Is visiting a sunflower field on your bucket list?
It’s September which means we are officially in sunflower season over here in the southern part of the Bay Area! As of last year, visiting a sunflower field has now become a regular fall family activity for us.
I love going to flower fields for a few reasons:
- Fun family outing!
- They make beautiful backdrops and props for photos
- Support your local farmers & family businesses
Our favorite and closest Sunflower field to us is the Andreotti Family Farm in Half Moon Bay, CA. If you are in the Bay Area, you’ll want to make a reservation ahead of time on their website. They also offer a few other events in addition to the U-Pick option, including professional photo sessions at golden hour, farm picnic table on Sundays, and other private events. You can also pick up a packet of sunflower seeds to plant at home, and if you time your trip closer to fall, Andreotti’s home grown pumpkins will also be available for purchase.
U-Pick Sunflower Details
Address: 800 Cabrillo Hwy N, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
Tickets: An adult (age 13+) ticket is $20, kids (age 3-12) are $10. Each ticket gives you 50 minutes on the field with the option to harvest up to 5 sunflowers each.
Open: Seasonally, 7 days a week from 10am – 4pm!
Here are a few tips to help you plan and prepare for going to a sunflower field.
Timing is Everything
You’ll want to go right when the sunflowers have bloomed. Going too early means less flowers to cut and less flowers in the background of your photo. Similarly, going too late means could mean less flowers. To make sure you’re going at a good time, check the flower field’s website and social media for information about dates and blooms. Even better, check out their tagged photos or stories to see what others are currently posting. Last year we went towards the end of the season, and while we did bring home a bouquet of beautiful sunflowers, our options were scarce and we didn’t get any photos with sunflowers in the background. For our second time around I made sure to go earlier and our visit was much more enjoyable!
Go in the AM
Sunflowers are blooming throughout the season, so going in the morning means you’ll have a higher chance of catching a newly bloomed sunflower! You’ll also have the first few picks of the day compared to going later on in the day.
Bring a bag to carry your cut flowers
This is my number one tip! Andreotti will provide you with giant clippers, which are definitely needed for those giant and sturdy sunflower stalks. However, you’ll want to bring your own bag or basket to carry your cut flowers. It makes carrying your flowers much easier, especially as you continue to look for more flowers.
Invite extended family or friends to join you
This makes getting the perfect family photo so much more easier and the overall sunflower picking experience more enjoyable! My sister came to the flower fields with us this year and was the one who picked and cut the flowers, while my husband and I went around taking pictures of our son. There is no way that we would have been able to get all of the photos and with a gorgeous bouquet of sunflowers with a toddler. Last year my mother-in-law joined us and we wouldn’t have gotten any flowers at all without her!
Do you have other tips to share for visiting flower fields? Please share below in the coments!
More photos from our trip to Andreotti’s Sunflower Field this year. It was so fun for Baby A to explore now that he can stand and walk a little bit on his own.
