TravelPangs's Passport
 | Been to 317 Attractions |
 | 193 Reviews |
 | 121 First to Review |
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 | 157 Helpful Votes |
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Send a ComplimentHometown:
SF, California, United States
About Me & My Family
I'm a mother
3 Kids 0-8 years old boys and girls
3 Kids 0-8 years old boys and girls
When we travel, good food and adventure always abound. Our family loves to push the limit of what we can do with children. Our mantra has always been - have kids, will travel. However, this doesn't mean I'm unlike most frantic moms before a trip. Wanting adventure and being a control freak can sometimes be a lethal combination.
Our Family's Travel Personality
adventurous, independent, spontaneous
We Just Got Back From
Northern California and Oregon
Our Favorite Vacation Spot
Hawaii
A Place We'd Love To Visit
New Zealand, Argetina, Brazil, Eastern Europe, Cambodia
Favorite Vacation Memory
Climbing Machu Picchu with a 4 month old infant in a slight and having all the locals stop us to ask what happened to his feet which were all bundled up. They just couldn't believe it wouldn't be bow legged.
Worst Travel Moment With My Kids:
Getting to the airport on our way to Scotland with my 15 month old and discovering that my husband's passport had expired. Instead of rebooking all of our flights, we decided that I would do the first leg of our journey on my own with baby. Unfortunately, we had not packed for me to be flying by myself. I could bearly walk to the runway with all my bags and a 15 month old who would get distracted by everything along the way. He then proceeded to sleep only 1 hour of the entire 11 hour journey (red-eye). It was pretty miserable.
Websites I Like:
Cut Your Own (U-cut) Christmas Tree Farms Near San Francisco
For some families - like ours - visiting a Christmas tree farm to pick and cut your own Christmas tree is a yearly tradition that the kids look forward to with great anticipation. These are some of the best farms in the San Francisco Bay Area. Here are the main areas for Christmas Tree Farms: To the South: Skyline Blvd (Hwy 35) between Woodside and Hwy 17. To the North: Marin County. To the East:
2250 Cabrillo Highway
Pescadero, California
Comment:
South of San Francisco along the coast. One price for any size tree even the really big ones.
reviewed on: November 28 2008
"Rural Rustic and Fun Farm"
I do like this Farm for several reason. The drive to the farm doesn't involve a windy road. (My 5 year old son gets car sick pretty easily.) They have some nice activities at the farm beyond cutting a tree, but they don't involved cheesy bouncy houses and fake train rides. They have tractor rides and giant swings. They keep it simple but fun. I really love the giant fire pit that you can roast hot dogs or marshmallows at. There are also some nice picnic benches. The down side is that while they have a decent variety of trees, the quality of the trese aren't the best. You can cut down any size tree for $45, even the really huge ones, but in reality if you're looking for something about 15-18 ft tall, it's pretty hard to find one here. Our kids loved the tractor ride through the trees.
78 Pilarcitos Creek Road
Half Moon Bay, California
Comment:
South of San Francisco along the coast.
reviewed on: November 28 2008
"Easy to get to but expensive"
Santa's Tree Farm is certainly easy to get too from San Francisco and the Peninsula, but it's also expensive. If you are looking for a tall tree, you'd be better off going to one of the once from for any size tree Christmas Tree Farms up on Skyline Blvd or Rancho Siempa Verde in Pescadero. If you're looking for additional activities for kids, they have a train and other Santa Related activities, but personally, I like to keep it simple so that the kids can really take in the whole choose and cut a tree experience as oppose to the train ride. I say keep it simple.
2720 Alpine Road
Portola Valley, California
Comment:
South of San Francisco in Silicon Valley
22322 Skyline Blvd
La Honda, California
Comment:
South of San Francisco in the Skyline Blvd vicinity between La Honda and Hwy17
20259 Black Road
Los Gatos, California
Comment:
South of San Francisco in the Skyline Blvd vicinity between La Honda and Hwy17
19679 Skyline Blvd
Los Gatos, California
Comment:
South of San Francisco in the Skyline Blvd vicinity between La Honda and Hwy17. On occasion, they have wonderful tamales. One price for any tree - even really tall ones.
reviewed on: November 28 2008
"Great price for tall trees"
This Christmas Tree Farm is very simple. No additional activities for kids. Personally, I really like that. Kids can enjoy the tree cutting experience for what it is. Walking amongst the trees breathing in the clean crisp air and finding that perfect tree. Best of all the tree are one price for all the trees. They don't have too much variety, but they do have a decent number of tall trees to select from unlike other farms. No bathrooms except a porta potty. Cash only. On the rare occasion, they have tamales....and they are very good.
20514 Gist Road
Los Gatos, California
Comment:
South of San Francisco in the Skyline Blvd vicinity between La Honda and Hwy17
22217 Old Santa Cruz Hwy
Los Gatos, California
Comment:
South of San Francisco in the Skyline Blvd vicinity between La Honda and Hwy17
13580 Murphy Ave.
San Martin, California
Comment:
South of San Francisco in the Skyline Blvd vicinity between La Honda and Hwy17
961 Chapman Lane
Petaluma, California
Comment:
North of San Francisco in Marin and Sonoma Counties.
reviewed on: November 30 2008
"Old world charm & perfect trees"
We just discovered this wonderful Christmas tree farm in Petaluma. It has the most perfect looking trees I've seen on any Christmas Tree farm. They obviously take really good care of their trees. There were also lots of tall trees. We have a tall ceiling, so this was a huge bonus for us. Little Hills is a very heart warming family run farm. We went on a Saturday and they had a Santa (he wasn't very Santa-ish, but the kids still liked it). This farm has just the right amount of additional activities so that there is more to do than look for a tree, but not so much that they kids are distracted from looking for a tree. We also liked the sharp saws that made cutting the tree down easy, and the carts for carrying the trees back to the car. It allowed our 5 year old to participate with more than just choosing a tree. The grounds were perfect for a picnic because between the trees is lush green grass. No muddy spots. With all the old world charm it offers, and the great prices, this is now our favorite Christmas Tree Farm in the SF bay area.
8575 Graton Road
Sebastopol, California
Comment:
North of San Francisco in Marin and Sonoma Counties
3600 Mariola Road
Sebastopol, California
Comment:
North of San Francisco in Marin and Sonoma Counties
reviewed on: November 27 2009
"Nice trees but paying by the foot can be pricey"
The drive out to Frosty's Mountain Farm is beautiful! From Hwy 101, you wind gently along Hwy 116 through quaint country roads past other tree farms to Frosty's. The drive was delightful!We were pleasantly surprised that this small farm had trees in excellent shape and there was also a great selection of tall trees. The Christmas Trees were nicely trimmed and well spaced out so that the branches were mostly evenly distributed. A huge plus is the free shaking and netting that Frosty's offers. They also have homemade popcorn that was yummy!
The website sold me on the apple fritters, but honestly, they were not freshly made and were really nothing to rave about. There was organic espresso and smoothies available for sale, but we didn't try any. The red barn that houses Santa's Workshop and Mrs. Klaus' Kitchen were seriously underwhelming. I think the website description set up expectations too high.
The main reason I am not giving this farm a 4 star rating is because they charge for trees by the foot. This year - 2009 - Frosty's Mountain Farm is charging $7.50/ft. First let me say that I am little biased. We have a tall ceiling and we're always looking for a tall tree. So, I was a little disappointed to find that we wouldn't be able to get a suitable tree for under $75.
Nothing much to do here for kids other than looking for a tree. We saw the tractor hitched up to a hay wagon, but it didn't seem to be running when we were there on opening day. Not many families with young kids around unlike at the next door Reindeer Ridge Tree Farm which we walked over to.
3500 Mariola Road
Sebastopol, California
Comment:
North of San Francisco in Marin and Sonoma Counties
reviewed on: November 27 2009
"Wonderful for families!"
We were delighted to discover Reindeer Ridge Christmas Tree Farm today because it's one of the best farms for kids we've been to. The atmosphere of of this family run farm is so friendly and happy. There were families weaving excitedly through the tree.The first thing our boys wanted to do was to jump on board for a free tractor hayride. It was wonderful way to survey the farm to see which section of the farm we wanted to start our search at. The views of the lush rolling hills at Reindeer Ridge are gorgeous.
This farm isn't big (a plus for those with little ones), but the quality of the trees are superb. I loved that between the trees were rows of green grass. We arrived right after some light showers and it wasn't muddy at all. Within 5-10 minutes, we had found our perfect tree. The Christmas Trees here at Reindeer Ridge were healthy, well trimmed, fragrant, had hard any bald spots. Although I am biased against farms that don't offer one price for any tree (we're always looking for a tall tree), I was pleasantly surprised to find trees that fit our tight budget. While there were 10ft Douglas Firs for $70, there were also 10ft Cypresses for $45. I loved that each tree was tagged with it's price, so that it just made "shopping" for our tree quick and easy. They also had pre-cut Oregon grown Noble Firs.
The staff were eager to help. When they saw us cutting the thick trunk of a Cypress, they came along offering to cut it with their chain saw. We chose to do it the hard way...but it was nice to know that we could bale at any time and get some help. The saws were easy to use and sharp! Our 3 and 6 year old boys had a great time loading the tree on the hand cart and wheeling it over to the netting station. Netting is just $1.50!
In the barn, everything you could possibly need for your tree was available for sale - tree stands, biodegradable tree disposal bags, mistletoe, ornaments and more. The snack bar has free coffee. Drinks like hot cocoa, apple cider, soda and bottle water along with cookies, apples fritters and other goodies were available for sale. The prices were reasonable. My favorite was the freshly grilled hot dogs and bratwursts. So, pick up lunch here or bring your own and picnic on one of their many picnic tables.
Reindeer Ridge is just 4 miles from Hwy 101 along scenic country roads. It took us about 1 hour from San Francisco. There are several wineries nearby, so if you're up for making a day of it, you might want to squeeze in some wine tasting. A local family who we met at the farm recommended stopping at Twin Hills to pick up some apple bread and other sweet apple treats.
2275 Bloomfield Rd
Sebastopol, California
Comment:
North of San Francisco in Marin and Sonoma Counties
18880 Highway 128
Calistoga, California
Comment:
North of San Francisco in Marin and Sonoma Counties. Off the beaten path, small family farm. Spectacular views make the drive worth it!
1550 Moon Mountain Drive
Sonoma, California
Comment:
North of San Francisco in Marin and Sonoma Counties. Lovely views overlooking Sonoma Vineyards.
6191 Sonoma Hwy
Santa Rosa, California
Comment:
North of San Francisco in Marin and Sonoma Counties. Also an pottery and sculpture studio for resident artists.
1220 Gravenstein Hwy N
Sebastopol, California
Comment:
North of San Francisco in Marin and Sonoma Counties. Homemade Pumpkin Nut Bread.
