Bates Nut Farm Educational Tours

We offer a variety of tours for your group of 15 or more and educational experiences that are enjoyed by all ages.

Bates hopes to pass on a love and appreciation of farming to generations to come. Farming is essential to everyone's lives, but is so often masked by our technical world.  Visit Bates Nut Farm and be reminded of the simpler things in life!  Each year the Bates family welcomes thousands of visitors from all over the world. Today the fourth and fifth generation families are working on the family farm that was established in 1921.

 

“Nuts For You” Tour • Weekdays January - September

For your group of 15 or more by reservation.

Not available in October.

$7.00 per person 

Located just minutes from Escondido, a visit to Bates Nut Farm gives your group the opportunity to spend time on the farm.  Learn about the history of the Bates family and farm, starting in 1921 with Gilbert Bates and his “Walnut Slope Ranch”. Learn about how the ranch evolved from walnut trees to the retail business it is today. Find out about how nuts get from the tree to your table.  Bring your own picnic or inquire about our sack lunch or BBQ & entertainment options. Your tour includes:

  • Bates Nut Farm History
  • California Agriculture Nut History
  • Learn how various nuts are grown and harvested
  • Identification of various nuts
  • Nutritional values & uses
  • Behind the scenes tour of the roasting, packaging and storage area at Bates Nut Farm
  • Marketing from the farm to the market
  • Hayride
  • Bag of corn to feed the animals
  • Personal snack bag

This tour is available for your group of 15 or more, and is $7.00 per person.  Call 760-749-3333 for reservations.  Not offered during the month of October.

 

 

Pumpkin Patch Field Trips • Weekdays in October

 

 

This tour is offered weekdays during the month of October and is a tradition with schools, families and youth groups. Learn how pumpkins are grown and cared for, their nutritional value, uses, and their squash cousins.

Start an annual tradition!  Bring your class, group, family or organization to the pumpkin patch and enjoy over 8 acres of pumpkins, squash and gourds.  Visit the goats, sheep, chickens, pigs, miniature donkey, llama, emu and other farm animals at the Farm Zoo. Enjoy the straw maze and tractor hayride.  Bring a picnic, plan games, and enjoy the open space. Parking Fee on October weekends. Free parking weekdays.

Click here to download the 2023 Tours & Education Brochure

Special group packages are available on weekdays. Click here to make your reservation.

We will then email you a confirmation worksheet as quickly as we can.

 

 

 Harvest Tour • Weekdays November - December

For your group of 15 or more by reservation.

$7.00 per person 

A blend of the “Nuts for You” and “Life of a Pumpkin” tours.  It includes a little Bates Nut Farm history, some information about nuts from tree to table, a presentation about growing pumpkins and squash, a visit to the roasting room, and a hayride around the farm. Each guest receives a bag of corn to feed the animals and a Bates Nut Farm snack.

This tour is available for your group of 15 or more.  Call 760-749-3333 for reservations.