SD Gardens, Fields, Farms, & Nature Archives

Our Incredible Nature Week

March 10, 2012 By socalwithkids

Exploring Tidepools in Del Mar

This past week we had an incredible time discovering nature. Our adventures included a trip to the San Elijo Nature Center, a hike at Torrey Pines State Reserve, Tidepooling in Del Mar, a Mommy & Me Class at SEA LIFE Aquarium, and simple things like making a stop above The Flower Fields, to catch a glance of their beauty.

We discovered that the humming bird that nested at our house last year is back for another year of nesting. We spotted a high jumping grasshopper, and admired a ladybug we found at the playground above the beach in Del Mar. We had a wonderful time adventuring with Michele, & her family, from Fun Orange County Parks.com. All in all, it was a great week discovering nature.

Most every day in SoCal could be an incredible time to get out and discover the natural beauty that surrounds us. Many of these opportunities are free, & can be found as close as our own backyards or neighborhood parks. What are your plans or ideas to discover nature? Give us some good ideas, and perhaps we’ll see you there!

: San Elijo Nature Center

: Nature Walk @ San Elijo Lagoon

: San Elijo Lagoon

: San Elijo Nature Center

: Grasshopper

: Torrey Pines Lodge

: View at Torrey Pines

: Torrey Pines Lodge

: View at Torrey Pines

: Huge Crabs @ SEA LIFE

: Exploring SEA LIFE Aquarium

: Admiring A Ladybug

: Tree Climbing @ The Beach

: Exploring Tidepools in Del Mar

: View of The Flower Fields

Filed Under: Incredible Nature Week Tagged With: carlsbad, del mar, explore, family, kids, nature, san diego, san elijo, socal, torrey pines

The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch® ~ A Yearly Spring Tradition!

March 7, 2012 By socalwithkids

The Flower Fields

Visiting The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch is absolutely one of our favorite Spring family outings! Our son talks year-round about going there, and how he can’t wait to go back. If you’re not familiar with all there is to do and see, other than viewing a beautiful sea of ranunculus, you must read on! I’ll inform you of the fun you have in store for your visit!

The Flower Fields are a place of beauty, magic, and splendor. They’re a fun place for people of all ages. There’s a lot to do, including a tractor ride with an audio history about the location, Santa’s Playground, a sweet pea maze, rose garden, gem panning, an “artists” garden with a pond and birds, and so much more. If you visit on a weekend you might hear a band play, or attend on the day of a Special Event.

Passport Stamping

When children enter, they receive a Flower Fields Passport. Kids look for specially numbered wooden posts, and stamp their fun little booklet with the corresponding number from the posts. Once they have all their stamps, they can take the passport to the gem panning area for $1.00 off gem mining.

The Flower Fields allow strollers, and you might want to bring one if you have a little tot. Be sure to bring sunscreen, hats, and wear comfortable walking shoes. You might want to bring a light jacket as well, as the fields are just above the Pacific Ocean, and there’s often a nice breeze. You can bring food and beverages to enjoy at designated tables for eating. They have fresh lemonade for sale, and I believe they sell other food items on certain days of the week.

Sweet Pea Maze

Designate a good 3 or more hours for your visit. Most activities within The Flower Fields are included in the price of admission, but the gem panning and tractor are a bit extra. Buy your tractor tickets prior to entering the gates. You can pay your gem panning fee at the panning station (you ~may~ need to pay with cash). Parking is free, and you can either buy your admission tickets online, or at the ticket booth. Also, it tends to be less crowded on weekdays.

Something to keep in mind, is that the fields are never all in full bloom at once. They bloom in patches. From my personal experience, I’ve found many of the flowers tend to be blooming around April, but it varies each year, depending upon the weather, time of planting, and other factors. You can call 760-431-0352 x3 for current blooming conditions.

The Flower Fields are located at 5704 Paseo Del Norte, in Carlsbad, CA. They’re open daily, from 9am-6pm from March 1, 2013 – May 12, 2013. This year is the first year in a decade and a half that the Flower Fields have changed their color patterns, and we’re excited to see the new look! Click HERE for more information about the Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch®. Perhaps we’ll see you there!

Update: This post was published in 2012, but updated with 2013 dates. Have fun at The Fields!

: Flower Fields Smile

: Old Tractor

: Flower Fields Entry

: Secret Garden

: Flower Fields Path

: Passport Stamping

: Tractor Ride

: Gem Panning

: The Flower Fields

: Tractor Sign

: Colorful Flowers

: Wooden Sign

: Sweet Pea Maze

: Sweet Pea Flowers

: The Flower Fields

: Smelling Spring Flowers

: Flower Fields

: Spring Flowers

: Santa’s Playground

: Ranunculus Flowers

: Santa’s Playground

: Tractor Ride

: Smelling the Daisies

: Pollen Nose

Filed Under: The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch Tagged With: carlsbad, family, flower fields, fun, kids, san diego, spring

The Flower Fields ~ More Than Just A Sea of Ranunculus!

April 20, 2011 By socalwithkids

We recently took our yearly trip to The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch. While there, it occurred to me that not everyone may be familiar with all there is to do and see other than viewing a sea of (beautiful) ranunculus. If you haven’t been before, read on, and I’ll inform you of the fun you have in store for your visit.

The Flower Fields are a place of beauty, magic, and splendor. It’s a fun place for people of all ages. There’s a lot to do, including a tractor ride with an audio history about the location, fun playground, sweet pea maze, rose garden, gem mining, an “artists” garden with a pond and birds, and so much more. If you visit on a weekend you might hear a band play, or attend on the day of a special event.

If you’re a child, they’ll give you a Flower Fields Passport upon entry. Look for the numbered posts, and stamp your passport with the corresponding number. Once you have all your stamps, you can take it to the sluice mining area for $1.00 off gem mining.

The Flower Fields do allow strollers, and you might want to bring one if you have a little tot. Be sure to bring sunscreen, hats, and wear comfortable walking shoes. You can bring food and beverages, and they have tables with benches for eating. You can buy lemonade there, and I believe they sell other food on certain days.

Designate a good 3 or more hours for your visit. Most activities within The Flower Fields are included in the price of admission, but the mining and tractor are a bit extra. Buy your tractor tickets prior to entering the gates. You can pay your mining fee at the mining station (you may need to pay with cash). Parking is free, and you can either buy your admission tickets online, or at the ticket booth.

Click HERE for a Buy 1 Get 1 Free Entry coupon, which is good through April 30, 2011. In case the pictures below are not enough, you can click HERE for the write up we posted in March, 2011. Click HERE for the official website of The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch. Perhaps we’ll see you there!

P.S. The Flower Fields have extended their 2011 season through May 15th.

Filed Under: Deals, SD Gardens, Fields, Farms, & Nature, SD Outdoorsy, The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch Tagged With: 2 for 1, 2011, carlsbad ranch, coastal, discount, family, fun, gem mining, kids, north county, playground, ranunculus, san diego, sweet pea maze, the flower fields, two for one entry

Carlsbad Flower Fields ~ Buy 1 Get 1 Free Entry

March 7, 2011 By socalwithkids

The Flower Fields, located in Carlsbad, are one of our favorite places to visit in the Spring! Looking through my e-mail this afternoon, I came across a Buy One Get One Free Entry coupon from Parents Connect (by Nickelodeon). The coupon is good through 4/30/11.

We enjoy visiting The Flower Fields in early to mid April, as it always seems to be a good time to see a lot of flowers in bloom. Click HERE to go to the Buy One Get One Free Entry coupon. If you’ve never been to The Flower Fields, you might enjoy reading THIS post. Perhaps we’ll see you there!

Filed Under: Deals, SD Gardens, Fields, Farms, & Nature, SD Outdoorsy, The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch Tagged With: 2 for 1, 2011, admission, botanical, buy 1 get 1 free, carlsbad, deal, discount, family, gardens, gocitykids, kids, nick jr, outdoors, parents connect, san diego, socal, the flower fields, two for one entry

San Diego Botanic Garden (Formerly Quail Botanical Gardens)

February 1, 2011 By socalwithkids

San Diego Botanic Garden (formerly Quail Botanical Gardens), located in the Encinitas area of San Diego, is one of our favorite places to explore!! If you haven’t been, we highly recommend you go. It’s fun for both kids and adults.

SDBG has two incredible children’s gardens. The Seeds of Wonder Children’s Garden is great for toddlers and preschoolers, with a dino digging area, playhouse, and miniature railroad. The larger, Hamilton Children’s Garden, is better for older preschoolers and school-age children. It has a great tree house, large tic-tac-toe area, huge space to run around, garden instrument area, water play area, and more!

We recommend wearing comfortable walking shoes, bringing a stroller for younger children, and packing drinks, plus snacks/lunch, which you can eat at designated areas. If you forget snacks, they have a snack and coffee cart near the Visitor Information Center, which I believe closes around 3pm. You might want to bring the kids a change of clothes as well, as they may get wet and or dirty; especially during the summer.

Parking is $2, or free when you have 4 or more people in your vehicle. The 1st Tuesday of each month is FREE! Check the link to the website for more information. Perhaps we’ll see you there!

Website: San Diego Botanic Garden
Twitter: @sdbgarden

Get a FREE full-color guidebook with the purchase of a Go City Card or Explorer Pass

Filed Under: San Diego Botanic Garden (Quail), SD Gardens, Fields, Farms, & Nature, SD Outdoorsy Tagged With: botanic, botanical, encinitas, family, free 1st tuesday, fun, garden, kids, quail, san diego, san diego botanic garden, trails, tree house, walking

Museum Month in San Diego!

January 18, 2011 By socalwithkids

Each February, for as many years as I can remember, the San Diego Museum Council, as well as Macy’s have been sponsoring Museum Month in San Diego. Forty different museums take part in the event, which allows people to visit participating museums at 1/2 off.

You need to pick up a free Museum Month Pass (available at Macy’s stores in San Diego, Temecula, and Imperial County) to receive the discount. One pass is good for up to 4 people, and from my experience, I’ve found they usually arrive at Macy’s just before the first of February. Just ask a Macy’s salesperson where to find one in the store, and take it with you to the museum(s) you want to visit to receive the discount.

This is a great way to experience some museums that you may have been wanting to take the family to visit, but just hadn’t had the opportunity to do so. I look forward to taking our kids to some museums we haven’t visited, as well as some we haven’t been to in a while.

San Diego has a lot of kid-friendly museums. Some of our favorite museums to visit with kids that are participating in Museum Month 2011 are as follows:

• The Escondido Children’s Museum
• The Birch Aquarium at Scripps
• The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
• The San Diego Natural History Museum
• The New Children’s Museum
• The San Diego Model Railroad Museum
• San Diego Botanic Garden (formerly Quail)
• San Diego Air & Space Museum
• USS Midway
• Maritime Museum

If you’d like to see pictures from some of the many museums we’ve visited that are participating in Museum Month, take a look below. For a complete listing of participating museums, please check the following LINK. Get out there and explore some museums at 1/2 off in February with the Museum Month Pass! Perhaps we’ll see you there!