I found out about these flower fields in Carlsbad nine years ago, and have been dreaming about visiting them ever since! Last year, we were finally in the area during bloom time, but they closed down due to the pandemic. Luckily, we are still in the area this year and I was able to fulfill my dream! Not only that, but my dream was much bigger because not only was I able to visit these Flower Fields in Carlsbad, but I was able to visit them with my family!
This is just a glimpse of what the Flower Fields looked like! A beautiful array of striped patterns of flowers that went on and on and on. It was unreal, really.
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Where are the Flower Fields Located?
These flower fields are located in Carlsbad, California (they even have their own freeway exit!). If you are not from the area and are looking to visit, it is a great area with a lot of other things to do, with San Diego and a ton of beaches nearby.
Which Flowers are Grown at The Flower Fields?
The main flowers grown, as in 50 acres of them, are ranunculus. However, the best part is that there are designated sections of different colored ranunculus. So, when you take a step back, it is like stripes through the fields, and then when you take a step closer, you can see all the variety that is included between the different colors. For example, one of my favorite mixtures was that of a purple and maroon mixture. It doesn’t sound that great, but up close, it was stunning! I also really enjoyed one of the mixtures that was white, yellow and pink.
Can You Walk Through the Flower Rows?
No. They have green tape around the perimeter of all of the fields as an indicator not to enter into individual rows and then they have certain designated areas were people can “enter” beyond the perimeter for staged photo opportunities. However, with the opportunity to walk around the entire perimeter of the fields, you can see everything and all of the different colors without having to enter. This entire concept to me is genius because people can pay to observe the beautiful flowers, which can then get harvested and sold for an additional profit!
This picture is the perfect overview of what takes place! The only person you see in the field is a worker. Meanwhile, there are a ton of people viewing and taking pictures of the flowers from the perimeter and photo staging areas. There are also multiple tractors giving people rides around the flower fields as well.
What Else Can You do at The Flower Fields?
This was actually a really great place to go with a family. When we were getting out of the car, I noticed how many people were also arriving with babies and I thought to myself that everyone probably wanted some nice pictures of their kids with the flowers! However, what I did not realize was that there were so many other things to do besides just walk through the flower fields. This includes a:
- Park/playground for kids
- Butterfly garden
- Garden provided by the Master Gardeners of San Diego County
- Maze (this was too packed for us to explore)
- Orchid greenhouse
- Poinsettia museum
- Band and eating area
It was definitely a place where everyone could enjoy themselves and I really felt that we got our moneys worth (it was $20/adult and our kids are so little that they were free).
Our Experience at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad
I will tell you that this visit did not disappoint! The flowers were absolutely stunning and as we walked farther along, we were able to see the progression of bloom and I felt like I had to stop at every single variety change to get another picture because they were all so pretty!
You can see a more in-depth look at some of the beautiful footage I gathered in the video below!
Traveling and doing certain activities with two small children can be really hard, but I felt like this was a really accommodating experience. Our daughter helped me “work” and take pictures, while our son was able to get out and play in the dirt away from the flowers (there are a lot of rest stop and bench areas) and even got in a good nap!
I loved seeing everything there and if I would have changed anything, it would probably be visiting a few weeks later because I feel like the blooms had not peaked yet. The Flower Fields are open from March 1st to May 9th this year, and we visited on April 3rd.
I should also add that there were a lot of other people visiting, but they do make you buy tickets and schedule in advance, so they have a cap on the amount of people entering at a time. Although there were a lot of people, it was not too many to the point where our experience was affected or any of the pictures. If you are interested in learning more about The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, you can view their website and even book your tickets to visit!
Being in Austin, TX I was exited as I read Carlsbad Flower Fields. I thought this is somewhere close to home (7 hrs.) as in Carlsbad NM. But no, it’s California…whodah thunked. I still can appreciate it thanks to your sharing!
Lompoc used to have several hundred acres of flowers. There is a small mountain/large hill above the valley. The view was incredible. All kinds of flowers and every color under the sun. I’m sure you can still Google the area. About 50-60 miles up the coast from Santa Barbara, CA.