Editor’s note: We’re making every effort to provide you with the most up-to-date information. However, there may be last minute closures due to Covid-19. We highly recommend that you call ahead or check a farm’s website before you pack your kids (and all those snacks, and diapers…) and haul them across town. Stay safe!
Grab your wellies, your buckets and your cameras, and make a bee line to one of these flower farms–each within an hour drive from downtown DC.
Burnside Farms Sunflowers reign supreme during summer months. With over eight acres of flowers, this spectacular pick-your-own venue is one of the largest in the entire world. Really! Note: Purchase tickets ($8) beforehand as they are not available at the gate.
2570 Logmill Rd.
Haymarket, VA
703-930-3052
Online: burnsidefarms.com
Butlers Orchard Located in Germantown, Md and open for 65 years, this orchard is filled to the brim with different crops to choose from. Peonies are available until mid-June with other varieties available through July. There is even an area for farm picnics and a lovely market with snacks for the entire fam to enjoy. Insider suggestion: the blueberry lemon buckle is sososo nommy!
22200 Davis Mill Rd.
Germantown, MD
301-972-3299
Online: butlersorchard.com
Rockhill Orchard The flower arrangement possibilities are endless here. There are tons of different flowers that are always in bloom and the farm even has guided tours. There’s even a creamery with a tractor ride to the dairy farm! Your little one will LOVE it.
Fields of Flowers From mid-May until the first frost, families can wander through the acres of flowers and snip and pick at leisure. Once you’ve had your fill, bring your bucket to a workstation where you can clean and prune your bouquet to perfection.
Seven Oaks Lavender Farm
This mother-daughter business has been inviting guests to enjoy their scented hillside for 18 years. Lavender is available for picking through mid-July; stems are 15 cents each. Don’t forget to nab a picture in the gazebo in the middle of the purple fields.
Candy Pop Snickers is made with real Snickers candy bar pieces and drizzled to perfection with Snickers caramel and nuts and is just $5.98 for a 20 oz bag. This flavor is a Sam’s Club exclusive!
Sweet Chaos’ Cold Stone Creamery Cake Batter flavor popcorn is the perfect snack when you are craving something sweet and salty. The handmade kettle corn is made with cane sugar and sea salt and then covered with cake batter flavored drizzle and sprinkles. The popcorn comes in a 10 pack box (1.5oz per bag) and is just $9.98, making it less than $1.00 a bag. This party-sized 10-bag box is exclusive to Sam’s Club!
These exclusive snacking combos will only be around for a limited time, so be sure to grab them soon!
The Bay Area is a mecca for all things savory and sweet, but did you know that there are tons of opportunities for the little ones to get up close and in on the action? From to ice cream to cheese to small batch chocolate, check out our list for the best Bay Area tours for foodies, big and small, to go behind the scenes and sample some of the Bay Area’s most popular bites.
Creator Burger
Anita Chu
Having robots assemble your food is the hottest trend and at Creator you can see it happen right in front of your eyes. Creator's massive, custom-made burger assembly machine sits prominently in the back of the restaurant and makes your burger to order—no humans required. After you place your order, you can watch the machine slice your bun, apply sauces and toppings and finally add the freshly cooked burger patty. Anyone, especially eager kids, can walk up to the machine and watch, and usually there are staff on hand to explain the entire process. If you want a more formal tour, they also offer a full "robot tour" that includes lunch, for $25/person. Visit the website for more details.
Good to know: Creator is only open Wednesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., so it can get busy. The burgers are worth the wait though, as is the show.
680 Folsom St. San Francisco, CA Online: creator.rest
Fenton's Creamery
Fenton's
Fenton's Creamery opened in 1894 and it's still satisfying everyone's love of ice cream. Their Oakland shop offers a half hour Arctic Tour specifically geared for little kids six and up: guests will learn about the history of Fenton's, visit the ice cream production room to see ice cream being churned, and then visit the icy cold blast freezer where the ice cream is stored. You'll need to call Fenton's to find out about tour availability and to make a reservation. There are several options to choose from including adding a treat of ice cream, sundae or lunch to the tour. This will be the sweetest fun your kids will ever have learning!
Good to know: Tours require 8 guests minimum and need to be arranged in advance; call 510--58-7000 or e-mail info@fentonscreamery.com.
Enjoy a taste of a San Francisco’s institution, Boudin Bakery—the city’s oldest continuously operating business since 1849—and tour their flagship location at Fisherman’s Wharf. Boudin’s Museum and Bakery Tour not only offers interactive exhibits about the history of Boudin and San Francisco, but a 30-foot observation window into the ground floor demonstration bakery, where you and your little chef can see a team of bakers up to their elbows in sourdough. You can walk the route on your own for free, or you can go on a 30-minute tour with a guide to learn more about the bread-making process. Afterwards, you can grab lunch at the café, which offers sandwiches, pizzas, and Boudin's classic soup in a sourdough bread bowl.
Good to Know: Self-guided tours are free and can occur at your leisure during operating hours of 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Docent-guided museum tours are $5/person, and require calling ahead to secure a tour time between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Call 415-928-8882.
From Sour Apple to Berry Blue to the popular Buttered Popcorn, see how all your favorite Jelly Belly flavors are made at the Jelly Belly Factory. Located in Fairfield, you and your little one will enjoy the factory’s walking tour showcasing their 150 different sweet treats. You'll follow an observation track over the production floor seeing the whole manufacturing process, and free samples are given out at the end. Since this is a fully functioning manufacturing facility, production schedules may change so be sure to plan your trip and check for dates on their events calendar.
Good to Know: Tours are offered Monday–Friday 9:15 a.m.-4 p.m. You can either do a self-guided tour, or you can book a 40-minute personal guided tour which lets you bypass the line and gives your group a guide to explain the jelly bean making process. Guided tours must be booked in advance through the website; cost is $39/person and maximum group size is 6.
What's better than an ice cream-cookie sandwich? One dipped in chocolate! The It's-It, an iconic Bay Area dessert, was created nearly 90 years ago when founder George Whitley placed a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two fresh oatmeal cookies, then upped the ante by dipping it into dark chocolate. The decadent desserts are now created in their Burlingame factory. There are no tours of the actual factory floor, but the factory store offers a video showing you the process. Bonus: you can buy all of the flavors there, including hard to find seasonal ones like pumpkin and strawberry, plus unique memorabilia and other frozen treats.
Good to know: The shop is open Mon.–Fri., 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
For the eight and older set, the new Dandelion Chocolate factory in San Francisco’s Mission district is a true foodie destination. Your child’s eyes will light up as they taste cacao as it goes through the process of bean to chocolate bar. Dandelion Chocolate offers hour-long tours every day of the week, but you need book your tour ahead of time online—check the website for available dates and times. Tours cost $15/person, and include a hot chocolate gift card. Dandelion Chocolate also offers children’s classes—interactive, behind-the-scenes workshops catered towards children ages 7-13.
Good to Know: The factory operates Monday through Friday 9 a.m. - 5.p.m if you want to select a tour time when the machinery is in operation!
Cowgirl Creamery is a must-visit destination for all the cheese lovers out there. They offer 60-minute guided tours at their original Pt. Reyes creamery on Fridays at 11 a.m. every week—reservations required. You and your little one will not only see their curd-making techniques, but you can indulge in samples of all of Cowgirl Creamery’s fine cheeses. If you can't do the guided tour, they suggest visiting the creamery between 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday for the best time to view them making cheese. There's also a deli at the creamery selling sandwiches, salads and drinks, so you can grab a picnic lunch and make a day trip out of your visit.
Good to Know: Tour cost $5 per person, and maximum tour group is 18 spots. Reserve your spot online as they can sell out quickly.
Ever wonder how a fortune gets inside a fortune cookie? See for yourself and go on a culinary adventure to San Francisco’s Chinatown, where tucked away in a nondescript alley is the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory. This small factory has been churning out fortune cookies since 1962. Enjoy the sweet smell of freshly-baked goodies as you and your kiddo watch cookies pressed and molded right before your eyes. Free samples of “mistakes,” or flat fortune cookies, are abundant! You can also purchase bags of fortune cookies in various flavors, from original to chocolate to matcha. They even have glazed and chocolate-dipped ones!
Good to Know: The factory is open M-F 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sat-Sun 9 a.m.-7 p.m. While the visit is free, if you want to take a snapshot of the fortune cookies being made it’ll cost a whopping 50¢ per click!
A family outing to Anchor Brewing, America’s first and oldest craft brewery, is a fun and totally unique experience. Your kiddos obviously won’t be able to partake in the tastings, but they’ll still appreciate the history of this brewery and its ties to the history of San Francisco, as the brewery dates back to the days of the Gold Rush. Seeing the huge copper vats and fermentation tanks is pretty cool, too. The hour and a half tour takes you through the brewery and ends in the taproom where adults can sample Anchor Brewing's lineup in a fun tasting session.
Good to Know: Anchor Brewing guided tours are offered seven days a week—check the website for available times and to make reservations. It costs $25 per person, but 21 and under are free. Closed toe shoes are required and be aware the plant operates Monday through Friday only, if you want to see the brewing process in action.
To learn how authentic mozzarella di bufala is made, head to Tomales to meet the buffalo of Ramini Mozzarella. Tours and tastings are offered on Saturdays and includes a 45-minute talk, a tasting of cheese in the picnic area surrounded by buffalo and a chance to pet and interact with the buffalo. Children are welcome. Everyone should dress in layers for cool weather and wear closed-toed shoes.
Unleash your inner cookie monster. Two new cookie themed flavors are coming to Cold Stone Creamery. Better yet, each flavor will be featured in their own ice cream creation.
The Circus Animal Cookies Ice Cream is featured in Cold Stone’s new It’s a Circus in Here! creation. This creamy treat features Mother’s circus animal cookies, marshmallows and rainbow sprinkles.
In addition to the circus-inspired dessert, Cold Stone is also releasing Golden OREO Cookie Ice Cream. This new flavor is the star in Cold Stone’s new Good as Gold ice cream creation featuring Golden OREOs, strawberries, caramel and whipped topping.
“We wanted to bring nostalgic childhood cookie favorites to guests but with a Cold Stone Creamery twist,” said Sara Schmillen, vice president of marketing at Kahala Brands, parent company of Cold Stone Creamery. “These iconic cookies paired with our super-premium ice cream will delight customers of any age!”
Both of these flavors and creations will be available until April 14.
Cold Stone Creamery is spreading the love—with limited-time Valentine’s Day ice cream treats!
This season’s dreamy, creamy collection include fan fave Fudge Truffle Ice Cream along with a loving line-up of creations, cakes and cups. Look for the Falling in Chocolate Creation (Fudge Truffle Ice Cream, fudge, brownies and whipped topping), the Fudge Truffle Decadence cake (red velvet cake, Sweet Cream Ice Cream with chocolate shavings and Fudge Truffle Ice Cream with chocolate shavings in a fudge ganache) and the “Be Mine” Reese’s Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cups at your local creamery.
Of the holiday treats, Sara Schmillen, vice president of marketing for Kahala Brands, parent company of Cold Stone Creamery, said in a press release, “Our Fudge Truffle Ice Cream is one of our most frequently-requested seasonal flavors so it felt right to bring it back for Valentine’s Day.” Schmillen continued, “This sweet and scrumptious ice cream treat has a flavor profile that fans of chocolate will go crazy over!”
The Valentine’s Day goodies are available for a limited time starting Jan. 8, 2020.
‘Tis the season to treat yourself to all the yummy holiday goodies. If ice cream is your favorite, then you’ll definitely want to feed your sweet tooth with Cold Stone Creamery’s new holiday ice cream flavor.
This year Cold Stone Creamery is featuring Fudge Mint Cookie Ice Cream as part of its holiday flavor line-up. The flavor will be used in a new Creation, which will include Fudge Mint Cookies, Sprinkled Chocolate Drops and Fudge. Fudge Mint Cookie will also be part of the new Fudge Merri-mint Ice Cream Cake, which is made up of layers of Red Velvet Cake, Sweet Cream Ice Cream with Fudge Mint Cookies and Fudge Mint Cookie Ice Cream with Sprinkled Chocolate Drops wrapped in Fudge Ganache.
“We are extremely eager to introduce our new store-made super-premium ice cream flavor and Creations for the holiday season,” said Sara Schmillen, vice president of marketing at Kahala Brands™, parent company of Cold Stone Creamery. “Our focus is to bring family and friends together with our delicious treats and create meaningful memories that last a lifetime!”
In addition to the new flavor, Cold Stone is also expanding its Classic Cookie Dough Creation menu with Dough! Ho! Ho! Made with Classic Cookie Dough Ice Cream mixed with Frosting and Green & Red Sugar Crystals, the Creation is meant to taste just like a holiday sugar cookie.
The Fudge Mint Cookie flavor is only available until Jan. 7, so grab a scoop before it’s gone!
Cold Stone Creamery recently announced the addition of two seasonal ice cream flavors—and they’ll bring total holiday happiness! At least in the dessert department.
Starting Oct. 30 you can treat yourself, your kiddo or the whole fam to Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream or Cookie Butter Ice Cream!
Along with the ice cream flavors, Cold Stone Creamery will also have two new promotional creations—Harvest Pumpkin Cheesecake (Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream, HEATH Bars, caramel and whipped topping) or Cookie Butter Obsession (Cookie Butter Ice Cream, cinnamon and graham cracker pie crust).
As if Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream wasn’t enough on its own, Cold Stone Creamery also has a Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie. This delish dessert starts with Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream and has a graham cracker pie crust, cinnamon frosting and a caramel drizzle.
Sara Schmillen, vice president of marketing at Kahala Brands (Cold Stone Creamery’s parent company), said in a press release, “We are ecstatic to bring back fan-favorite Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream to our stores as well as introduce what we believe will be a fan-favorite flavor, Cookie Butter Ice Cream.” Schmillen continued, “A delicious way to kick off the holidays with made fresh, super-premium ice cream and delight in everything the season brings!”
The limited-edition Pumpkin Cheesecake flavor, the Harvest Pumpkin Cheesecake creation and the Ice Cream Pie are available through Dec. 3, 2019. The Cookie Butter flavor and creation are available through Jan. 7, 2020.
Whether you’ve got 50 Instagram followers or 50 thousand, these 9 LA confections are ready for their close-up. Both grownups and little ones will appreciate the eye candy, along with how good said eye candy tastes. Get ready to blow your kids’ minds with Cookie Monster ice cream, animal-shaped cotton candy creations, adorable unicorn donuts and more! Read on for all the details.
Introduce your kids to soft-serve ice cream at this Little Tokyo spot. While the most popular item on the menu may be Mixed Feelings (a striking combo of black charcoal pineapple and vanilla ice cream), kids will probably be more into Pegasus, a pink-and-blue swirl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Fruity Pebbles flavors. In addition to traditional toppings (think sprinkles plus assorted cereals, cookies and candies), Bae also offers decadent (and photogenic!) edible gold or silver hearts and stars. If you're feeling really indulgent, there's also 24 karat edible gold leaf for an extra $5.
File this one under why didn't we think of it first! It's flavored cotton candy that can be spun into sweet custom creations kids will love. For now, you'll have to settle for finding Lee' Poof at events and farmers markets around town, or you can always book a Lee' Poof cart for your next bash.
While this Koreatown shop has been in business since 1980s, we're pretty sure they weren't serving up Unicorn donuts back then. The fanciful dunkers are just begging to be on the cake stand at your next kid's party. California Donuts also offers custom designs and letter-shaped donuts so you can spell out something extra sweet!
With locations in Sherman Oaks, Koreatown, Downtown and Northridge, the Dolly Llama is spreading waffle-centric ice cream joy to Angelenos all across town. Kids are sure to go for the bright blue signature treat, Dolly's Dream, which includes Cookie Monster ice cream, strawberries, brownies and chocolate sauce all in a bubble waffle cone. The portions are huge (hence the $9 price), so we recommend going halfsies.
Deal alert: During the week from 1p.m. to 4p.m., you can score a "happy hour" scoop for just $2.
Broaden the palates of little ones by way of ice cream with flavors inspired by ingredients from around the globe. Favorites include the Japanese Neapolitan, a creamy and sweet (but not too sweet) trio of matcha, hojicha and black sesame; and the signature Ube Malted Crunch, made with malted milk and sweet purple yams.
Head to either the original location on Beverly or the newer one in Silver Lake for oversized macaron ice cream sandwiches. Flavors range from cookies and cream and red velvet to Froot Loops and Fruity Pebbles. Of course, the shops also carry cookies galore, cakes and more, so prepare for major temptation.
Kids can get a scoop silky-smooth ice cream along with a mini science lesson at this Los Feliz spot. Trained "ice cream artisans" put on a show using liquid nitrogen to freeze ice cream on the spot. The smoke created in the process is actually evaporation—cool, huh?
The latest ice cream trend isn't about the ice cream—it's about the vessel in which you put it. Instead of traditional cones or even a bubble waffle, Turn Dough turns to cinnamon-and-sugar pastries known as chimney cakes. Kids can fill the "cakes" with the soft-serve flavor of their choice and top it with gummy bears, fresh fruit, a giant s'more and more!
The macarons made here are truly tiny works of art with each one crafted individually by hand. You'll have to travel to one of their Orange County locations to admire (and eat!) the creations. Be sure to arrive when they open for the biggest selection of sweets as popular designs have been known to sell out.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants to make sure your ice cream is safe to eat. If you thought it already was, read on for information on an important announcement the FDA recently made about its findings from inspections and environmental sampling for Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella at 89 ice cream production facilities.
So what prompted the FDA to take a serious look at ice cream and potential illnesses related to the products? After 16 ice cream recalls between 2013 and 2015, the government agency decided to start sampling the sweet stuff. The resulting report, which includes data from facilities in 32 states taken between Sep. 12, 2016 to Aug. 30, 2017, provides plenty of insight into ice cream safety in America.
On a positive note, the FDA didn’t find “objectionable conditions or practices” in almost half of the facilities they visited. But (on the negative side) they did detect Listeria monocytogenes in 19 of the facilities. Before you rush to toss your ice cream in the trash, only one of the facilities had the Listeria monocytogenes on a food-contact surface. A separate facility also tested positive for Salmonella.
Following the FDA’s investigation, there were three voluntary ice cream recalls made between 2017 and 2018—two for Working Cow Homemade, Inc. ice cream and one for Nelson’s Creamery LLC.
If you’re wondering whether your ice cream is safe to eat, the recalls resulting from the report are all in the past. But the FDA does stress the importance of safe practices and preventative controls for commercial ice cream manufacturers.
July is National Ice Cream month and you’ve come to the right place to find out where to get free ice cream! Not only that, but Jul. 15 is National Ice Cream Day so that means it’s time to double down on the deals! Here are five places you can get free ice cream!
If yogurt's more your thing, then head to your closest Yogurtland between the hours of 1 and 6pm for a BOGO deal. Enjoy the creamy goodness of froyo while supplies last.
July is not only National Ice Cream Month but the 30th anniversary of Dippin' Dots! The company is celebrating by giving away a free mini cup of dots during a designated two hour window on Sunday, July 15th. Check your local shop to find out what time you need to head over for your free ice cream.
If you missed Baskin Robbins' free cookie dough pizza giveaway on July 1st, don't worry. When you download the BR app, you get access to tons of coupons and deals, including a BOGO offer, according to Thrillist. Celebrate the entire month of July with a different flavor every day!
Celebrate all month long when you join the Cold Stone Creamery eClub. As a gift, you'll receive a coupon for buy one, get one free! There's no limit to the creative cone you'll come up with.
