Since 1868, the McIlhenny family has been making TABASCO® Pepper Sauce with just three ingredients: heirloom tabasco peppers, distilled vinegar, and salt. In these days of food labels that take an advance degree to decipher, it’s truly remarkable that the age-old process continues today on Avery Island.
Avery Island isn't a typical island, by the way. It’s a salt dome that was formed when salt from the depths of the earth moved to the surface. The 160-foot-high ‘island’ sits amid the wetlands of Louisiana. Its fertile soil and underground salt were exactly what Edmund McIlhenny needed. When he planted his pepper seeds, harvested the brilliant red peppers, and crafted this hot sauce, he set into motion a culinary phenomenon of epic proportions. Today, TABASCO® sauces are labeled in 22 languages and dialects, as well as grace dining tables in 200 countries and territories around the world.
The TABASCO® Factory Tour starts at the museum. You’ll learn more about Edmund McIlhenny and the five generations of descendants who’ve run the company up to the present day. You’ll discover the history of Avery Island and the nearly five-year process of making TABASCO® from seed to sauce. Tour stops include the greenhouse, the mash warehouse where the peppers age in white oak barrels, the blending area where distilled vinegar mixes with the pepper mash, and the production areas where TABASCO® is bottled and labeled with the iconic diamond-shaped labels. The factory tour also includes a look at the salt mining that occurred here and the McIlhenny family’s conservation and sustainability efforts on Avery Island.
Stops on the tour include:
• The Museum
• Greenhouse
• Mash Warehouse
• Blending and Production areas
• Salt Mine Diorama
• Conservation exhibits
• The TABASCO® Country Store
Members of the McIlhenny family not only own the company, but they also personally sample the aged pepper mash for flavor and heat level. If it passes muster, it becomes TABASCO® Sauce. After your tour, it’s time for you to sample the finished product. Head to the TABASCO® Restaurant 1868! for Cajun fare and Southern comfort food prepared with the finest ingredients and seasoned with one of the TABASCO® sauces. There’s even a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar where you can create your own signature cocktail.
If you’re interested in kicking your own cooking up a notch, the Cooking Demo Experience shares the secrets behind four courses of traditional Southern comfort food prepared with a modern and spicy twist. The Louisiana Tasting Experience, on the other hand, blends the rich culture and history of the Acadiana Region with its cuisine. Be sure to bring your appetite. You’ll savor six Cajun dishes while sipping on a flight of Bloody Marys.
Avery Island is not only the home of TABASCO®, but also the enchanting Jungle Gardens. In 1895, the McIlhenny family set aside a refuge for snowy egrets that were endangered at the time. Conservation efforts worked, and thousands of snowy egrets return to nest here in the spring. The 170-acre preserve provides habitat for massive oaks draped with Spanish moss, exotic plants and flowers, and a menagerie of wildlife, as well. Whether you tour Jungle Gardens by car with an accompanying audio tour, hit the trails on a bicycle, or join a guided walking tour, come experience the natural beauty of Avery Island and the legacy of the McIlhenny family.
