Fresno Family FUN Pages:
(aka Local Info)
Daytrips & Local Hot Spots for Fresno Families with
Children
Here's a list of
family-friendly things to do within Fresno, or the
surrounding areas. I've included links to
websites where applicable. If you have any to
add...please
email me.
Factory Tours Listings
I just found this webpage and thought some
of you might be interested in a listing of
factory tours for California. The site
actually covers the entire US, but I've
linked you to the CA page. :)
FIELD TRIP IDEAS
Since I homeschool,
I'm finding out about all kinds of local field
trip ideas and booking them for our local
homeschool group...I'll post them here as I
learn about them! :)
These
will be things to do with groups of kids.
Chevy's Fresh Mex--446-1905,
7634 N. Blackstone (at River Park)--They
do a wonderful behind-the-scenes free
tour, including free food! 25 kids max.
City Water Waste Management Tour
(we call this "The Poop Tour", LOL!
Where Fresno sewage goes for
treatment.)--Jensens/Cornelia. Call Jim
Holmes or his assistant Annette
621-5102. They only book these on the
first Wed. of the month, in the morning.
25 kids max.
Sunset Waste Recycling Center
Tour (where Fresno curbside
recycling goes)--Leah 499-1595
Also--The city does a recycling
presentation that they will bring to
your group...Call 621-1111 and ask about
the city recycling presentation.
American Avenue DisposalTour (Kerman Landfill,
where Fresno garbage goes)--846-6138 or
351-0698 Jerry Libecki. They only allow
4th grade and up.
West Coast Waste Tour
(where Fresno green waste goes)--Dennis
497-5320
Petco & Albertson's Field Trips--visit
the
Field Trip Factory and book these
field trips online!
Fire Station Tour--just
about any station will do a tour, just
call!
Margaret Hudson's Studio--these
tours are very popular so you must book
them months in advance if you want any
chance of getting in. Call 222-2420 for
more info.
FARMS & PUMPKIN PATCHES
Ens
Vintage Farms -- off Herndon/99
estate@lightspeed.net (559)
275-2912; (559) 269-3143 (barn) Llama farm with tours. Wine and
U-pick, table grapes, pomegranates. Crops are usually available in May,
June, July, August, September, October,
November. Open: By appointment. Pumpkin
picking, all varieties, colors and sizes
and HORSE-DRAWN WAGON RIDES Oct/Nov
only, weekends by appointment. Beautiful
wagon holds 12, circles farm, see the
San Joaquin River meet our Giant English
Shires (fee for excursion) Payment:
Cash, only. BROWN EGGS available year
round. POMEGRANATES, Dried luffa
sponges, Blue Lake green beans, Okra,
Brussels sprouts Farm friendly Llamas!
Tours for Home Schoolers available
w/picnic area.
Organic Pastures--Organic Dairy
Farm--Call Leslie 559-351-4544 or
email--You may tour the bottling
facility, observe dairy operations, and
meet the cows.
Chateau Fresno
Nursery -
FOLLOWS ORGANIC
PRACTICES, tomatoes, prepicked
produce, restrooms
13505 S. Chateau Fresno, Caruthers, CA
93609. Phone: 559-896-4225.
Email us at:
bosaitaly@aol.com.
Directions: 20 minute from Fresno. 10
minute from high way 41 Main street MT.
View west. Crops are usually available
in February, March, April, May, June,
July, August, September, October,
November. Open: Monday to Sunday 8 am to
7 pm We are certified organic for all
crops! Payment: Cash, only. Organic
vine- ripe Tomatoes Greenhouses
Huebert
Farms - Peaches, nectarines, plums.
Scary Corn Maze at Halloween Time.
21570 E Lincoln Ave, Reedley, CA, 93654.
Phone: 559-638-5650 or 559-638-4740.
Email:
peggyhuebert@yahoo.com.
Open: May 15 - September 15. Directions:
From Hwy 99 take Manning Ave Exit. Go
East through Reedley. Turn left on Alta
Ave. Take a left when the road T's into
American Ave. We are the first packing
house on left. Alta is the main road
taken by buses to go up to Kings Canyon
Park. We are one-eighth of a mile off
the route.
The
Shafer Family Farm - Grapes 13378 E South Ave, Parlier, CA.
Phone: 559-646-2586.
Grapes for the home winemaker on either
a "u-pick" or a "we-pick" basis
Single Palm Pumpkins -
follow organic
methods,pumpkins, pumpkin
patch-pick in the field, pumpkin patch-
already gathered from the field,
child-sized haybale maze, tractor-pulled
hay rides, farm animals, school tours.
10635 W Barstow Ave, Fresno, CA 93723.
Phone: 559-246-3937.
Email:
troy@singlepalm.com. Directions: 5
miles west of 99 on Shaw, right (north)
on Dickenson and a left on Barstow for a
half mile. Look for the 150 ft. tall
palm tree. Crops are usually available
in October. Open: Open all through
October Weekdays 3pm – dark, all day
Saturday until dark and Sunday 12pm –
5pm. 7 acres of pumpkins, 5 acres of
Jack-o-lanterns, 1 acre of Big Max and 1
acre of sugar pumpkins. All pumpkins -
$5 each. We follow organic methods, but
are not yet certified. Payment: Cash,
only.
Wiebe Farms Tour--Peach/nectarines
farm...tour the packing farm and packing
plant in the spring and summer. School rates are $5/person.
Email Lavone Sawatzky, tour
director. We have curriculum
written for kids to introduce them to
what they will see and learn. The school
tour takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The
tour also includes a snack. We prefer to
do the tours in the morning because it
is cooler. Students also enjoy bringing
their lunch and eating out under the
trees, by the barn and on the tour
trailer.
Satterstrom's Tree Farm -
pumpkin patch, hayrides, haunted house,
haunted forest, haunted hayrides
41255 Road 40, Reedley, CA 93654-9140.
Phone: (559) 897-3685. Fax: (559)
897-7120. Email:
mikesatterstrom@sierratel.com. Open:
October 1st - October 31st from 10 am to
6 pm. Nighttime Events: Open the 2nd
Friday in October through October 31st,
Sunday - Thursday: Dusk - 10 p.m. and
Friday and Saturday: Dusk - 11 p.m.
The Pumpkin Patch
- pumpkin patch- already gathered from
the field, child-sized haybale maze
2901 E. Alluvial , Fresno, , CA 93720.
Phone: 559-323-9016.
Email:
thepumpkinpatch1@yahoo.com.
Crops are usually available in October.
Hours are 11am till 10pm. Haunted barn
hours are 6pm till 10pm Payment: Cash,
Visa/MasterCard.
Pumpkin King Pumpkin Patch- pumpkins, pumpkin patch- already
gathered from the field, straw or hay
bale maze, child-sized haybale maze,
prepicked produce, snacks and
refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic
area, face painting, pony rides,
birthday parties, school tours.
100 W. Shaw Avenue N/W corner of
Blackstone & Shaw Avenues, Fresno, CA
93711. Phone: 559 658-2006. Fax: 559
658-2015. Email:
info@pumpkinsfresno.com.
Directions: West of Highway 41 at the
Shaw Avenue exit on the North West
corner of Blackstone & Shaw Avenues.
Crops are usually available in October.
Open: 9 AM to 9 PM 7 days a week Pumpkin
Patch and Straw Bale maze is open from
October 1st through October 31st.
Payment: Cash, Check, Visa/MasterCard.
The Great Pumpkin Blood Drive 8 AM to 6
PM Friday October 11 and Saturday
October 12th.
Cobb Ranch - pumpkin patch, corn
maze and more.
8805 North Highway 41, Fresno,
California. Phone: 559-439-0606. Email:
jim@cobbranch.com. Bring your family
and friends and try to navigate your way
through the 2 ½ miles of twists, turns
and dead end trails. Our 6 acre maze of
10 ft tall corn may "corn-fuse" you, but
getting lost is part of finding fun!
Bring a flashlight for a unique night
time challenge. After you conquer the
maze, visit our friends in the Animal
Farm or go for a leisurely wagon ride
around the beautiful and historic Cobb
Ranch. Pumpkins, gourds, corn stalk and
straw bales are also available to give
your home or office the spirit of the
season!
Rancho Notso Grande
- FOLLOWS ORGANIC
PRACTICES, apricots,
blackberries, blueberries,
boysenberries, flowers, nectarines,
olallieberries, other berries, peaches,
pecans , raspberries, tayberries,
walnuts, prepicked produce
5051 12th. Avenue, Hanford, CA 93230.
Phone: 559-269-1152. Fax: 559-589-0420.
Email us at:
RanchoNotsoGrande@hughes.net.
Directions: South East corner of 12th
and Excelsior Avenues in Hanford, CA.
This is 30 minutes south of Fresno, 25
minutes West of Visalia. Crops are
usually available in May, June, July,
August. Open: We have a refrigerated,
pre-picked fruit stand that is open from
7 AM to 7PM for seven days a week during
the harvest season. During the season we
are open for you pick and roadside sales
from 7AM to 7 PM Tuesday through
Saturday and all other times by
appointment. We follow organic methods,
but are not yet certified.
Payment: Cash, Check.
J &K
Farley Farm --512 N. 7th Street
in Kingsburg U-Pick Thompson
Seedless Grape business. Open mid-August to the first week of
September. Clipers, carts,
and boxes are provided free of
charge. Boxes are free to take your
grapes home. A small assortment of farm
animals are provided for the children's
enjoyment for free also. Directions: Take Freeway
99 to the Bethel Ave. (Kamm Ave.)
Exit, travel south on Bethel until the
road deadends at Elkhorn Ave., Turn
right (west) on Elkhorn and go a short
distance until you reach the
intersection with Bethel, Turn left on
Bethel (south) at the PG&E power
station, Travel about a quarter-mile and
the J&K Farley Farm will be on the
right.
Sweetwater Berry Farm
- 42961 Rd 628 , Ahwahnee, CA
93601. Phone: 559-658-8511.
Email:
sweetwaterberryfarm@msn.com.
--Blackberries, raspberries, tomatoes,
prepicked produce Directions: Highway 41 N. through
Oakhurst to 49 to Road 628 (Roundhouse
Rd)
Crops are usually available in
September. Open: Monday to Saturday 8:00
a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Blackberries July 14
thru August 20. Raspberries September
thru Oct 14. Public bathroom available.
We follow organic methods, but are not
yet certified.
Payment: Cash, Check.
Riverdance Farm - 12230
Lingston-Cressey Road, Livingston,
California 95334.
ORGANIC, Blueberries - on two
annual you-pick weekends
Phone: 209-761-0081. Email:
riverdancefarms@clearwire.net.
Also, Prepicked: Certified-organic
walnuts, almonds, pecans, blueberries,
cherries, pomegranates, persimmons, cut
flowers, lavender, and, in the winter,
oat hay. They host you-pick days during
the
8th annual Heartland Festival with the
Merced River Fair with a lower key,
breakfast, u-pick and farm tour morning
on Sunday June 3, 2007. Our second
blueberry u-pick will be Fathers' Day
weekend, F-S-S. Call with any questions
(209) 761-0081. In the future, they
would also like to offer flowers, stone
fruits, and pumpkins on a you-pick
basis.
Hilmar Cheese Company
The largest single site cheese
manufacturer in the world producing
over 1 million pounds per day. Our
cheese is sold whole sale and cut
and wrapped with a variety of
labels. Hilmar is 90 minutes north
of Fresno.
The Visitor Center Theme is Tour,
Taste, Shop and Eat open 7 - 7
daily. June 14 - Labor Day we offer
guided tours of the Visitor Center
at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Every
Saturday during June, July and
August we are featuring Family Fun
Days with an ice cream making
activity. Sign up at 10:30 a.m. and
tour and activity starts at 11:00.
Allow one hour.
Gold Gulch Museum At
Yosemite Gallery & Indian Territory Gold Panning in Coarsegold--
On 41, on the right as you go north into
Coarsegold.
Blackbeard's Family Fun Center
4055 North Chestnut Diagonal
Fresno
292-9000
Miniature golf, arcade, bumper boats,
amusement rides and more.
Boomers
7354 N. Abby Street
Fresno
432-9684
Large arcade, two 18-hole miniature
golf courses, laser tag, three
go-kart tracks, bumper boats, rock
climbing and more.
