I come to Bates frequently and just love the whole place. They frequently have live music in an…read moreoutdoor setting that is beautiful. I did struggle on this visit because I felt that the food festival could have been better. I stress that I love this place and enjoyed the music. I often buy nuts, candy or fudge there. They have a section in back where they sell cool stuff. I especially love going near Christmas. If you haven't been, give it a try. Good for kids too. Don't forget about the pumpkin patch in October

Bates Nut farm is a large venue for events that take place throughout the year, most noteably the…read morepumpkin patch. I have also been here for the swap meet among other things. It is located in Valley Center, so be prepared for your trek. I always go with plenty of snacks, food and water. Having celiac means the food tents will not have options for any food restrictions, but maybe if you're lucky you can get a lemonade for $13 or something. Be prepared to shell out exorbitant amounts for any purchases. The pumpkin patch is a great place to get fall pictures, but the prices are wild. The rides are about $5 each for a minute or two. The bounce obstacle course was $5 for three times running through. It was unreasonable. The gift shop sold the cheapest temu crappy toys for $20!! Buy you're own toys at Walmart and bring them with you to keep the kids happy. I can buy junk on my own. The nuts and candy and dried fruits are probably the only thing I am ok with buying. It's about the price of Sprouts or Whole Foods. I'll usually buy my kiddo a treat and steer him away from the insanity of the price tags of the crappy toys and we're good to go. I buy my pumpkins at target though.

This is the perfect family friendly spot for fall! My son had so much fun at the pumpkin patch…read morehere. Love that it's small and not very crowded. I will be coming back next year. I will definitely be checking them out in December!

Very disappointed this year. Pumpkin patch had old blow ups nothing new or back drops for pictures…read more Nobody selling food items. Two guys inside were not friendly. We won't be back! Blah! Kids did enjoy the swing that's about it.

I used to love coming to this corn maze every year, but we missed the last two years. Boy has it…read morechanged. There used to be numbered stations throughout the maze. In the way old days there was trivia at each checkpoint and the card told you which way to turn based on the answer you picked. If you got the right answer you'd be on the right path. Then there was no more trivia, but there were numbered checkpoints so you'd know whether you were on the right path or not. Not as fun, but OK. This year there wasn't even numbered checkpoints. I guess there was a photo of the design you could take a photo of when you paid to enter, but no one told us about that. We ended up hearing about it from someone else in the maze when we asked if they had seen a checkpoint yet. Turns out you really don't need a photo though. It's basically a long walk (took us 45 minutes) through the cornfield. You can't really get lost because any dead ends are super short. There is literally no challenge in it anymore. I was pretty disappointed. It's always been a favorite fall activity for me.

Excellent way to spend the afternoon with kids. They have 4 different bounce houses, food and even…read morebeer/wine in some shade.

My review is way over due. I brought my son for the first time in October. I went on a Thursday and…read moreit was pretty empty. It was easy to find parking. Entrance is free on weekdays. I personally loved it, it had everything my 4 year old needed to stay entertained. There was plenty of photo props, inflatables, petting zoo, games and rides. All the workers were polite, plenty of rides and not too expensive. My son had a wonderful time and I can't wait to bring him back again next year.

We used to enjoy this local pumpkin patch with our kids. Unfortunately we will not be returning…read moreafter this year. I have road the carousel (standing beside my child) for many years with both my kids and was never charged to "ride". This year I was charged a full price ride ($7 per person!!!) to stand on the carousel with my child. No other place does that.. we just recently visited the Irvine spectrum and their ride attendants were very confused when I clarified if I needed a ticket to stand with my child! (Each child ticket there includes an adult accompany for the children that don't meet the solo rider height).... FOOD: waited in an extremely long line for the employees to not seem to know what to do, and almost everything on the menu was not available (sold out, or on excuse was that they couldn't make a funnel cake because someone did something wrong with the frying oil?) $8 to play a single game of ring toss is not appealing.

Sandoval and Sons Flower Grower is absolutely fantastic. Beautiful, vibrant flowers, clearly grown…read morewith care, and incredibly friendly service. You can feel the pride and quality in everything they do. Highly recommend!

This is an absolute hidden little gem. The flowers are always fresh and they are reasonably priced…read more The flowers primarily come from the nearby field, adjacent to the flower stand. I stop weekly to purchase multiple bouquets for my mother. She loves sunflowers and as long as she waters them, they will last for a few weeks. They are some of the largest sunflowers, nothing like you find in the stores. They sell beautiful roses and assorted arrangements as well. During the various holidays, they have holiday arrangements and they are so vibrant and festive. Sometimes they will have fresh produce such as watermelon or other locally sourced fruit, but not often. If they do, buy it, try it because it's fresh and flavorful. They accept cash and Venmo! There is a cash box to leave your money in case an employee isn't working directly at the stand to take your payment.

A hidden gem and one of the best family experiences around!…read more We had an absolutely amazing time at Sumnist Tangerine Farm and will definitely be coming back. For just $25, you get a bag that you can fill with whatever is in season. During our visit, we picked tangerines, oranges, lemons, and limes, but they have a great variety depending on the time of year. The orchard is huge, and one of my favorite parts was the owner's philosophy: everything you can eat while you're on the property is included. We definitely took advantage of that and enjoyed fresh fruit right off the trees. It doesn't get any fresher than that! The property is beautiful, the parking was easy, and the whole experience was relaxing and family-friendly. We saw plenty of families with strollers, and the walking paths were wide enough to navigate comfortably. Just keep in mind that much of the orchard is on a hillside, so I highly recommend wearing comfortable tennis shoes or closed-toe shoes for better footing and to protect your feet. One tip: their hours are limited (I believe they're only open on Saturdays and Sundays), so I'd recommend arriving early, especially on warmer days. You'll beat the heat, have the best selection of fruit, and enjoy the orchard before it gets busy. This is so much more than just buying fruit--it's an experience. We'll absolutely be bringing our friends and family back because it was such a fun way to spend the day. Highly recommend if you're looking for fresh citrus, beautiful scenery, and a memorable outing!

It's not about the price, but about the experience. We enjoyed our time in nature and had some…read morefield-eating to our heart's content as we picked our mandarins and filled our bag too. Although we showed up near "closing" time, we did not feel rushed. There were multiple families still picking and others just enjoying the park/shade area. For $20 to fill an 8lb bag, and no admission fee, we found it to be very much worth it. The trees are on a hill so there is a bit of a hike involved but we were aware of it ahead of time. Plan accordingly, bring proper shoes and water!

Our kids' school is organizing a trip here, so parents are required to attend--and unfortunately,…read morethe experience with reservations has been frustrating. They require payment in advance, but the system doesn't work properly. I tried booking for 3 people and it only charged for 1. I tried again for 2 people, and it still only charged for 1. It's confusing and unreliable. If you're going to require paid reservations--especially for school groups--please make sure your system works correctly. On top of that, parking is a nightmare. There aren't enough spots, which makes the whole process even more stressful when you're trying to coordinate with a school group and young kids.

Family made the trek from OC on a Sunday morning for the 10 am slot. Reservations were easy to make…read morethe night before. I noticed person were able to go in without reservations at the check in counter but maybe that was for slow time slots. Farm offers two sizes but we opted for the large tubs. They tell you how much to fill without over filling aka being charged extra. People were mad filling but I guess it's a gamble. We only stayed for about 45 min but time slots were for 1.5 hours. No shade so be sure to bring a hat and water. Small food truck offering drink and snacks. Small sundries shop as well. I didn't see any restroom facilities and it's not a major exit off the freeway so come prepared.

A fun outing to go and pick raspberries. Plenty of ripe, delicious fruit and the farm tour was…read morewonderful. The mini luncheon featured homemade raspberry lemonade, samplings of dried fruits and bakery items and of course fresh fruit assortment! Looking forward to doing this again as well as coming out for the apricot and apple picking later in the season!

From the owner: Pick your own thornless raspberry farm. We offer farm tours and picnic lunch and fresh & freeze…read moredried berries and other items. Picking season usually begins June 1 each year. We have apricots in July and apples in September . We sell strawberry plants and more. Upickmurrieta.com 9512495833