Ever since we saw pictures of The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch, we’ve had it on our Camp Pendleton bucket list.
For their 2018 season, they are open from March 1 through May 13th, daily from 9am to 6pm.
We recently went on a semi-rainy day, but still had a great time. The fields were not in full bloom yet, but that also didn’t ruin any of our fun, and now we plan to go back again to see the change in the blooms later in the season.
There are 50 acres of blooms on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean. They are behind the Carlsbad Outlets, and you’ll see signs directing you to parking for the Flower Fields as you approach the outlets.
Ticket prices are $16 for adults, and $8 for children ages 3 to 10. You can also buy a season pass for a little more than the cost of 2 visits. Parking is free. We did not see anything on the website or at the fields about a military discount.
We loved the short movie that was playing in the barn. It explained the history of the families that joined efforts to start The Flower Fields. There were several nice picnic areas, and guests are welcome to bring in outside food.
Here’s a quick run down of the activities our kids loved in particular:
Sweet Pea Maze (the blooms smelled so good!)
Playground (cute crooked houses to play inside and a good-sized jungle gym)
Four Leaf Clover Hunt (we didn’t fund any this time)
Fairy Garden
#MilMomAdventureTip – We suggest that you bring a baby carrier/hiking backpack carrier/rugged stroller/etc. to haul your kids around in. If we had been up for a 10 minute walk (in one direction, so 20 minutes roundtrip), we could have headed to the north end of the fields, where there were more blooms. However, we were afraid the kids were getting too cool with the slight drizzle, and we had only our single stroller, so we decided to stop at the fields just above the greenhouses. So bring your baby/toddler gear and check the forecast before you head out, and dress appropriately for the forecast or wear layers. We still had fun, but we would’ve stayed longer if we had been better prepared.
We did not take the antique tractor ride. It looked like fun, but it costs extra, and we weren’t sure what we’d do with our stroller. We may try it out next time we go.
Enjoy The Flower Fields, and let us know how the blooms are doing when you go!
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