Family Vacations: Binney Smith Crayola Factory

Fascinated visitors watch spellbound, as swinging vats of heated wax spin around and dump their colorful contents into molds. Just minutes later, 1,200 perfect crayons pop out and move along the line toward sorting, boxing, and packaging machines. Using real equipment, these live demonstrations simulate the crayon-making process that takes place at the Binney & Smith Crayola Factory in Easton, Pennsylvania.

To date, the factory has made more than 110 billion crayons. But this place is much more than a factory tour -- it's a hands-on discovery center with a number of creative activities your kids can enjoy. Kids can play with magic modeling clay, draw on the walls, illustrate on screens that project their work, and try out the latest Crayola products from the ever-growing line of creatively designed markers, finger paints, clay, crayons, pencils, and other items.

The factory features a different theme each month, and projects are geared toward the themes. A room of Crayola history tells about the retired crayon colors, such as magic mint, blizzard blue, and maize. Kids can take their newly created projects home. At the end of each tour they receive a four-pack of crayons and an individual marker. The Crayola Store outside sells every product made by Crayola.

Binney & Smith Crayola Factory Information

Address: 30 Centre Square, Easton, PA

Telephone: 610/515-8000

Hours of Operation: Hours Vary

Admission: $9.50

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Laura Sutherland is a widely acknowledged authority on family travel and has published several books on the topic, including Best Family Ski Vacations In North America and Tropical Family Vacations.