We had a blast. My 4 yer old just goes crazy with all the games and activities. She painted a frisbee and climbed the rock wall. I had a baked potato that was jaw dropping delicious. It had fresh cut corn and bacon bits. Oh my goodness. I almost went back the following day just for the potato alone! My only concern or thing I would change is he long lines and having to stand in the sun. Maybe get more jumpys or more activities. NOTE: it is a nightmare to get out of there. Make sure you have gone to the restroom, have a drink..... it took over an hour to get back to main road. You're all just sitting there. Really was a downer to an otherwise wonderful day. read more

Bates Nut Farm - Specialty Food Near Me - Valley Center, California

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Best Pumpkin patch around San Diego County PERIOD! Bates Nut Farm is an Annual Fall visit our family looks forward to. After you go through the straw maze and find the perfect pumpkin; make sure to visit the general store for all sorts of on site made goodies! read more

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It was our first time here and our son's First Pumpkin Patch. Great place to take pictures, feed farm animals and spend a day with a family. We loved it. Came on Monday morning and there were about 10 cars on the parking lot))) read more

Bates Nut Farm - Specialty Food Near Me - Valley Center, California

Nate's nut farm is great all year round. Great assortment of nuts, candy and fudge. Their gift shop is great too. It is also fun to sit under the trees and feed animals. read more

Went here for the pre-Halloween festival, on a Sunday morning. It was busy, as expected. Bought $50 of tickets, I don't know how many we used or if we can use them again next year, because our little one (5 years old) got restless and we didn't use them all. Rides and amusements were fairly expensive. Was going to buy food but we ended up going back into town. Didn't get any pumpkins. It's what we expected. Will probably be back next year. Hope our amusement tix are still good. read more

As a vendor, I was really disappointed by the turn out at Bate's nut farm flea market today. I also heard from other vendors that they were unhappy as well. The flea market started at 7:30 on a lovely day, however, the turnout was not as successful as prior events at this location. After talking to several vendors and customers I learned that Valley Center was hosting a western day event and also a parade to which they closed the main road which allows people access to bates but farm. Many local customers complained that it took them over 2 hours to make it to the flea market. As a vendor , i know how much time, effort and travel is involved to attend one of these events. Not to mention the cost of the space to rent. The goal as a vendor is to have a busy profitable day. Why would Bates Nut Farm schedule an event on a day that does not serve its vendors well??? read more

My friend and I visited Bates Farm with our doggies (dogs on leash are welcome here). Parking is free on weekdays and $5 on the weekends, I believe. Standard pumpkin patch fare can be found here, prices will be on the higher side, but picking a pumpkin right out of the area where it grew from a little seed: priceless. That's why lots of school buses were here. It's fantastic that we still have farms like these not too far from the big city, to teach our little ones that food doesn't come from the produce aisle at Costco, but from working farms, just like Bates. I don't have kids and if I didn't have my dog with me, there really isn't much for an adult to do here after they've seen the pumpkin patch and the petting zoo, kids riding ponies and the haystack maze. I've heard there's definitely more that goes on during the weekends, so check their website if you're looking for a little more action. Definitely a good educational experience for the little ones. And they have a little hamburger/hot dog area to grab a bite to eat. read more

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I have been coming here literally since I was a little girl when my great grandma who was friends w Mr. Bates used to take me. I've seen them grow a lot over the years but they still maintain the same level of customer service they had back when they were a much smaller operation. I highly recommend, especially if you have small kids. read more

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Okay, I love this little nut farm in the wilds of San Diego county. On vacay in San Diego we had an extra day and while perusing the hotel lobby tourist info kiosk we found a flyer for this little farm in the mountains. It sounded like a delightful drive and a nice relaxing day after so much activity during the previous several days. So we went, and I'm glad we did. This was in mid November. I loved the drive up there. San Diego county is so beautiful and diverse. The chaparral covered hills interspersed with huge boulders are so dramatic and different than the fir covered Cascade mountains that I'm used to. On to the farm! If you like nuts, well, you'll love this place because guess what? It has nuts. It also has candy and other goodies and there's a little shop next door to the main store where I found a beautiful umbrella, (I live in Seattle, and yes, some of us do use umbrella's here) gorgeous scented soaps and lotions. It has a lot more than that too. It's a very feminine shop and I loved it. As for the farm; I found it beautiful and tranquil. Well, honestly, it's not really a farm, at least not in November, it's more of a very large field with mature trees here and there and some farm animals that can be fed and petted. As always, my favorite was the donkey. They're so cuuuuuttttee!!! It was a very relaxing, beautiful day and I encourage anyone who's visiting and wants to see more than beaches (though they are not to be missed) to take this beautiful drive and visit Bates Nut Farm. I think you'll enjoy it. read more

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First time here and it's great for kids! $5 for parking (cash only). There are a bunch of things to do here. Most of them require tickets. We did the hay ride ($2.50 per person) and it was cute. What I did like is that each party gets your own wagon. That was cool. The store had a lot of variety of things. Great to browse and most things were reasonably priced. Go try the fudge! ($14.99/lb) It's actually really good and you can ask for samples, they give a generous amount too. All in all, great place to come with kids. Lots of pumpkins to pick out too. read more

This was our first time here, we are from Orange county. Came here to have a fall day with the family from San Diego. I gotta say the food was a bit pricey but not unreasonable. I really enjoyed the vibe made me feel like things were simple again. Lots of families & dogs, animals live music etc. Vary family vibes. Definitely would recommend coming here if you need a fall experience. Yes it's $8 a car but come on it's definitely worth it. read more

Its been my go to spot for pumpkins since before my kids were born. We've been coming to this place once a year since about 1997 and we haven't missed a season. The selection of pumpkins is outstanding and who knew there were so many varieties to choose from? Bates also puts tons of food booths, games, petting zoos, hay maze to get lost in and pony rides for the kids (sorry its not free). This year they've added archery (you know cause of the whole Hunger Game thing) thats perfect for kids. Its well supervised and totally safe. The one bummer (and I totally understand it) is how much the price of a pumpkin has gone up. Really $6 for one and its not even a decent size one. just sayn'. Oh well them's the breaks I guess. Ill still be coming back again and again! read more

Great COVID-19 precautions, I do wish someone was walking through and reminding those no eating or drinking to have masks on but they are doing their best. Sanitizer all around. They sanitize between uses (like the tractor ride and pony ride). We went around 9am the parking lot was packed but it is very well spread out. When we left at 1 the car line to get in was back up easily a mile or 2. Cash is needed for parking but tickets can be purchased with card or cash. Lines are a little long but move quickly. read more

Bates Nut Farm - Pumpkin - Specialty Food Near Me - Valley Center, California

I wouldn't put "relax" and Bates Nut Farm together but perhaps my fuse for these kinds of crowds are stumpier than most. When the weather is actually..you know..crisp and breezier.. I do enjoy the place. Huge ass pumpkins I have no intention of buying, store full of nuts, snacks, candy and other crap you don't need but buy anyway, and various other activities for children. Now if it is a day like say today..then things become less enjoyable. Busier than ever ($5.00 gas be damned) in one of my least favorite cities (sorry Escondidoians?) and after googlemaps (pricks) got me lost I wasn't feeling the love for the place. Still I soldiered on or I would hear about from my mother who tagged along. (AKA helped babysit) We did the usual. The pony ride. After waiting for a bit we were first in line. Another little girl wanted 'Star' the same horse we had our eye on. Let's just say we got by her by just a inch and yes I took pleasure in the fact I ruined her day. Second we went to the 'petting zoo' which consists of mainly pretty uninteresting animals, but cute so..you accept it. Mostly little baby goats and their weird eyes. Checked out the bunnies as well. They have chickens, but it just made me think of dinner For $8.00 a kid you get the pony ride and petting zoo. Dare I say it's not half bad The torture chamber (AKA Bates Nut Farm shop) really needs to figure out some kind of system. You basically feel like you are on one of those moving walkways, except no movement..You are basically crushed into one area and if you even think about deviating you are in somebody's face saying sorry for something you have no control over. They have nice overpriced Halloween items (I did manage to get a cool ornament) and all the jams, chutneys, jelly, hot stuff, taffy and mixed nuts you could possibly want For 4 stars it doesn't look like I have been overly thrilled with the place. Well I think it is more for the kid set and older adults. I still make it now a yearly place to go. Something that marks the start of Halloween to come. It's a cool place..just much better when it is COOLER read more

Bates Nut Farm - Those creepy eyes - Specialty Food Near Me - Valley Center, California

We came to Bate's today for the classic car show (so much fun!!!) once we were done gawking at all the cars, we wandered into a General Store type of shop. They sell nuts, candies, and various sundries and collectible stuff. I think the family and I spent as much time looking around the store as we did looking at the old cars. Out in front of the store and across a parking lot there is an area with farm critters that the Wee Ones can feed and pet. We are definitely going to be coming back to Bates again. Such a fun, family thing to do! read more

Bates Nut Farm - Class is car show was so fun! - Specialty Food Near Me - Valley Center, California

If it is raining or has rained I warn you not to visit. Our car got stuck in the mud and there were so many things we couldn't enjoy because of the abundant amount of mud. Just make sure you call ahead of time. On a positive note, we still really enjoyed ourselves. It was just unfortunate that we were limited to a few activities because of the mud. Definitely have to give it to the parking attendants who assisted in getting our car out of the mud and getting us parked. They also could sense my frustration and got a golf cart to ride us up to the front. Definitely a $5 well spent. We loved the little shops. We bought several items at a discount of 50% off. The nut and fudge shop was delicious. They give you unlimited fudge samples, which is awesome considering it's $14.99/pound. The food truck that served us a pulled pork sandwich was delicous and reasonably priced. We will be coming back hear again sans rain and mud being in the way. read more

I went to Bates Nut Farm today and picked out the perfect pumpkin 58"lb . On the way to my truck the wheel barrow hight a hole and my perfect pumpkin went flying out of the wheel barrow cracking in half . I went back and talked to the manager to see if there was anything that could be done. Curtis / manager was so nice and understanding . He asked me if I would like to pick out another pumpkin in its place. I ended up picking a 89lb pumpkin and paying the difference. Best Customer service hands down. If you are looking to starting the holidays off by making grate family memories, picking out the perfect pumpkin and having the best customer service Bates Nut Farm is the place to go. read more

We had such a great field trip here with my son's kindergarten class: very reasonable for the outing. + The pumpkin presentation was really well done: short, informative, peppy and fun. + The tractor hay ride was comfy to ride in and they had some interesting scarecrow art that entertained. -The maze was ok - just such a long line to get a stamp, and find out most of the stamps were dried out, but what a cool idea. (it is a good opportunity to reinforce waiting one's turn; too many kids try to cut in front of smaller kids.) +The pumpkins were awesome: great selection of sizes, variety, and many great photo ops. +Feeding the animals is probably our favorite part: some of the goats refused to eat the feed on the floor - they held out for hand fed love... how sweet is that? Looking forward to coming back. and yes: bring lots of hand wipes, sanitizer and a drink. read more

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I've heard the hype about this place for years, and finally decided to take my daughter this year with some friends. If you're going on a weekend, make sure you go early. I would say that if you don't get there by 10am you can expect to sit in traffic for an extra 30 minutes, at least. One of the neighboring ranches is taking advantage of the horrendous traffic and opened one of their fields as a parking lot. It is a 5-10 minute walk to Bates Nut Farm, but it's two dollars cheaper (3 dollars instead of 5) and traffic sucks so bad that we ended up passing a lot of cars on foot. Once you get inside, things are reasonably priced. If it's rained recently, there will be mud, so wear closed toed shoes. The pumpkin patch is HUGE. They also have a straw maze, and horse carriage rides, and bouncy houses, and slides, and a petting zoo, and face paint. There are plenty of food trucks and food vendors if you're hungry. My daughter had a great time, but I don't know if we'll be back (she certainly wants to go back). It's a really far drive to start with, and with traffic, the drive out can be as long as 1.5 hours (I live in east county). Not sure I want to drive that far for a pumpkin patch. read more

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I don't get the appeal. Bates is one of those places that I've heard about for years, but never had the desire to actually see. It took my cousin visiting and a "to-do" list a mile long to get us out here one miserably hot day. I can say that I see why parents love it. When we arrived, there was a small market set up on the walk leading to Bates' store. Not sure if that's normal, but the kids certainly loved it. They had vendors in tents facing the road, and behind them were pens of all kinds of crazy chickens, llamas, rabbits and peacocks. It gave the place a "Del Mar Fair" kind of feel. The store itself was huge and blessedly air conditioned, which meant that it was also packed with people. They sell the normal "country market" fare - from taffy to the promised nuts to coffees and chocolates and tchotchkes - and they had an entire room devoted to Christmas. In September. The girls working the chocolate counter were so sweet. They were attentive to the customers crowded around the cases, answering questions and offering samples. They quickly took and filled orders, while keeping up a steady friendly banter. We got a sampling of chocolates, some taffy, nuts, teas and corn puffs for the road. The chocolates were good (and quickly consumed in the car on the way back to the city - it's not like they would have lasted long in the heat, anyway). The teas are delicious - I'm still making my way through the two small bags I purchased. My husband loves his taffy - again, still making his way through the bag stuffed into a door in the fridge, and I think my cousin loved the stuff she bought to take home with her. It's a cutesy little concept, and they certainly train their staff well (customer service always counts for a ton with me), but I don't know that I'll go back. It's a long drive for stuff I don't necessarily need, and with no kids of my own, the appeal just isn't there. read more

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Recently moved to San Diego and was looking for a Pumpkin patch so I can pick out some pumpkins for Halloween. My boyfriend and his sister took pictures here around 20 years ago, so we picked this place in the hope that we re create some pictures. Well, their decorations have changed so we couldnt re create those pics (duh), but we have a great time anyways. We walked away with some cute pumpkins + fudge + random snacks we found in their stores. Highly recommended. I hope the owner add more foos stand during Halloween season tho . read more

Bates Nut Farm - Specialty Food Near Me - Valley Center, California

First time at Bates Nut Farm today and my sons first pumpkin patch. It was a great experience for him, lots of photo opportunities for us. I give it a 4/5 because I expected the market to have more nuts since they have "nuts from all over the world" advertised in the store. Unfortunately not much of a selection for me. Other than that, it was a great first pumpkin patch for our little family. read more

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Went on a Saturday morning and it was already getting pretty crowded. Luckily I didn't have trouble finding parking ($5 cash) but when I was leaving the place closer to noon the line to get in looked like it went on for a mile. I chose to go to this pumpkin patch because it was dog friendly! Lots of pumpkins and things to do there like animal petting zoos, food trucks (which most take card), and kid games and events. The one negative thing I'd say about this place is that I wanted to order a burger from one of the food trucks and they told me they weren't allowed to serve burgers because the owner of the farm was selling burgers. I understand why, but what's the point of getting a food truck vendor that sells burgers only to tell them they can't sell burgers? Besides that this place is great but I would make sure to get there right when they open at 9 am or try going on the weekdays read more

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Great place to visit! Especially in the fall and Christmas time. Country experience not far from the city.

Love this place. Lots of good thing to munch on. Want a crazy hot sauce. Here you go. Want some awesome fudge. This is the place. Want some Boysenberry Syrup? Go somewhere else. Bate's Nut Farm needs to trash this recipe. Not sure what ever happened to the king of Boysenberry syrup from Knotts. But that was good syrup. This is not. Thru it away. But again Bates is a cool place. read more

The best pumpkin patch in North county! Hands Down! I have been coming here for 20 yrs!! And it is great every single time! read more

Bates Nut Farm - Specialty Food Near Me - Valley Center, California

I went by after a golf tournament down the street. It had turned freezing so i swung by to grab sone yummies and warm up. Even though it was 4:50 when i got there and they close at 5pm, they were still open and not closing up early like everyone else always seems to, so i was very grateful for that. They have so much yummy edible stuff so I bought some of everything. First, everything in the bulk barrels was completely stale and a waste of money. I tried a bunch of different taffys and other bulk candy. It was all so hard and stale. Not good. Next, I grabbed some fresh fudge and truffles from the case in the back... The German chocolate and praline pecan were so good!!! All the truffles were tasty too. I will definitely forego the bulk stuff and buy more chocolate goodies next time I am near. As I was paying, I saw a sign that they had hot tea. Since I am a big fan of tea and was freezing, I was thrilled to grab some! I asked what flavors she had, expecting a couple of boxes of generic flavors, she points me to the wall of tea. There are so many glass jars of loose tea. They also have little sniffers so you don't have everyone's nose in your drink. Then they have individual bags of the tea. I got two herbals to take home: Georgia Peach and Pina Colada. Both were so good. They also have a petting zoo and other things, like gorgeous soaps and teapots and other home type stuff but that is all I had time for. Stop by and avoid the bulk stuff but get everything else. read more

Loved it recommend everyone to go! Great atmosphere, food was good and felt original, great family fun place!

You shouldn't get a sunburn while you are picking up pumpkins but...that is what happened this weekend at Bates. Though they have no control over the weather....the combination of the weather & tons of people made for a long day at Bates. There are tons of pumpkins here which is great & also it's a fun destination for the kids during Halloween season. Hopefully next year it won't be so hot! read more

Bates Nut Farm - Specialty Food Near Me - Valley Center, California

Although it's a pretty far drive to reach this destination, during the weeks before Halloween, this is a nice place to kill couple hours. They have a lot of food trucks parked inside for you to get a meal. They also have a pretty decent size area of farm animals that you can observe from a fence. There were a desert turtle, turkeys, ducks, llamas, sheep, goats, emus, and pigs. They have a nice field of different colors, shapes, and sizes of pumpkins and gourds. Definitely picture worthy! They also have their own store that sells specialty items which include but not limited to chocolates, nuts, dried fruits, nostalgic toys/decorations, etc. Definitely worth a visit at least during the weeks leading up to Halloween. read more

If you do it right, this place is super fun for kiddos. Traffic backs up onto the street and parking gets crazy, so I always get there when they open and am able to avoid all of that. Lines seem to always build up for activities (the hay ride, paying for pumpkins, shopping in the General Store). But again, if you get there near opening, the wait times are very reasonable. They have food trucks and vendors, and a petting zoo and pony rides. I guess there's considerable overhead for all of that as they seem a bit on the expensive side, but it's worth it once a year. read more

Very nice way to spend an afternoon about 40 minutes out of San Diego. They have a great store with a variety of food you can't easily get at other places. They have a little animal farm where you can visit goats, etc. The staff are nice and helpful. read more

Very cute place to visit. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Great selections of nuts and candy. The best thing for us was the fresh hot pnuts. So good! read more

LOVE Bates Nut Farm!!! The expansive grounds are beautiful - great place for a picnic or just roaming around in the fresh air and sunshine. They have some sweet farm animals that the kids (or adults like me) can feed and enjoy. And their main store and Farmer's Daughter Boutique are a joy to experience. Delicious nuts and candies and lots of fun, unique gift items. Charming and just a delight to visit!! read more

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What a disappointment. Let's get real here for a minute, in San Diego, there isn't much of a classic "fall." So when a business seems to offer fall, you'd hope they'd go above and beyond. The hour trek out here was just not worth it for me. We waited in a long line of cars pouring into the dirt lots (with so many holes, I almost broke my ankle a few times as they were covered with hay, total hazard). Paid the $5 cash to park the car and walk into the area of "fun." They did have a number of stands from zoo animals, owls on display, games, bouncy castle, food stalls, a shop, a "train" that goes around the property, and the pumpkin patch. However, despite the number of things to do there were exactly 1 billion people here on a Sunday afternoon haha. (yes, sarcasm) There was very little shade or tables to enjoy lunch at and with open garbage cans, there were so many wasps, absolutely everywhere and on everyone. There was also no place to fill up reusable water bottles, forcing you to buy bottled water from whoever was selling it. The pumpkin patch was the best part and shockingly the prices were fair. They had a range from $4.50 for small, $7.50 for a medium carving pumpkin. If your pumpkin was 60lbs or over it was a flat $30. Just remember, you have to trek your pumpkins all over and (if you are lucky enough to score a wheelbarrow, protect it with everything you've got because people will swoop in to take it.) Most of the parents looked pretty miserable, but everyone was here to "do it for the 'Gram," get the photos of their kids or dogs and leave. I'd recommend skipping this over-hyped attraction. Go to a closer, smaller pumpkin patch and be glad you didn't waste the gas out here. read more

I've been here 3 times. 2 of the 3 I was paid to visit with my students on a field trip. The Third was to hear Heidi and the Hurricane play live music. All three visits were good. It's a nice place to visit. All the staff I encountered were helpful read more

I've visited Bates Nuts farm for 3 years now and unfortunately this will be my last. The environment itself is really nice. I love the pony rides they offer and think the big slides are fun for kids but other than that it's far too overpriced now. Parking is $10 and a deal they advertise is 30 tickets for $60. 30 tickets doesn't get you far and I found myself needing to go back several times for more tickets. (Which may be the whole point from a business perspective). For example, for your child to ride the bull it's $10 of $10 worth of tickets for maybe a 2 min ride. It's just not worth it now. When you drive over an hour to attend, it's nice to enjoy your time for at least 2 hours but with the way tickets are overpriced your better off going elsewhere. read more

Beautiful farm, we went on the week day to avoid crowds; and it was great. Kids had an great time read more

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Within seconds of arriving we approached the horses to admire them. The handler introduced Pumpkin instantly followed by asking us if "we had found Jesus" and "if you haven't found Jesus and you die on the way home what will you do". This completely ruined a day that was meant to be light-hearted and fun. We instantly turned around and left. DO NOT accost people with "what happens if you die" or religious commentary for that matter. Needless to say I will be sharing with everyone I know to NEVER VISIT BATES NUT FARM. If these are the people you are employing I recommend reevaluating your staff. Shame on her and shame on this establishment. Keep personal beliefs to yourself. read more

Love this place! My family and I visited Oma's Pumpkin Patch last year and decided to make the drive out to Bates this year. We came on a Thursday so it wasn't busy at all. Parking is in a huge lot in front of the farm and you just walk right up. The best thing about this pumpkin patch is that you only pay for what you want to do. There isn't an admission fee but they do charge for parking on the weekends. It does cost money for the tractor and pony rides but if you don't want to participate then you can enjoy walking around and looking at their animals and pumpkins free of charge. There is also a store for little pumpkin goodies and other snacks. read more