This was by far one of our favorite stops while visiting the Smokies. We saw a billboard near our cabin rental and had to follow it and it turned out to be a lot of fun. It is a very interesting museum not just for food production and manufacturing but local history. The employees working in the museum are super nice and helpful. There is even a restaurant which we will return to dine at. You can get your photo made with Duke ... no he did not give us the secret receipe.
I did not anticipate that our group would react so positively to a "bean museum", but everyone, loved this place! It has a historical section, but the interactive area is what is incredibly fascinating. We weighed ourselves in beans and saw the cookbook with the "secret family recipe". We paid a few dollars to have our photo made with Duke, the Golden Retriever mascot. (His cardboard cut-out looked pretty realistic in our picture.)There is a General Store next to the museum where we found quality gifts, in particular some colorful reproduction vintage tablecloths. I plan to return to Chestnut Hill in Dandridge when I can spend more time to enjoy the displays that they have created to honor the lowly bean!
We stumbled on this place out in the middle of almost nowhere. It was simply GREAT! The Bush Beans Visitors center was directly across from the plant where the vegetables are processed. The plant itself was HUGE! At the visitors center, there is a museum which explains all about the processing and marketing of their product. It is set up in a "fun and educational" manner with an introductory movie and lots of hands on things to experience. There is also a wonderful gift shop. Adjacent to the visitors center is a restaurant which serves "country" food using their products. It was wonderful, plentiful, and the service was great!
It was really neat to hear all about the history of Bush's Baked Beans. All the employees were very friendly and informative. They also got the kids involved in a little scavenger hunt. Best part: everything was FREE!!
We were visiting Gatlinberg and Pigion Forge TN. We decided to rake a short drive to the Bush's Beans Factory Tour. We loved all of the history that we learnedfrom the museum and video presentation. There were also a lot of hands on exhibits that kept the kids entertained. There was also a nice gift shop with the friendliest staff. The best part was that there was NO CHARGE to enter the museum and video presentation. This a must see, fun fir the whole family, attraction.E
When you enter there are people there to direct you to the video room so you can learn how Bush Beans got started and then walk through the visitor center on the way to the restaurant. They sell baked beans to quilts, it is actually very cute in there. I live here but I always bring family for the tour and a nice lunch.
My kids were so excited to go here! We found it by accident and after investigating new we had to come back and stop the next day! The museum was fun and informative for kids and adults! The only thing that could have made it better is if we could have met Duke!
After hearing of the place from one of our friends, we decided to take a day trip here while staying in the area. It was more than we every expected. While only open for 4 years it was professionally operated and very informative. The museum staff were exceptional. We had such a fun time. Who would have known that this place was so awesome. We will sure return to try the café. Don't MISS THIS!!!!
We visited Bush's Beans Visitor Center on New Year's weekend 2015 and what a delightful surprise. We had teenagers ranging in age from 12-17 as well as several adults. This attraction is free which was also nice. Make sure you watch the movie. None of us were aware of the Bush's history and that they did not start out as a bean company! We also were able to have the entire group of 10 get in a photo with a superimposed duke and they gave us 3 copies! The youngest loved answering the questions and receiving a certificate at the end. We all purchased flip top can of beans with small spoons provided that we had as a snack. There was a great gift shop with reasonable prices and we went next door to the café for lunch. Worth a visit to get away from the hustle & bustle of the pigeon forge/Gatlinburg towns for a few hours.
This is a great little stop. Interactive museum about the history of Bush's beans. You can get your picture taken with Duke.There is very large gift shop where you can stock up on beans and other cute souvenir items.