winnebego industries factory tour

This is a great tour. See how winnebagos are made from above the factory floor. There is over 600 acres of industrial processes. There are usually examples of the newest models at the visitors center. This is great for RVers and anyone who likes to see how things are made. Don't forget your safety glasses!

This was a great tour. They took us to Stitchcraft to see the sewing process and into the heart of "Big Bertha" where most of the assembly is done. A very interesting tour to say the least.

Agree with most of the reviews that it is a real tour of several buildings in this 600 acre complex that makes RV motor homes. Tours run twice a day much of the year, once in winter months. A bus takes you into several buildings where you see the process of building the RV from frame up. The Museum on the second floor has a history of the town and company that we found interesting. It includes a 25 minute movie before the tour that is part info on RV and a commercial for the Winnebago products that was interesting if you are into RV's, which we are for sure. Total time is about 2 hours, we were back at 3PM from the 1PM tour. Rod, the bus driver and tour guide was very informative and pleasant.If you come to the visitor center in a RV ( even Non Winnebago or Itasca product) you are allowed two free nights camping in the lot with good 50 / 30 / 20 AMP electric service. Just go in the visitor center and register for the Tours at 9 AM or 1PM and ask for a camping permit for a couple of nights. There are several of the motor homes and 5th wheel trailers next to the center you can look over also.

As a new Winnebago owner and former manufacturing type I was very interested to see the process used by Winnebago to build a coach. The tour guide was a retired Winnebago manufacturing manager so he had quite a bit of insight into the operations which made the tour that much more informative. I was surprised to see the level of vertical integration they employ - rotocasting their own water and holding tanks, crafting all the cushions and interior upholstery, extruding their own aluminum support and frame materials from raw billets and basically building a complete motorhome starting from a factory chassis. My suggestion to the tour guide was that a crew of talented industrial engineers could probably save them considerable sums of money through increased productivity and inline quality improvements.

I had the opportunity to tour Winnebago and was glad that I did. I wish I would have arrived a little sooner for the tour as the information and museum were very interesting and I did not have enough time before the tour started. Film was very interesting - I learned much about the RV industry and Winnebago. I also enjoyed the tour and info given - so many buildings and so much going on. Our tour guide, Lowell, was great and was a fount of information!

My wife's girlfriend told us to visit the place and glad we did. Not as good as the Moline John Deere tour, but well worth the time In some areas, you are looking down from a observation deck, but did walk the factory floor in the sewing area. Tour guide was a Winnebego retiree so he had a lot of insights. Would have like to see some of the other areas like cabinets & wall construction.

Most factory tours are simulated, but you actually get to go inside the different assembly areas on this tour. Our guide drove us from one area to another in a cool, air conditioned Winnebago motorcoach. We saw workers laying flooring, welding parts, making cabinets, and working on fabrics. The stops were not air conditioned; the temps were near 100 degrees when we were there. It was definitely uncomfortable for the workers, but management emphasized taking breaks and drinking fluids. The video at the start of the tour was pretty comprehensive, so if you didn't want to fight the heat, you still had a good idea of how the motorhomes are made. It would have been nice to see more completed motorhomes. There was only one on display at the visitor center.

We were in this area specifically for the Winnebago Tour and it was definitely a lengthy tour including about a 20 minute video at the start of the tour. Beautiful HUGE facility, with a museum in the Visitor Center, and I'm sure a good economy boost to the Forest City area. The down side for us (and we've done several tours in the last few months) was the group was large and we were split into two groups....ok so far. However, our guide only had a microphone in the bus, so when you stopped at the buildings, he had told you ahead of time what you'd see but you had to find him to ask questions while watching what was being worked on down below. The buildings are so large that you could only see that immediate area & on the bus he'd tell you what was being done in that building but you couldn't see anything because you were on a walkway above just a certain area. A considerable amount of time was spent in the stitchcraft area (fascinating) but then hardly no time was spent seeing walls being constructed, cabinets being made, etc. and we heard several comments that people were more interested in the 'construction' and not so much the cushions, curtains, etc. Just our opinion though and have no regrets taking the tour but somewhat disappointed. Our suggestion is to give each person a headset so that he could talk inside the buildings. I might also add that there are stairs in 3 of the 4 building stops so you could get up to the walkway and view the workers below. Several units outside the visitor center to tour as well. As for the comment about 'closed toe shoes'.......we had about 6 people on our tour with sandals and nothing was said so might have just been our guide but closed toe are the recommended foot wear.

I really can't add anything that the September 2, 2012 reviewer hasn't already said but it's been a year since anyone posted a review so I thought I should post the fact the tour is still well worth your time if you like to see how things are made. It's getting hard to find factory tours which actually take you into the FACTORY anymore but this one takes you into 3 different places including where they do the sewing and the welding. Our tour guide was excellent and very knowledgeable. Some of the workers took time to talk to us when we passed.Tour is offered twice per day. Ours took almost 2-1/2 hours. There's no "early exit" option and no bathrooms so plan accordingly. Two of the 3 buildings have significant quantities of steps to climb. If you don't feel up to it you can hang out below the stairway and in 1 of the 2 buildings you should still be able to hear the guide's narration.

We stopped at the Winnebago factory for the first time. While we were there to get some work done on the motorhome, we decided to take a tour of the production line. If you have ever wondered how an RV was made, this will really be worthwhile. The tour is two hours long and they show you the entire process. It was simply incredible. Well worth it. The little town of Forest City is lacking for good eating establishments, but the Winnebago factory is well above par.

Fortunately, I knew this since we have also been on the Monaco and Newmar RV tours in Indiana. However....if you don't know this in advance and wear sandals, you can't go on the tour. The tour is a great one! I was really impressed (and we own a Monaco). I love the fact that they hire so many people and they pay them well too!Our tour guide was a retired factory worker and was very informative. Another item of interest is that they have RV hook-ups there and they are free for up to two nights. Next time we are in the area we will stay there.

The tour exemplifies why Winnebago Industries produces excellent travel products. They understand and provide the RV user outstanding value for the products they manufacture and professional careers for their employees.

On the plus side I saw and learned a lot about how an RV is made. On the down side I didn't get to see enough, but I understand the risks involved, plus they are working during the tour. They only give the tours twice a day so make sure you plan accordingly. If you like seeing how things are made I highly recommend this tour. Plus it's free!

This was a very good plant tour. We asked a lot of questions and got good responses from the tour guide. Our motor coach was being serviced here and we stayed across the street at The Lodge. My wife’s sister and husband went with us to see how they were built and don’t even own a motorhome. They thoroughly enjoyed the tour along with us. I’d say, “Don’t miss the factory tour if you’re ever in the area”.

A great tour to see how motorhomes are constructed. Very educational and informative about the Winnebago Motorhome Industry.