Located at: 5704 Paseo del Norte, Carlsbad, CA 92008

The Flower Fields at Carlsbad has become famous through the decades, but at the heart of it, it is still a working farm and a symbol of its agricultural ties from the past. The advertising is to encourage everyone to see the Flower Fields in March and April. I propose that it’s better to go in May. These are my reasons to visit the Flower Fields towards the end of the blooming season.

• After the season has ended, they may keep the fields open for another week. Tickets are discounted during this time period. Who doesn’t love to save money? Tickets are 50% off during the extended season.
• Closer to peak bloom then at the beginning of the season. The farm plants the ranaculous in sections with the earliest bloomers at the left of the entrance and you will see gradual blooms from left to right during the entire flower season. If you go midway through the season, you will see the entire fields in ribbons of color stretching from end to end. For some, these long streaks of color is the reason for going. For me, however, my eyes and head can only handle so much so I’m fairly satisfied with seeing the final two sections in bloom.

• U-pick blueberries. As the blueberries ripen in mid-Spring, the organic blueberries are ready for the picking. There were four available varieties: Snow Chaser, Misty, Ventura, and Emerald. I don’t know if they purposely did this but I did taste a slight difference in that the bushes closer to the entrance was less acidic and the ones further were more acidic and the bushes were larger. In the end, if you pick the berries, you mostly end up picking through all the areas unless you have a specific taste you enjoyed. And there is limitless tasting in the blueberry area so you can eat and pick at the same time. The 2024 price was $8 for a container which was larger than a pint, at home I measured out about 3-3.5 Cups.

• Sunflower field. I seldom find sunflower fields here that aren’t associated with Halloween. At the Flower Fields, the sunflowers have a uniform height of about 3-4 feet and when I went, it was just perfect. There were very few sunflowers that were spent and perhaps it was timing but it was just perfect. Unlike the other flower sections, all the aisles at the sunflower field is open so you may walk among and through the sunflowers.

• Stock flowers. While no section is open here for the public, the tall flower stalks of stock flowers show a beautiful gradient of the purple shades and white. The stalks flowing in the breeze remind me of pictures of lavender fields I have seen but in this case, the colors are more dense and the gradient colors are an exercise in soft hues.

• Fewer crowds. I saw things at the flower fields that I had missed when I went earlier. For example, there was a fairy garden and a cute kids play area that was decorated with mushroom statues. It was easier to see the totality of the entire Master Gardener’s demonstration gardens and you didn’t need to wait in line for anything from seeing displays to your turn for pictures.

• Sweet Pea maze. With fewer crowds, you can take your turn walking through the sweet pea maze. While the sweet peas are beginning to look faded, there was still plenty of blooms to see. The sweet pea fragrance is delightful, but when it is in a maze situation and planted so densely, the odor is too strong for me. As the peas have faded, the smell is less strong and more tolerable and I was able to walk the entire maze without feeling asthmatic.

• The Master Gardener’s demonstration gardens are at their peak. The nasturtiums and geraniums are in bloom and you get the full effect of the gardener’s intentions. Other garden areas are also in bloom with roses and foxgloves.

• Strawberry Shack. There is a short line, if any, for the Strawberry Shack. It can be so packed with people that I didn’t even know the eating area was the Strawberry Shack. This is a unique eatery that is a tradition for the Carlsbad area where they only serve strawberry creations of such as the strawberry shake, strawberry shortcake, sundae, etc.
• With fewer people and more things to see because you aren’t in a rush, expect to spend a longer time here than you ordinarily would. You may find yourself lingering throughout the day and having time for a gentle stroll in the gardens.

Pictures taken in 2024.

Check the website for current events and status information. Be sure to purchase your tickets through the website. Note: events described in this post describes the extended season they had for 2024.