Tobasco Factory and Visitor's Center, Hot sauce factory and museum on Avery Island, Louisiana, United States
The factory sits on a quiet island surrounded by greenery and water, where the air carries the warm scent of peppers and spices being made into hot sauce.
The McIlhenny family started making their pepper sauce here in 1868, using peppers from Latin America and salt from the island to create a recipe that became popular worldwide.
Visitors can taste different flavors of the sauce for free at the tasting bar and learn how Louisiana cooks use it to add heat and flavor to local dishes like gumbo and crawfish.
The center is open daily from 9 AM to 4 PM, and you can tour the factory, see the barrels where the sauce ages, and stop by the gift shop for bottles and souvenirs.
Workers use a small red stick called the petite baton rouge to check when the peppers turn the right shade of red and are ready to be picked for making the sauce.
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