Agritourism & Farm Experiences near Gilroy, CA

Gilroy

Lazy K Ranch grows cherries in the hills around Gilroy, the South Santa Clara Valley town better known for garlic. Bay Area cherry season typically runs May into June, though this ranch's current hours and contact details aren't posted online.

Gilroy

Tru2Earth Farm is a USDA-certified organic u-pick operation in Gilroy where visitors harvest strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, tomatoes, and cucumbers from April through October, no reservation needed. The farm also grows cut flowers like dahlias and zinnias, keeps a small chicken coop for kids, and sells honey and pre-packed vegetables at the farmstand. There's no entry fee.

Gilroy

Gilroy U-Pick operates off Korn Lane in the Santa Clara Valley farmland south of town — country better known nationally for garlic but also thick with berry and stone-fruit growers who open fields to pickers in summer. No confirmed current crop list or hours turned up online this session; call ahead for what's ripe.

Gilroy

Gilroy Upick is a no-spray pick-your-own orchard on Korn Lane in Gilroy, California, known for pluerries, plums, and pluots sold by the pound alongside seasonal cherries, berries, and vegetables. Weekend picking runs in two blocks, late morning and mid-afternoon; weekdays are by appointment only. There's no on-site restroom, and overflow parking sits across the street on Korn Lane.

Gilroy

Ranch Three is a Borello Farms u-pick orchard on Godfrey Road in Gilroy, part of the same multi-ranch stone fruit network as Ranch Four down the road.

San Martin

Rockin A Alpacas keeps its herd on Perino Lane in San Martin, between Morgan Hill and Gilroy, and opens the property for alpaca visits by appointment only. There's no walk-up access or regular open hours — check their Facebook page or website first to schedule a time to meet the animals.

Gilroy

Ranch Four is one of several independently farmed u-pick orchards clustered around Gilroy and Morgan Hill, an area long known for stone fruit and berries. This site is worked by Borello Farms under the 101 Ranch name on Castro Valley Road.

Gilroy

Berry Island Farms grows certified organic berries and vegetables on Watsonville Road outside Gilroy, selling farm-fresh on a first-come, first-served basis with no reservations needed. It's a small family operation, not a commercial outfit, so what's available shifts week to week — call or text ahead to check what's ripe before making the drive.

San Martin

Uesugi Farms Pumpkin Park runs each fall in San Martin, in the garlic and row-crop country of South Santa Clara County. Visitors ride a small train and hayrides through the patch, and the attraction ranks among the higher-rated fall activities in the area on travel review sites. Hours and pricing change by season; check current listings before visiting.

Morgan Hill

Mariani Orchards runs a harvest-season u-pick fruit experience on Half Road in Morgan Hill, with guided visits, photo stops, and picking guidance for the fruit it grows. The orchard closes for the off-season and typically reopens around mid-May. The farm keeps an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube even during the off-season, posting updates ahead of each spring reopening.

Morgan Hill

Ranch One sits on Monterey Road in Morgan Hill and is farmed by Borugi Farms, one of the family orchards that make up the area's u-pick network in the Santa Clara Valley's old stone fruit belt.

Morgan Hill

Ranch Five is a u-pick orchard on Monterey Road in Morgan Hill worked by West Coast Farms, part of the same cluster of family-run u-pick ranches that dot the Gilroy-Morgan Hill stone fruit corridor.

Pumpkin Junction is the fall attraction at Casa de Fruta, the roadside stop on Pacheco Pass Highway that's drawn Highway 152 travelers since the 1940s with fruit stands, a bakery, the Casa de Choo Choo train, and a vintage carousel. Pumpkin season adds patch access and hayrides to the property's existing rides and Miner's Sluice.

Hollister

Swank Farms has worked land in Hollister since 1928 and now draws close to 30,000 visitors to its fall festival alone. The sunflower field has grown to four and a half acres of varieties from Mammoth Russians to Teddy Bears, cut for two dollars a stem with proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Pumpkin patches and corn mazes round out the fall season, and the farm also sells at Bay Area farmers markets.

Morgan Hill

Eva Farm is listed on Lantz Drive in Morgan Hill, part of Santa Clara County's South Valley farmland known for garlic and small wineries. The business's web domain is currently parked for sale, suggesting the operation may no longer be active under this name; current status could not be confirmed.

Hollister

A working farm in Hollister since 1928 that supplies produce to 15 farmers markets and select Bay Area restaurants year-round, on top of running an October fall festival with a haunted corn maze called Terror in the Corn. The festival side draws over 30,000 visitors each season, and the property's barn hosts private events for up to 400 guests.

San Jose

Spina Farms is a third-generation family farm, established in 1944, running a pumpkin patch at Laguna Ave and Santa Teresa Blvd in Morgan Hill each September through early November. The 60-acre site draws roughly 100,000 visitors a season for hayrides, a corn maze, a cow train, pumpkin blasters, and a boutique shop; admission is free, with paid tickets for rides.

Hollister

Darden's Farm & Vineyards is based on 4th Street in Hollister, the seat of San Benito County. The county sits between the garlic and lettuce fields of the Gilroy corridor to the north and the Cienega Valley to the south, one of California's older wine-grape districts.

Watsonville

High Ground Organics is on Harkins Slough Road outside Watsonville, in the Pajaro Valley, one of the Central Coast's most concentrated organic vegetable and strawberry growing areas. No further confirmed details on current crops, CSA availability, or hours.

Hollister

B & R Farms works land on Fairview Road in Hollister, in San Benito County's row-crop and orchard country south of Gilroy.

Aptos

Working farm and horse ranch on Hames Road tracing back to Manuel Joaquin Silva and his wife Caroline Augusta Alm, who settled the land around 1883. Apple picking and horseback riding are the draw, along with events held on the property through the year.

Ambling Ambystoma Farm works 20 organic acres near La Selva Beach, half a mile from Monterey Bay outside Watsonville. Rather than selling fresh berries, the farm turns its blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries into small-batch organic fruit syrup. The farm stand closes for winter and reopens in spring — call ahead or check the website before making the drive to Peaceful Valley Drive.

Crystal Bay Farm is a small organic operation on Zils Road in Watsonville that runs u-pick days on Wednesdays and Sundays, noon to 5pm, alongside its fall pumpkin patch featuring rare and heirloom varieties. A self-serve farm stand and berry u-pick run alongside the pumpkins. Entry runs $2 per person; groups over ten should call ahead.

Hollister

Suncoast Farm has run a wood-fired bakery on its 27-acre certified organic property in Hollister for more than 14 years, milling its own grain for bread and pastry. The farm also grows olives and citrus, tends a hop yard, and brews small-batch beer under the Nuthouse label. The bakery opens Saturdays from 9am to 3pm for walk-in visitors to eat on the patio.

Moss Landing

Monterey Bay Equestrian Center has led horseback rides along the dunes between Moss Landing and Monterey since 1981. Guides take riders out Monterey Dunes Way with views that stretch to Santa Cruz on a clear day, and the outfit also runs horse-drawn carriages for weddings and pony parties for kids. Riders must be at least 10 years old and 54 inches tall. Call ahead to book a ride.

San Jose

ABC Tree Farms' Blossom Hill Road lot in San Jose, one of about 15 seasonal pumpkin and Christmas tree sites the family business has run across the Bay Area since 1983. Pumpkins are pre-picked and ready to carve through October.

Salinas

The Farm sits along the Salinas Valley, land growers call the Salad Bowl of the World for its lettuce, strawberry, and row-crop production. It is listed as an agritourism stop under a Salinas PO box address. Current hours, products, and ownership were not verifiable online at this time.

San Jose

Wendy Towner manages more than 600 hives across Santa Clara County under The Honey Ladies name, bottling raw, unfiltered honey while also running a round-the-clock bee removal service for homeowners with unwanted swarms in walls and chimneys. The honey sells through their Campbell storefront and online. It's less a farm stand than a working apiary business, built on relocating bees rather than just harvesting from them.

San Jose

Dead Time Dreams is a seasonal haunted attraction at Eastridge Mall in San Jose, California, built around a slaughterhouse-themed maze called the Meat Factory. It runs during Halloween season with live scare actors, makeup and effects work, and a midway. It's a horror attraction rather than a working farm, listed here for its meat-and-farm theming.

San Jose

This Pick of the Patch Pumpkins lot sits on Tully Road on San Jose's east side, the second of the operator's two seasonal city locations alongside the Curtner Avenue patch. No hours or pricing are published online for this listing; call ahead before visiting.

San Jose

Pick of the Patch Pumpkins runs a fall lot on Canoas Garden Avenue near Curtner Avenue in South San Jose, one of two seasonal locations the operator runs in the city. No hours or pricing are published online for this listing; call ahead before visiting.

San Jose

Pick of the Patch Pumpkins, run by third-generation ABC Tree Farms, has operated its Hillsdale Blvd location in San Jose for more than 70 years. The seasonal lot includes an inflatable park, giant slides, an inflatable maze, and a small petting zoo alongside the pumpkin selection, with Christmas trees sold at the same site later in the season.

Los Gatos

Patchen California grows Christmas trees and pumpkins on Old Santa Cruz Highway in Los Gatos, on land the narrow gauge railroad once crossed on its 1880 run from Los Gatos to Santa Cruz. The farm sells fresh local produce alongside its seasonal crops. Call ahead for current hours before making the trip up into the hills.

San Jose

One of roughly 15 seasonal lots run by ABC Tree Farms, a family business working the Bay Area since 1983. The Capitol Avenue site sells pre-picked pumpkins mid-September through Halloween, with a gift shop, snacks, and a bounce house for kids, then flips over to a Christmas tree lot from mid-November to Christmas Eve.

Los Gatos

Not a farm at all — this is an annual glass-art fundraiser held on the lawn of Los Gatos High School, where Bay Area glassblowers sell thousands of handmade glass pumpkins starting around $25 each. The one-weekend sale has raised more than $250,000 for the high school's programs since it began, drawing collectors as much as families out for a fall outing.

Homeless Garden Project trains people experiencing homelessness through paid work on its organic farm near Natural Bridges State Park in Santa Cruz, growing vegetables, herbs, and flowers alongside a handmade crafts program. The nonprofit runs a seasonal CSA and a farm stand selling what the crew grows, plus a retail shop and online store built on the same job-training model.

Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz's Center for Agroecology manages this 25-acre certified-organic farm and 3-acre Chadwick Garden, internationally known training grounds for organic horticulture since master gardener Alan Chadwick founded them roughly 50 years ago. The grounds are open daily 8am-6pm with no admission charge, and organic produce sales run Tuesdays and Fridays, noon to 6pm, with blueberry u-pick in June and July.

Felton

Roaring Camp runs two historic narrow-gauge railroads out of Felton in the Santa Cruz Mountains — steam locomotives dating to the 1890s, among the oldest still in regular passenger service in the country. The Redwood Forest Steam Train climbs through old-growth redwoods to the summit of Bear Mountain; the Beach Train runs the other direction, down to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. The grounds also recreate an 1880s logging camp.