Advertisement
The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch

The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch

The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch
4.5
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
Open in Spring from March 1st through Mothers Day. For over sixty years, Mother Nature has transformed the rolling hills of North San Diego County into one of the most spectacular and coordinated displays of natural color and beauty anywhere in the world. The nearly fifty acres of Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers that make up The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch® in Carlsbad, California, are in bloom for approximately six to eight weeks each year – from early March through early May – literally bringing the famous fields back to life. This annual burst of color, which has become part of the area’s local heritage, also is one of nature’s official ways of announcing the arrival of spring here in Southern California.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

See what travelers are saying

  • Robert H
    El Dorado Hills, California15 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    World-Famous Flower Fields of Carlsbad
    A nice experience, but rather pricey: admission was $23 per person, purchased online in advance. The tractor-driven wagon ride (optional at $8 per person) is recommended unless you are comfortable walking very long distances. As we were there very early in the season, the wagon ride made only ONE stop mid-trip, and about half of the fields had not started to bloom. As there were other ramps along the route, I'm assuming that more stops are made during the busier part of the season. The poinsettia and orchid displays were especially beautiful. Food concessions are available, but the prices are sky-high, so we passed on these
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 20, 2024
  • DENISE L
    92 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice fields
    So it’s Definetly beautiful but a bit pricey. Went on a Fri afternoon a lot of ppl and yes line gets long . Not sure what happens if you are late . Would say famil, solo and couples can do it’s very large the tractor ride literally just takes you around the fields , doesn’t make any stops . I walked it all very doable . Be prepared to take pics and have pics taken it has many areas and fun insta worthy areas to take pics. As no one posts about how long it takes I did it in about 1.5 hrs ,with kids prob a lot longer . They sold lemonade and coffee and popcorn they also had an ice cream stand . Again lines may get long
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written March 30, 2024
  • Angela3950
    Eureka, California1,507 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Massive Fields of Flowers!!!
    First thought it was a nature reserve, wild and untended, but turns out, it’s basically a nursery. Not mad about it but it’s not what I expected. The massive acreage of the flowers, the colors in striped fields and the color variety is pure heaven for a flower aficionado. The benches and walkways get you up close & personal with lots of Instagramable photo opportunities. You can’t tiptoe through the flowers but you can look them up close in the designated areas. I haven’t even mentioned the farm itself-beautiful and unusual plantings (the busts with plants as hair, for instance) with food, gifts AND plants for sale.
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written April 22, 2024
  • Annette
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Don't wait for Mother's Day
    This is a Mother's Day weekend tradition for many in Southern California, but we usually go during the week prior as it is so busy on Mother's Day. It's a great reminder of what most of Southern California used to be - flowers, strawberries, and other agriculture. I appreciate all the care and planning it takes to beautify this lovely hillside by the coast year after year.
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 1, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles979 reviews
Excellent
507
Very good
300
Average
110
Poor
50
Terrible
12

flashncrash
Berkeley, CA672 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2019
We came on Mother's Day last year which also coincided on their last day in season. The place is much larger than it appears. We had a $5 off coupon per person and we enjoyed walking on the dirt paths (yes, there can be mud too) looking at the remaining blooms. The Flower Fields offers tractor-pulled rides but walking just made more sense. There are plenty of set ups for the flowers, not just on the ground. I'm sure if you went during a different part of the flower season you would see additional species plus even more color.
Written April 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

idstriker
Orange County, CA844 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2021 • Couples
The flower fields opened now with new policies and COVID protocols. All guests are required to buy ticket(s) online and select a time slot for the visit. You will be turned away if you dont make reservation online.

Still the beginning of the season so not all the fields are blooming. Still pretty and quite calming with the new capacity limit. We didn't have to fight or wait long to take pictures of our favorite flowers.
Written March 17, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CSD
Corona, CA1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2021
The flower fields is usually one of my absolute favorite places to visit. However, this season it was extremely disappointing. Not because of the flowers, but because of the experience and price. I paid $20 per person to enter, which is way too much. Then I paid an additional $6 to ride the wagon out to the flower fields. They have equipped the wagons with ridiculous plastic "windows" in between each row of seats! We were outside! The only thing these plastic windows did was block our entire view of the flower fields as we rode the wagon! Common sense people! Then, if you wanted to get out of the wagon to walk around the flower fields at the top, they wouldn't let you get back on the wagon! You had to walk back. Since I had some knee problems, we opted to stay in the wagon, which many people did as well. The driver could have at least stopped for a while to allow us some time to snap a couple pictures due to their rule of not letting us get back on the wagon. Literally unloaded the people who wanted to get off, and then drove away. Didn't get one picture at the top, and could barely get one in the wagon due to the completely obstructed view. If you get off the wagon and can walk all the way back, you will have a much better view of the flowers.

The cherry on top was when my daughter tried to purchase one of our favorite strawberry shakes that they have there and bring it to me near the exit. They refused to allow her to exit the strawberry dessert place with her shake! There were literally lemonade stands and other people walking around with drinks and food... but they wouldn't let her walk to me and hand me a shake. She even tried to tell them that I couldn't walk back over because of knee issues, that we just wanted to take our shakes and go, and they refused to allow her to leave the area with a shake.
Written March 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Deborah Z
Carlsbad, CA24 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2019
I live in Carlsbad and love our flower fields so much. The tissue-thin petals of Ranunculus flowers look almost too perfect to be real. Their rose-like blossoms come in so many different colors and provide a beautiful backdrop for photos.
Written January 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

traveldan21
Culver City, CA815 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2021
As a Southern California resident who has made the LA/San Diego trek more times than I care to remember, I have seen the Carlsbad Flower Fields in the distance many times. But I finally decided to visit and was happy I did. Due to the sheer volume of the blooms of ranunuculus flowers of many different colors, the views are very impressive. The grounds are well kept and rope lines keep folks from trampling the flowers. There are strategically placed cut-ins where one can take photos that can make it seem you are standing in the fields. I was impressed that (at least during Covid), these areas are regulated with entrance/exit areas clearly marked.
The one thing we encountered that was a bit annoying is that there were small groups of young folks who insisted on taking dozens of photos of each of them posing every which way to ensure they got pictures worthy of their Instagram accounts. I know I probably sound like an old man yelling, "Get off my lawn!" but it would be nice if everyone could have some consideration and let others waiting cut in occasionally before they continued their quest for the perfect, killer image to populate their social media.
Note also that, at least during Covid, there were no refreshments available, and there's not a whole lot to do other than take pictures of and with flowers. But it is definitely worth doing once.
Written May 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

S_C_Explorer
Alpharetta, GA135 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022 • Family
We loved our experience at the flower fields! It was a little crowded when we went but I believe that’s because of spring break. It was well worth it though, we have three kids ages 12, 11, and nine and even they really enjoyed it. We opted not to do the tractor ride and honestly wouldn’t recommend it. When we looked over there, it was a very long line. When you’re on the tractor, you can’t pose in the fields or near the flowers either. There was plenty opportunities to see many of the flowers and the property by just walking around. There were many opportunities to sit in the fields in designated cut out areas with benches. It was absolutely gorgeous! There was a live band playing and they were decent. It was a Beatles cover band. We decided to get a sweet treat from the strawberry concession stand and it was very good. Overall a great experience!
Written April 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

simply-peregrinating
Waddington, UK2,721 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2019
It is beautiful to see the fields of ranunculus in bloom. We opted not to pay what we thought was an overpriced entrance fee and viewed them from the road right by our hotel. You do get an overall view of them from this advantageous viewpoint. Staying close by we got the oportunity to view them in the early morning and evening when the light differed.
Written March 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Xiu Y
New York City, NY11 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021 • Couples
The flower field at Carlsbad needs more varieties of flowers. It is just flowers with no artistic presentation or design. It is not worth it considering San Diego has so many interesting sightseeing spots for free. The man we talked to driving a golf cart was arrogant.
Written April 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DEGhia
Delaware187 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021
Visited over the Easter holiday while staying with family. Flowers were in full bloom and it was a beautiful experience.
Tickets were purchased ahead of time on line. Covid restrictions were in place with masks required. A small snack window was open and seating was available.
Many of photo opportunities with all the flowers.
Lots of benches throughout the property for resting & people watching.
We paid additional fee for the wagon ride which was nice for getting a different view.
Made for a very nice trip with the family and seeing a different part of California.
Written May 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AN1605
10 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2021 • Friends
This was a beautiful place but for the $20 entry price and the hour and a half drive that we undertook, the experience was somewhat underwhelming. The blooms were not as vivid as I expected — I’m not sure if this was due to the fact that we visited on one of the last few days of the season.

Tip: The view from the far end is beautiful, although the land slopes downwards from this end, given the ocean in the background.
Written May 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 929
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

All Carlsbad HotelsCarlsbad Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Carlsbad
All things to do in Carlsbad
Amusement Parks in Carlsbad
RestaurantsFlightsVacation RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars