Plan Your Visit
Tour Options
Hours
Mon-Sat Retail Hours: - 10:30-4:30
Sunday Retail Hours: - 12:00-4:00
Tours are limited in size. Check out our online tour reservation to see available tours.
Closed Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. We are also closed from Jan. 1 - the Friday of MLK weekend for our winter vacation.
Sunday Retail Hours: - 12:00-4:00
Tours are limited in size. Check out our online tour reservation to see available tours.
Closed Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. We are also closed from Jan. 1 - the Friday of MLK weekend for our winter vacation.
Parking
We provide off-street parking beside our bakery. The entrance to our parking lot can be found on the left-hand side when facing the building. Free curbside parking is also available on both sides of East Main Street in front of our historic bakery.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is your tour?
Our tour runs around 25 minutes in length.
Do I need to make a reservation for the tour?
Regardless of the number in your tour, we strongly recommend making an online reservation. Walk-ins are welcome, but the number on each tour is limited, so we may not be able to accommodate you at your desired time without a reservation.
What happens in the tour?
During the tour you will get a hands-on lesson in pretzel twisting using a flour and water mixture on our antique twisting table, learn about the history of pretzel baking in America, and see the original ovens built by Julius Sturgis in 1861. Due to FDA regulations, guests do not make their own pretzels. You’ll also learn how pretzel baking has changed from 1861 to today and see our bakers twisting and baking our hand-made soft pretzels that we sell in our bakery store. We are a historic landmark and not a modern pretzel-baking facility.
Will I get to bake and eat the pretzel that I twist?
Unfortunately, no. The pretzel that you twist is just sample dough. The dough will be discarded after your twisting practice.
Are your tours suitable for children?
Yes. Children and adults of all ages are invited to learn how to twist a pretzel and take part in our tour conversation. Everyone receives a complimentary sample of our “Little Ones” hard pretzels at the end of each tour.
Is your facility handicap accessible?
Yes. Our facility can accommodate wheelchairs and walkers.
Is this a factory tour?
No. The Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery is a historic landmark and is not a modern pretzel baking facility. We bake old-fashioned soft pretzels on site. Our hard pretzels are manufactured in our modern bakery near Reading, PA.
Do your pretzels contain any nut/milk/eggs ingredients?
The soft pretzels we bake on site do not contain any nut, milk, or egg ingredients (neither does the sample dough handed out for our pretzel twisting lessons). The ingredients in our packaged hard pretzels sold in our retail store are clearly marked. The cheese varieties contain dairy ingredients and the chocolate pretzels are coated in a facility that also processes nut ingredients, but most other varieties are nut/milk/egg free.
Are your pretzels kosher?
The soft pretzels we bake on-site use kosher ingredients, but are not certified kosher. Most of the hard pretzels sold in our bakery store are OU-D kosher certified. You can visit http://www.tomsturgispretzels.com/kosher.asp for more details.
When are you closed in the winter?
Each year we are closed from January 1 until the Friday before the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.
Are there any days that you don’t offer tours?
We offer tours every day we are open for business.