Description
Tayto Tours offers a fantastic sneak peek into the secrets behind the UK's most iconic crisp-making process. It stands out as one of the best things to do with kids in Tandragee, operating as a fully functional factory tour and industrial food museum attraction. The experience invites families into the historic grounds of Tandragee Castle to see exactly how their favourite potato snacks are washed, sliced, fried, and packed.
Prices start from £8.00 for children and concessions, while standard adult tickets are priced from £12.50. Family group ticket bundles are available to book online to help save money on larger family days out. All visitors must pre-book their specific time slots online before arrival, as walk-in entry cannot be accommodated due to strict food hygiene and safety controls.
If you are looking for the best place for a day out with family and kids, Tayto Tours combines rich industrial history with interactive, flavor-filled fun. Children love seeing the fast-moving machinery and tasting the crisps when they are at their absolute freshest. It provides a unique, educational morning or afternoon adventure that keeps young minds fully engaged.
Features
- Paid
- Host birthday parties: No
Features
Core Activity Features
- Sensory Food Exploration: Children use their senses of smell, sight, and taste to follow the journey of a simple potato into a seasoned crisp.
- Interactive Industrial Exhibits: The tour route features large viewing windows where families can watch high-speed automated sorting grids and robotic packing lines.
- Educational Day Out: Visitors learn about the history of the 19th-century castle alongside modern physics, chemistry, and engineering principles used in mass food manufacturing.
Detailed Highlights
- The Tandragee Castle Outer Courtyard: The adventure starts right outside a spectacular 19th-century Irish castle building that serves as the factory's home. Kids love the surprise of realizing a traditional fairy-tale fortress actually conceals a bustling, modern snack factory inside. It creates immediate excitement as your guide hands out your essential high-visibility vests and hairnets.
- The High-Speed Peeling Station: Families get an upfront view of the huge intake bays where tons of fresh, locally grown potatoes are cleaned. Children love watching the automated scrubbing machines remove the jackets from hundreds of potatoes in just a few seconds. It is a brilliant way to show kids how agricultural produce transitions into their favorite snack.
- The Slicing and Frying Deck: The tour paths take you along secure platforms directly above the massive cooking vats. Older children will be fascinated by the ultra-sharp rotary blades that slice the potatoes into uniform discs at lightning speed. The warm environment and the rich, savory smell of cooking crisps make this a highlight for the senses.
- The Flavour Tumbler Room: This zone contains enormous rotating metal cylinders where the crisps are evenly coated in seasoning. Kids enjoy watching thousands of crisps dance around inside the drums while being dusted with the secret cheese and onion mix. It offers a fun look at the science behind building different snack varieties.
- The Automated Bagging Gallery: The final section of the manufacturing floor shows off advanced packaging technology. Children love watching the robotic arms sort, bag, seal, and box multi-packs at incredible speeds that look like a real-life video game. Every child gets a crisp packet straight from the line to take home.
Specific Attractions and Objects Within the Collection
- The Castle Gatehouse Reception: The historic check-in point where families gather for safety briefings.
- The Potato Sorting Grid: The industrial washing area that filters incoming crops.
- The Precision Rotary Slicers: High-speed mechanical cutters used to shape the potato crisps.
- The Seasoning Tumbler Drums: Massive industrial cylinders that apply flavor powders.
- The Robotic Packing Station: The fully automated sorting and Boxing machinery hub.
- The Tayto Factory Gift Shop: A treasure trove of exclusive merchandise, clothing, and multi-pack deals.
137.02 miles
