Agritourism & Farm Experiences near Santa Cruz, CA

Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz's Center for Agroecology manages this 25-acre certified-organic farm and 3-acre Chadwick Garden, internationally known training grounds for organic horticulture since master gardener Alan Chadwick founded them roughly 50 years ago. The grounds are open daily 8am-6pm with no admission charge, and organic produce sales run Tuesdays and Fridays, noon to 6pm, with blueberry u-pick in June and July.

Felton

Roaring Camp runs two historic narrow-gauge railroads out of Felton in the Santa Cruz Mountains — steam locomotives dating to the 1890s, among the oldest still in regular passenger service in the country. The Redwood Forest Steam Train climbs through old-growth redwoods to the summit of Bear Mountain; the Beach Train runs the other direction, down to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. The grounds also recreate an 1880s logging camp.

Homeless Garden Project trains people experiencing homelessness through paid work on its organic farm near Natural Bridges State Park in Santa Cruz, growing vegetables, herbs, and flowers alongside a handmade crafts program. The nonprofit runs a seasonal CSA and a farm stand selling what the crew grows, plus a retail shop and online store built on the same job-training model.

Santa Cruz

Third-generation family farm on Coast Road two miles south of Davenport, growing Brussels sprouts, leeks, artichokes, beets, peas, beans, and strawberries across roughly 300 acres. The farm stand runs May through October with fresh produce, flowers, and local goods like honey and soap, and a u-pick pumpkin patch with a corn maze opens late September through Halloween. School field trips available by request.

Davenport

Seaside Pumpkin Farms sits along Highway 1 near Davenport, California, on the Santa Cruz County coast, a stretch of bluff-top farmland known for artichokes, Brussels sprouts, and fall pumpkin patches with ocean views.

Davenport

An organic strawberry farm on Highway 1 near Davenport, one of the first in California to grow strawberries without synthetic pesticides and to unionize its field workers. The honor-system farm stand sells berries, jam, and merchandise, and the u-pick fields open seasonally for anyone willing to bend over a row and fill a basket.

Los Gatos

Patchen California grows Christmas trees and pumpkins on Old Santa Cruz Highway in Los Gatos, on land the narrow gauge railroad once crossed on its 1880 run from Los Gatos to Santa Cruz. The farm sells fresh local produce alongside its seasonal crops. Call ahead for current hours before making the trip up into the hills.

Davenport

Swanton Pacific Ranch sits on Swanton Road north of Davenport, on the Santa Cruz County coast, a stretch of California better known for redwood forest and dairy ranching than for row-crop farmland.

Aptos

Working farm and horse ranch on Hames Road tracing back to Manuel Joaquin Silva and his wife Caroline Augusta Alm, who settled the land around 1883. Apple picking and horseback riding are the draw, along with events held on the property through the year.

Los Gatos

Not a farm at all — this is an annual glass-art fundraiser held on the lawn of Los Gatos High School, where Bay Area glassblowers sell thousands of handmade glass pumpkins starting around $25 each. The one-weekend sale has raised more than $250,000 for the high school's programs since it began, drawing collectors as much as families out for a fall outing.

Crystal Bay Farm is a small organic operation on Zils Road in Watsonville that runs u-pick days on Wednesdays and Sundays, noon to 5pm, alongside its fall pumpkin patch featuring rare and heirloom varieties. A self-serve farm stand and berry u-pick run alongside the pumpkins. Entry runs $2 per person; groups over ten should call ahead.

Ambling Ambystoma Farm works 20 organic acres near La Selva Beach, half a mile from Monterey Bay outside Watsonville. Rather than selling fresh berries, the farm turns its blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries into small-batch organic fruit syrup. The farm stand closes for winter and reopens in spring — call ahead or check the website before making the drive to Peaceful Valley Drive.

Pescadero

Jim Cochran and Mark Matze founded Swanton Berry Farm in 1983, and it became the first certified-organic strawberry grower in California. The farm still markets itself as organically grown by union labor, a distinction it's held for decades. U-pick strawberries and olallieberries run seasonally at the Coastways Ranch fields on Highway 1 in Pescadero, with a year-round farm stand up the coast in Davenport.

Saratoga

Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards farms hillside grapes on Garrod Rd in Saratoga, in the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation above Silicon Valley. The property has grown fruit since the early 1900s and now produces estate wine from that same land.

Watsonville

High Ground Organics is on Harkins Slough Road outside Watsonville, in the Pajaro Valley, one of the Central Coast's most concentrated organic vegetable and strawberry growing areas. No further confirmed details on current crops, CSA availability, or hours.

San Jose

Pick of the Patch Pumpkins, run by third-generation ABC Tree Farms, has operated its Hillsdale Blvd location in San Jose for more than 70 years. The seasonal lot includes an inflatable park, giant slides, an inflatable maze, and a small petting zoo alongside the pumpkin selection, with Christmas trees sold at the same site later in the season.

San Jose

A seasonal Halloween pumpkin patch and haunted trail on Doyle Road in San Jose, one of several neighborhood pop-up patches that open each October in the South Bay. No independent website turned up in research, so confirm current hours before visiting.

San Jose

Wendy Towner manages more than 600 hives across Santa Clara County under The Honey Ladies name, bottling raw, unfiltered honey while also running a round-the-clock bee removal service for homeowners with unwanted swarms in walls and chimneys. The honey sells through their Campbell storefront and online. It's less a farm stand than a working apiary business, built on relocating bees rather than just harvesting from them.

La Honda

Skyline Chestnuts is a gather-your-own chestnut orchard on Skyline Boulevard above La Honda, open Wednesday through Sunday during the October–November harvest. Chestnuts run $10.50 a pound with a cash discount, and morning visitors need an advance parking reservation since the mountain lot is small. It's a pick-them-off-the-ground operation, not a pick-from-the-tree one.

San Jose

ABC Tree Farms' Blossom Hill Road lot in San Jose, one of about 15 seasonal pumpkin and Christmas tree sites the family business has run across the Bay Area since 1983. Pumpkins are pre-picked and ready to carve through October.

Moss Landing

Monterey Bay Equestrian Center has led horseback rides along the dunes between Moss Landing and Monterey since 1981. Guides take riders out Monterey Dunes Way with views that stretch to Santa Cruz on a clear day, and the outfit also runs horse-drawn carriages for weddings and pony parties for kids. Riders must be at least 10 years old and 54 inches tall. Call ahead to book a ride.

San Jose

Pick of the Patch Pumpkins runs a fall lot on Canoas Garden Avenue near Curtner Avenue in South San Jose, one of two seasonal locations the operator runs in the city. No hours or pricing are published online for this listing; call ahead before visiting.

Santa Clara

Juniper Meadow Farms is listed on Calabazas Boulevard in Santa Clara, an address in dense Silicon Valley where farmland has largely given way to housing and office parks. No working website or social page turned up in research to confirm whether the operation is still active.

Santa Clara

ABC Tree Farms' Monroe Street site in Santa Clara, one of the family company's roughly 15 Bay Area lots running since 1983. Pre-picked pumpkins are on sale through Halloween, followed by Christmas trees in the same spot come November.

Santa Clara

ABC Tree Farms' Santa Clara lot on Benton Street, one of about 15 seasonal patches the family-run company has operated across the Bay Area since 1983. Pumpkins are pre-picked and ready for carving, with school tours and birthday parties booked on-site through October.

Santa Clara

A seasonal pumpkin patch on El Camino Real in Santa Clara, one of the pop-up lots that fill vacant South Bay parcels each October. No independent website surfaced in research — confirm current hours before visiting.

San Jose

This Pick of the Patch Pumpkins lot sits on Tully Road on San Jose's east side, the second of the operator's two seasonal city locations alongside the Curtner Avenue patch. No hours or pricing are published online for this listing; call ahead before visiting.

San Jose

Spina Farms is a third-generation family farm, established in 1944, running a pumpkin patch at Laguna Ave and Santa Teresa Blvd in Morgan Hill each September through early November. The 60-acre site draws roughly 100,000 visitors a season for hayrides, a corn maze, a cow train, pumpkin blasters, and a boutique shop; admission is free, with paid tickets for rides.

Morgan Hill

Eva Farm is listed on Lantz Drive in Morgan Hill, part of Santa Clara County's South Valley farmland known for garlic and small wineries. The business's web domain is currently parked for sale, suggesting the operation may no longer be active under this name; current status could not be confirmed.

Portola Valley

Webb family land in Portola Valley worked since 1922, now roughly 250 acres of horse boarding, riding lessons, and CCOF-certified organic farming minutes from Stanford. The u-pick berry fields — olallieberries, marionberries, and blackberries — open for six to eight weeks each summer starting around mid-June, and fall brings pumpkins and organic compost sales, with Christmas trees closing out the year.

Gilroy

Berry Island Farms grows certified organic berries and vegetables on Watsonville Road outside Gilroy, selling farm-fresh on a first-come, first-served basis with no reservations needed. It's a small family operation, not a commercial outfit, so what's available shifts week to week — call or text ahead to check what's ripe before making the drive.

Morgan Hill

Ranch Five is a u-pick orchard on Monterey Road in Morgan Hill worked by West Coast Farms, part of the same cluster of family-run u-pick ranches that dot the Gilroy-Morgan Hill stone fruit corridor.

San Jose

Dead Time Dreams is a seasonal haunted attraction at Eastridge Mall in San Jose, California, built around a slaughterhouse-themed maze called the Meat Factory. It runs during Halloween season with live scare actors, makeup and effects work, and a midway. It's a horror attraction rather than a working farm, listed here for its meat-and-farm theming.

Mountain View

Shoreline Lake Boathouse & American Bistro sits on the water at Shoreline Park in Mountain View — a boat rental and cafe operation, not a working farm despite its agritourism listing. The Boathouse serves espresso and snacks with lake-view patio seating; kayaks, paddleboards, and sailboats are available to rent on the lake.

Morgan Hill

Ranch One sits on Monterey Road in Morgan Hill and is farmed by Borugi Farms, one of the family orchards that make up the area's u-pick network in the Santa Clara Valley's old stone fruit belt.

Monterey

Ag Venture Tours has run wine tasting, sightseeing, and agricultural education tours around Monterey Bay since 1997, making it the region's oldest operating tour company. Owner Evan Oakes, who holds agricultural degrees from UC Davis and Fresno State and previously worked as a UC Cooperative Extension research scientist in Salinas, leads half-day and full-day van and walking tours with private tastings available on request.

Monterey

Not a farm — this is a walking ghost tour through historic Old Monterey, running since 2002. Tours last 90 minutes to two hours and cover local hauntings and a night walk through a graveyard, typically Saturday nights into early November.

San Jose

One of roughly 15 seasonal lots run by ABC Tree Farms, a family business working the Bay Area since 1983. The Capitol Avenue site sells pre-picked pumpkins mid-September through Halloween, with a gift shop, snacks, and a bounce house for kids, then flips over to a Christmas tree lot from mid-November to Christmas Eve.

San Martin

Uesugi Farms Pumpkin Park runs each fall in San Martin, in the garlic and row-crop country of South Santa Clara County. Visitors ride a small train and hayrides through the patch, and the attraction ranks among the higher-rated fall activities in the area on travel review sites. Hours and pricing change by season; check current listings before visiting.

Morgan Hill

Mariani Orchards runs a harvest-season u-pick fruit experience on Half Road in Morgan Hill, with guided visits, photo stops, and picking guidance for the fruit it grows. The orchard closes for the off-season and typically reopens around mid-May. The farm keeps an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube even during the off-season, posting updates ahead of each spring reopening.

Gilroy

Tru2Earth Farm is a USDA-certified organic u-pick operation in Gilroy where visitors harvest strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, tomatoes, and cucumbers from April through October, no reservation needed. The farm also grows cut flowers like dahlias and zinnias, keeps a small chicken coop for kids, and sells honey and pre-packed vegetables at the farmstand. There's no entry fee.

Gilroy

Lazy K Ranch grows cherries in the hills around Gilroy, the South Santa Clara Valley town better known for garlic. Bay Area cherry season typically runs May into June, though this ranch's current hours and contact details aren't posted online.

San Martin

Rockin A Alpacas keeps its herd on Perino Lane in San Martin, between Morgan Hill and Gilroy, and opens the property for alpaca visits by appointment only. There's no walk-up access or regular open hours — check their Facebook page or website first to schedule a time to meet the animals.

Gilroy

Gilroy U-Pick operates off Korn Lane in the Santa Clara Valley farmland south of town — country better known nationally for garlic but also thick with berry and stone-fruit growers who open fields to pickers in summer. No confirmed current crop list or hours turned up online this session; call ahead for what's ripe.

Gilroy

Gilroy Upick is a no-spray pick-your-own orchard on Korn Lane in Gilroy, California, known for pluerries, plums, and pluots sold by the pound alongside seasonal cherries, berries, and vegetables. Weekend picking runs in two blocks, late morning and mid-afternoon; weekdays are by appointment only. There's no on-site restroom, and overflow parking sits across the street on Korn Lane.

Gilroy

Ranch Four is one of several independently farmed u-pick orchards clustered around Gilroy and Morgan Hill, an area long known for stone fruit and berries. This site is worked by Borello Farms under the 101 Ranch name on Castro Valley Road.