ardenwood historic farm

I1419THsteved

Great place to take the kids each year around Halloween. A big hay maze and pumpkin field. You can purchase pumpkins grown on site, and best, the kids get to pick them in the fields. Been there many times and the kids never had anything other than a fun time.

AlfredFremont_CA

This is a realistic early California farm. Great for kids as well as interesting for adults. Various crops as well as animals and special events.

KeatonS489

Because of finish of harvest, the farm is almost empty. Nothing is left except a few pumpkins. Lots of fields are with nothing. I guess it may be interesting in correct season. However, it is definitely not currently.

mariec996

I like to get to the Farm a couple times each year. The spring babies are nice (they usually have lambs & piglets). They run the train a couple times per year. They decorate the Patterson House nicely for Christmas. My favorite is the Harvest Festival. Wander the corn fields and pick your own popcorn and Indian corn! I like the pumpkin patch too, which is actually outside the Farm gates. If you are into geocaching, look up the Ardenwood Scramble - it is a whole day ramble around the Farm, with treasure everywhere!

dstormyt

It's cool that it is a working farm and as such can give kids a connection to agrarian life they may otherwise miss out on in our modern urban/suburban communities. However, for adults or teens, there isn't that much appeal. Take your little ones and a picnic, but for a grown-up outing choose another spot.

declectic

I have visited Ardenwood Historic Farm many times and I always like it. I recommend that you visit this place. Count on spending over an hour, maybe a day, here. It is a working farm with rides, things to do and visit, museum-like places, and food. As I've read: "Ardenwood is a now 210 acre historic farm, operated by East Bay Regional Park District, dating back to California's Gold Rush.""In addition to the farm, with its barns, fields, and animals, the site includes the family home, now a house museum, a horse powered railroad, and an operating blacksmith shop." These attractions are interesting to me, to others, and to children.

mini

Ardenwood is a historic working farm. It was the farm of the Patterson family, who built the farmhouse in 1857. There is also a Queen Anne addition (built 1889). The farm is still a working farm. You can go see the planted fields, the home, farm animals.There is also a historic railroad.The price midweek is lower than on the week-ends. The staff here is also nice.There is a parking area (free) outside the park building entrance area.

KJJKvan

I have the pleasure of getting to babysit my grandchildren on Tuesday. They live in a Union City and I routinely take my two kids to Ardenwood Farms. My 2yo grand daughter has the uncanny ability of finding all the semi tamed turkeys. I am not sure who "gobbles" louder!!She and her older brother love the Farm.Wish they would offer annual adult memberships.

EWB-in-MB

There is a tour that is led by a docent through the farmhouse which is great if you like to see the furnishings and get a sense of the lifestyle of the well to do in the late1800s. The story of the history of the family is also very interesting. While this will not likely appeal to the kids, it is still a great outing for them. They can see farm animals and take a short ride on an old train. There is also a working farm that is growing and harvesting crops on either side of the train tracks. They also have special events throughout the year.

suep641

If you live in the Bay Area this is a great place to take the family. Run by the East Bay Regional Parks the admission is inexpensive even for a large family. It is an historic farm with a lovely mansion on the grounds available for viewing. For young children there are many animals roaming freely on the grounds. Pack a picnic lunch as there are many benchs and tables available. Winter is when the Monarch Butterflies come to stay and seeing butterflies flying all around is a treat.

Dl0vestotravel

Love this farm in every season. Pumpkin patch being the best time to visit. Hay rides, farm animals, train ride, corn picking, occasional foxes to spot in the wild, spring flowers, fall colors and of course their year round organic produce stand! Love it all!!

Adnora

I love this place and have gone every year since 2005 for the Zydeco Festival. The old mansion, expansive flower, spice and vegetable gardens, farm outbuildings, root cellar, pigs, sheep, cows, chickens, coops, blacksmiths and horses, make the experience a time trip to another era! There is even a little rickety train that chugs around the grounds, but I prefer to walk and sample foods of the past offered in hidden nooks around the farm by welcoming women dressed in period outfits. Everything about the place is old and real and authentic. It has all the elements of a true 19th century working farm and still produces food. A real breath of fresh air in the era of Disneyland!

IverJohnson

Visiting our grandkids in Hillsborough and we drove the 15 or so miles to Fremont to visit the Farm. And we all thoroughly enjoyed it. This is a working farm/garden with lots of room to roam and see the animals, flowers, home, and other aspects of the farm life. Our grandkids of course loved the animals and we saw a fox, ground squirrels, and farm animals. It is a very nice place to walk and enjoy a bit of the country. The admission is very reasonable. It's sort of a help yourself place, but you see lots of things that many kids don't take the time to see.