What would you do if more than a million gallons of fresh milk were
delivered to you every day? Make award-winning cheddar cheese, of
course! And butter, yogurt, sour cream and ice cream. That’s exactly
what happens at the Tillamook Cheese Factory and Visitor’s Center in
Tillamook, Oregon.
As you enter the visitors center, resist — for now — a tempting
Mountain Huckleberry ice cream cone, and follow the cheese factory’s
self-guided tour. Downstairs, exhibits explore the life of a dairy
farmer and “udderly amazing cow facts.” Upstairs, the viewing gallery
overlooks gleaming steel cheese-making equipment. On the packaging line,
40-pound blocks of mature cheddar — 60 days old for medium cheddar,
more than two years old for vintage white extra sharp — travel on a
multi-layer conveyer system as they are carved into smaller and smaller
portions. Video displays and interactive kiosks provide even more
information about cheese making: For example, at any given time, nearly
50 million pounds of cheese are aging in the factory’s coolers!
At the end of your tour, pick up some cheese at the factory
shop and head out for a picnic in the Tillamook State Forest, or along
Three Capes Scenic Drive. The Tillamook Cheese Factory is located two
miles north of Tillamook on U.S. Highway 101 and RV parking is
available.
For more information, call (503) 815-1300 or visit tillamookcheese.com.
