Best Strawberry Picking Farms and Strawberry Festivals near Los Angeles

Strawberries are that much sweeter when you pick them yourself. Photo courtesy of the Carlsbad Strawberry Company, Facebook

Strawberry picking means those sweet local berries will taste even better when you pick them yourself. There are several farms with strawberry picking near Los Angeles where families can play farmer for a few hours and come home with a basket overflowing with berries. The first ripe berry in Southern California tends to be a strawberry, and its harvest tends to be accompanied by popular annual festivals. 

Discover our favorite farms for strawberry picking, all on an easy day trip from LA. For more pick-your-own fun, here are places to go cherry picking with kids, beautiful sunflower fields for picking your own flowers, and our Pick Your Own Guide for the Best Farms Near Los Angeles

10 Drive-Thru Safaris and Wildlife Drives near Orlando

Lion Country Safari near West Palm Beach is home to more than 900 animals, including giraffes, lions, and zebras. Photo courtesy of the park

Orlando and Central Florida residents are lucky to live among diverse wildlife and greenery. Explore these lush areas with a drive-thru safari from your car! Families can enjoy Orlando's wildlife regardless of weather or physical limitations. Wildlife drives offer safe ways to experience the outdoors.

Observe Orlando wildlife and even exotic animals from the convenience of your car. So, grab some snacks, load up the kids, and head out on one of these drive-thru safaris!

Best Strawberry Picking in Atlanta at Family-Friendly Strawberry Farms

Take home ruby red treasures at LCCL Strawberry Farm. Families will love strawberry picking as a fun spring activity!

It's time for strawberry picking in Atlanta! The season for u-pick strawberries is upon us and usually lasts through June. We have plenty of strawberry farms within driving distance of Atlanta that not only offer u-pick and pre-picked strawberries, but also activities like petting zoos, jumping pillows, and train rides. Strawberries are also the theme of some of our favorite spring festivals like the popular Georgia Strawberry Festival in Reynolds.

Check out the best places for Atlanta strawberry picking—all you have to do is throw the kids in the car...strawberry-themed outfits encouraged! 

A Visit to South Mountain Creamery with Kids: Feeding Baby Cows Near Washington, DC

Feed calves directly from a bottle at South Mountain Creamery.

If you've got a child who loves cows, like my daughter, South Mountain Creamery in Middletown, MD is a must-visit. At this family-owned farm less than a 90-minute drive from DC, visitors can tour the maternity ward and other farm areas, play on a playground, eat delicious homemade ice cream, and even feed baby cows. And the best part is, it's FREE to visit (though you'll have to pay for the calf feeding and certain other activities).

Read on to learn all about my family's visit to South Mountain Creamery. Then visit our Guide to Farms in Washington, DC for more farm fun with kids, from great animal farms and petting zoos near DC to awesome places to pick your own produce.

23 Family Road Trips Under 10 Hours Away from Philly

Pack up the car and get ready for summer fun.

Taking a vacation with kids can be tricky, especially when it comes to traveling. Flying can be stressful and expensive, and if you're anything like me, it's your least favorite method of transportation even without kids.

Sometimes, half the fun and adventure of a vacation is getting there! Road trips can be a great way to bond with your family, so we've rounded up a few awesome places that are less than a 10-hour drive from the greater Philadelphia metro area. As an added bonus, you can travel to a few of these places by train, too!

Meet the Animals at these New Jersey Petting Zoos and Animal Farms

Pet baby goats on a visit to Brookhollow's Barnyard in Boonton. Photo by Kaylynn Ebner

At New Jersey petting zoos, you and your family get to spend time outdoors while visiting cute, cuddly animals. In addition to seeing chicks, calves, lambs, bunnies, and piglets, kids can often pick fruit and vegetables. Some farms even host events where kids can watch cows being milked or take in another demonstration, like learning how cheese and bread are made.

Read on for more than a dozen of our favorite NJ petting zoos. 

Beautiful Flower Farms near NYC for Pick-Your-Own Blooms

The stunning tulip blossoms spread out row-by-row in every direction at Holland Ridge Farms. Photo by Rose Gordon Sala

It’s flower season in the tri-state area, when pick-your-own farms are no longer limited to berries, peaches, apples, and pumpkins. Many of these local flower farms allow visitors to stroll flower fields full of beautiful blooms for photo-ops and to pick everything from tulips in the spring to sunflowers in the fall. So, mix up your usual routine with a blossom-filled adventure to one of these you-pick flower farms near NYC.

Some of these flower farms near NYC offer so many activities that flower picking becomes a full-day affair. The farms are packed with family-friendly fun, from pony rides and playgrounds to mini golf and food trucks. Grab your kids and some clippers and spend the day at one of these local flower farms; stunning family photos and beautiful blooms await. Find more family-friendly farm fun in our Guide to Farms and U-Pick.

This Top LA Area Music and Arts Camp Still Has Spots Open

Amplify’s one-of-a-kind music and arts camp attracts deeply creative kids from California and around the world.

Amplify is an award-winning, American Camp Association accredited, music and arts summer camp in Ojai, California with day and sleepaway programs in music, photography, film, theater, dance, and much more.

Tucked away in the beautiful Topa Topa mountains–just an hour and a half outside of LA–Amplify’s totally one-of-a-kind music and arts summer camp attracts deeply creative kids from California and around the world. The empowering program invites girls entering grades 4 through 12 to bust through gender bias, giving them an unmatched opportunity to freely explore their interests and talents, express themselves authentically, and build beautiful friendships that last far beyond the summer.

Within Amplify’s truly nurturing and inclusive environment, not only do kids get to choose a creative focus for each camp session–from rock band to photography. They also create their own customized daily schedules, choosing from incredible ever-changing elective activities like screen printing, surfing, and karaoke. Add in campwide field trips to the beach and nighttime dance parties under the stars, and you’ve got a really unforgettable summer for preteens and teens.

Learn more about why Amplify’s transformative summer program is a perfect pick for creative kids:

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