 days for Medium Cheddar to 3 years for their Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar. From there, depending on the cheese theyвЂ™re making, it gets aged. Once the milk arrives at the farm, it gets turned into cheese within 24 hours. As youвЂ™re driving through the area, you indeed see farm after farm filled cows. The Tillamook Cheese Factory is farmer owned, made up of almost 100 farms in and around the Tillamook County. Plus, they had so many varieties of cheese! They havenвЂ™t made it up to Canada yet so no wonder I had never heard of them. Things like ice cream (yum), yogurt (mmm), sour cream (yes please!) and butter (mmm makes everything taste better!). Turns out Tillamook is a massive brand and it has much more than just cheese. Plus, IвЂ™m lactose intolerant so who cares? (secret: I still eat cheese occasionally because I love it too much. I hadnвЂ™t even heard of Tillamook, much less the cheese factory.

Everyone was raving about their visit to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. While I was researching what to do along our drive down the Oregon coast, one thing kept on popping up. I never thought visiting a cheese factory would be very high on my list of things to do.

#Tillamook cheese factory full#

You can read my full disclosure policy here. Some posts on this site contain affiliate links, meaning if you book or buy something through one of these links, I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you!).