A quick visit to Carlsbad Flower Fields
If you are not from the area, one of the very first things that might come to mind when someone mentions Carlsbad, after Legoland, and the beaches, is the world famous Flower Field. As someone who lives here, on the other hand, the flower field is something you might drive by on a daily basis, see out of your peripheral vision , and not give a second thought. This was the case for me, up until last week, when my wife and I finally stopped in for a visit.
The fields have been a staple of the Carlsbad community for over sixty years, and are comprised of around 50 acres of Ranaculas...If you are anything like me, and have zero knowledge of flowers, other than my wife's favorite type (peonies), all you need to know is that ranaculas are large and colorful. The flowers are grown to sell of course, but the owners of the flower fields figured out that the could attract people to their fields and capitalize on the ranaculas' beauty, before sale, by planting them in very well coordinated patterns. This planting is so well done, in fact, that over the years it has become one of the benchmark attractions that this Northern San Diego gem is known for.
As I mentioned before, living here, I drive by everyday, and have never stopped to take in just how spectacular the fields really are. However, this past weekend, we had some friends come into town, and since the flowers were in full bloom, my wife had the idea of making a visit to the fields. I was pleasantly surprised at how much i enjoyed it..
The fields on the day of our visit were uncommonly crowded, due to many schools being on spring break, and that put me, being somewhat of an introvert, in a bit of a cranky mood...or being a bit of a pain in the ass..whichever verbiage you prefer, But, upon entering the fields, my mood, and in essence my family's , were immediately lifted.
From the roads that parallel, you really can't get a true sense of how amazing the fields really are, but when you are up close, it is almost impossible not to be taken aback. You are literally staring at (i think) millions of perfectly grown and coordinated flowers, in row after row of beauty. As we walked among them I couldn't deny that it was impressive and i daresay enjoyable. The most impressive arrangement, in my humble and patriotic opinion, was the enormous American flag, composed entirely of Ranaculas. occupying the entire northern hilside, It is roughly the size of football field , and Im not talkin' soccer. It Is as well done as it is glorious. I was happy to see it and snap the cliche family photos in front of it .
Besides the big show of walking through row after row of these colorful little beauties, other attractions included a sweetpea maze, which was actually a lot tougher to get out of than in looked (at least for me. the six- year-olds in front of me did fine), great fair food, made with local ingredients, an extensive playground for all those rowdy, sugared-up youngins’ that aren’t quite old enough to appreciate the flowers, and of course, the ever popular wagon rides, pulled by a genuine John Deere.
Overall, I would recommend a visit for any families visiting the area, looking for an outdoor activity that will let the kids get a little exercise, and won’t break the bank. It is not the most exciting place on the planet, but, It is worth the price of admission to see the flowers and have some old fashioned family fun, as cheesy as that sounds 