Kegg’s even lets you get up close to the candy making process. Visitors can take a self-tour, walking along a 90-foot glass wall that reveals the candy factory floor. For a special treat, your group can schedule a guided tour and get up close and personal with the candy makers–and the candy. The tour gives a view of the entire chocolate making process from the cooking of raw ingredients in the candy kitchen to enrobing the candy centers with milk and dark chocolate to the molding area where chocolate is shaped into as many as 500 unique shapes. (Attention “I Love Lucy” fans: Yes, there is a conveyor belt in the candy factory.)

For many years, Kegg’s candies were made in a 2,000 square foot factory and store on Beechnut in Meyerland. Kegg’s moved to the current 11,000 square foot facility on Westpark in 2009, but they still maintain a retail store in Meyerland.

Tours (both self and guided) are free. Advance reservations are required for guided tours, and the 30-minute tours are available between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Kegg’s website has information about the Houston candy factory tours.

Tours end in the candy store, where an almost unimaginable variety of treats awaits. Your sweet tooth will think it died and went to heaven!

Kegg’s Candies
http://keggcandies.com/
Chocolate Factory & Retail Store
8168 A Westpark Drive (between Hillcroft and Fondren)
Houston, TX 77063-6324

Store Hours:
Mon – Sat 10am – 9pm
Sun – Closed

(713) 784-3000

You can take a 30-minute pontoon boat ride along Buffalo Bayou and enjoy the decorations, brightly colored lights, song and cheer! These trips will be aboard Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s new boat, the Spirit of the Bayou, which replaces a boat lost to arson in July of this year.

Cruises will be offered on three Saturdays, November 27, December 4 and 18, 2010, from 5 – 8 p.m., weather permitting. No reservations are taken—tours are on a first come, first serve basis and there is a limit of 26 persons per trip. Weather cancellations, if they occur, will be posted on the BBP website.

To get on one of the Buffalo Bayou Christmas Cruises, head to downtown’s Sabine Promenade boat launch between Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive, at150 Sabine Street. Parking is available in the Theater District parking Lot H. Take the Sabine Street exit off of Memorial Drive – Lot H will be on the right hand side before Houston Avenue.

The 30-minute trip costs $7 for adults and $5 for children (ages 4 -12). No strollers are allowed on the boat. Fares must be paid in cash.

For more information, call 713-752-0314 ext. 3, email tsmith@buffalobayou.org or go to www.buffalobayou.org.

Looking for a great holiday event for your family, friends or staff? Private tours are available. Call 713-752-0314 ext. 4 for information and reservations.

The pass is good for nine days, starting with the first day you use it. That means if you want to start your staycation on a Saturday, you can use the pass through the Sunday of the following week. With the City Pass, you save up to 47% on admission to up to six attractions. The sites included in the City Pass are Space Center Houston, Downtown Aquarium, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston Zoo, and your choice of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston OR The Children’s Museum of Houston, as well as your choice of George Ranch Historical Park OR The Health Museum.

The City Pass costs $39 for adults, or $29 for kids 3 – 11. You can purchase your City Pass booklet at any of the participating attractions, or pre-pay online. The City Pass can also save you time as, once you have your booklet, you do not have to wait in line to buy tickets at each attraction.

To buy your City Pass, or for more information, go to http://www.citypass.com/houston

Although Houston is technically an inland city (50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico) the port is ranked first in the United States in foreign waterborne tonnage and second in the U.S. in total tonnage. More than 225 million tons of cargo moved through the Port of Houston in 2007. A total of 8,053 vessel calls were recorded at the Port of Houston during the year 2008.

On the tour you will see international cargo vessels, and operations at the port’s Turning Basin Terminal. Measuring 95 feet in length and 24 feet in width, the tour boat, the M/V Sam Houston, carries a maximum capacity of 90 passengers with air-conditioned lounge seating and additional standing room on the boat’s rear deck. You never know what vessels you will see in port during your tour, but you will see amazing ships and even bits of history, such as the spot where Santa Ana is said to have surrendered.

The tour is free, but reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance. Get your reservations far in advance during summer months, when the tours may be booked solid weeks in advance.

Register online anytime, or call 713-670-2416, Monday through Thursday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Because of security at the Port, you should plan on arriving at least 15 – 30 minutes before your scheduled tour, and you should not bring oversized bags or camera equipments. Photographs may not be taken during the tour.

The third Saturday each month features Wings and Wheels. Tour the museum, have lunch, view classic cars and airplanes and special programs.

For more information, see the Air Terminal Museum web site.

Want to see more of Houston’s unusual sights? Get your copy of “Offbeat Houston” and you can see places even the natives don’t know about!