uncle henry's pretzels

This is a true Lancaster County treat. In a simple structure with simple machinery and human labor, they make what I think are the best packaged hard pretzels in the world. The simple tour is interesting, but even better is buying their pretzels direct at prices much lower than what you'll find in specialty shops. I particularly like to buy their "broken pretzels" because I prefer to snack on these smaller sizes anyway, and they're about 1/3rd the price (I think they're $5.50 for 3 lbs). Check out their website before you go, and it probably wouldn't hurt to call before you show up (especially if you want a tour -- production hours are a bit erratic). For religious reasons, they are closed on Sundays.

Uncle Henry's is well off the beaten path and a bit hard to find but worth the effort. The pretzel production process was well outlined by a young local woman who can make 11-13 pretzel in knots per minute. Each worker on the line makes at least 11/min. and the other info offered on the tour was quite enlightening.And, if you like hard pretzel, they are great. The "regulars" are a bit salty so go easy on the extra salt ones.