In Bloom: Carlsbad Flower Fields
About a month before I went to San Diego, I stumbled across the Instagram page @VisitSanDiego and found so many gems that helped me build an itinerary for the week I would be there. One of the very first posts I saw was highlighting the The Flower Fields in Carlsbad just outside of San Diego, and I just knew it was a place I needed to be. I mean—look at it.
Just the thought of flowers makes me happy, but imagine 55 acres of nothing but exquisite blooms. I was in heaven. Before you get to the rows of flowers, there are interactive things to do like a maze, a butterfly garden, photo installations and more. Not to mention, there are all kinds of treats from popcorn to cotton candy to milkshakes.
For $23 per person, it’s a stunning place to enjoy a beautiful day and fresh air with family, friends, or whomever you choose to go with.
There’s a Cymbidium greenhouse on the farm with absolutely breathtaking orchids. They were so lush that I couldn’t even believe they were real. They certainly are not your ordinary grocery store orchids.
Apparently the life span of an orchid can be 15-20 years if cared for properly, which these obviously are being well taken care of. I had only recently learned that they are not necessarily dead when the petals fall off. I was given one as a gift in September 2023 and, to my surprise, have kept it alive until now. Learning they can live for so long gives me hope that maybe I’m on the path to keeping an orchid alive for many years to come. You learn something new everyday, right?
I don’t necessarily think I need to say much in the way of description, because I think you can tell from the photos that it’s a lovely experience. I’ve been to a tulip field and a sunflower field, but never a ranunculus flower field this expansive with an array of colors so beautifully arranged. I stayed for about three hours, but the nature girl in me could have stayed all day.
Though I thoroughly enjoyed my time here, I was disappointed to find that I could not walk between rows like other flower fields. As a consolation, there are inlets in which you can take photos. Each party is allotted six minutes at each inlet, so there’s still opportunity to grab great photos, just not within the rows.
Nothing could ever replace actually being there, but I hope you enjoy these photos and that maybe you’re inspired to go—after all, it is peak season right now.
