Winnebago Motorhome Factory Tours Begin April 1
FOREST CITY — (March 2008) Winnebago Industries will offer free tours of its main motorhome manufacturing facility in Forest City from Tuesday, April 1 through Nov. 30, excluding holidays.
Tours start at the Winnebago Industries’ Visitors Center with a 20-minute video that gives visitors a preview of the manufacturing process they’re about to tour. Each tour lasts about 90 minutes.
The tour bus (built on a Winnebago Industries commercial vehicle shell) then departs for a drive-through tour of the grounds and a walk-in tour of the main production area. From a mezzanine overlooking the production lines, visitors can get a bird’s eye view of the magnitude of the motor home manufacturing process.
The Visitors Center also houses the Winnebago Industries Museum, which details the company’s 50-year history, and the design and construction of its motor homes.
In spring and summer, the Visitors Center features some of the latest models of the company’s Winnebago and Itasca motor homes, right off the assembly lines.
Visitors also will find one of the first motor homes built by Winnebago Industries, the classic 1967 Winnebago D22, and a 1959 Aljo trailer.
Nearly 10,000 people stopped at the Visitors Center last year to tour the factory and museum.
Winnebago has one of the most technologically advanced RV manufacturing facilities in the world, according to the book “Watch It Made in the USA,” by factory tour experts Karen Axlerod and Bruce Brumberg.
The Visitors Center is accessible to those with disabilities, but the factory tour does include two staircases.
Small children must be accompanied by an adult. Reservations are recommended for groups of six or more.
Call 641-585-6936, or write to Winnebago Industries’ Visitors Center, Box 268, Forest City, IA 50436 for more information.
