City: San Diego, CA

Category: Annual Events & Festivals

Telephone: (760) 431-0352

Description: Insiders say that this event is not to be missed, and with a six-week time slot (Mother Nature’s in charge of the actual dates), you should be able to admire the awesome flower fields. The ranunculus, in shades too startling to describe, is the star in this explosion of colors. Months before the blooming season, growers stagger their plantings so that the flowering cycle stretches for a six- to eight-week period. And those flowers cover 50 acres. You can catch a glimpse of the fields driving north on I-5 or by visiting the Carlsbad Company Stores (see our Shopping chapter). But we recommend, no, urge you to stop and pay the entrance fee ($9.00 for adults, $8.00 for seniors 60 and up, $5.00 for children age 3 to 10, and under 3 free) to walk the fields. Camera buffs will want to pack extra film, and gardeners will want to visit the garden store for bulbs and bouquets. Picking flowers is strictly prohibited, as these are commercial fields.