Lemos Farm

0 review 3179 views

INFORMATION

12320 San Mateo Rd
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019

Get Directions

Phone

(650) 726-2342

Hours

9 am – 5 pm (Sat - Sun)

Tickets

$5 (Adults)
$17 (Children)

Membership

N/A

Website

lemosfarm.com

PHOTOS

DESCRIPTION FOR Lemos Farm

If you're inspired by a local farmers market, or your kids wonder what it would be like to ride a pony and a tractor, Lemos Farm is the weekend place to go. The goats can't be ridden, but for $1 per cup they can be fed, and so can the ducks and the wishing well – you have to cross its lip with silver. The train has gotten decorated with festive scenes over the years, so you may see Christmas decorations mixed with Western scenes.

Christmas trees and pumpkins can also be chosen here instead of at a local lot. You can come on a weekend, park the kids on ponies and wear them out in laser tag, and then wander around finding the perfect fir that will house all of the kids' art projects and glittery ornaments all through December, or the perfect scary jack-o-lantern.

While Lemos Farm is agriculturally themed, there are some unique offerings besides the Pumpkin Patch and the hay ride. From September through the end of October, kids can be entertained in the haunted house. No reservations are needed for zapping each other in laser tag, though it does cost $10 for 20 minutes. That may be one of the few drawbacks, that there are a few items not covered in the price of admission – laser tag is one, and operating a tractor in the Dig Zone is another. Otherwise, you do have the choice of just paying single tickets for items like Playtown and the hay ride – or you can get unlimited rides on the train and ponies and everything else by getting a day pass. Playtown is not to be missed for its mix of bouncy houses and rocking horses.

This strange blend of activities goes back to the history of Lemos Farm, in which the current owner's city-dwelling grandfather was offered a cow as a debt payment. Since the cow was in the family way, a few more cows were bought and put on a farm to create a working dairy, but all that work required a tractor that still chugs around the grounds today. The pony rides and haunted house came in after the owners started thinking about expanding their Christmas tree side business with pumpkins. Lemos Farm is the place where anything can happen.

Close

TIPS FOR VISITING Lemos Farm

* Groupon Deal: $25 for day passes for two adults and two children ($40 value). Visit Groupon for more info.

1. Closing days: Weekdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

2. Parking is plentiful, but the scenic one-lane San Mateo Road after the Bridge is often clogged on weekends with sight-seers, so be sure to add on an extra half-hour to your arrival time – just in case.

3. Restrooms are very clean, diaper changing tables in both men and women's bathrooms, hot water in the taps, and ceramic toilets.

4. Snacks are basic: nachos with jalapenos, pepperoni pizza, and hot dogs.

5. Goat-feeding and Petting: Tuck in your clothing, because they like to mistake your shirt for a grain offering, and sometimes snatch the cup.

BIRTHDAY PARTY AT Lemos Farm

Party Time at Lemos Farm

Telephone: (650) 726-2342

Time: Varies (Saturday or Sunday)

Party price: $275-$335+

Included: Access to Petting Zoo and Play Area, Air Jumper, Reserved Picnic Tables

Themes: Pony Party, Choo-Choo Party

Website Link: www.lemosfarm.com/parties/birthday-parties

Bring Your Own: Food and Drinks, Decorations, and Tableware (Plates, Cups, Cutlery)

While the themes are limited to ponies or trains, there are a lot of options at this working weekend farm, though is about $50 cheaper for birthdays to fall between November 9 and August 18. You can specify how many kids will be riding the trains or ponies, from 20 to over 40, though the Choo-Choo Party does include 15 pony tickets. Parents can rent four private ponies for a few hours, to make sure that the birthday kids don't have to share space with weekend visitors, or cut down on costs by just getting priority seating on the semi-private ponies during a two-hour time slot. Also, train-lovers will be happy to know that an extra $50 can ensure train access during a pony party, so nobody gets left out. If you want a spot near the pond and you don't mind if the party-goers have to mingle with the commoners, all activities are open to you for $15 per kid and $5 per adult. Let the kids go from the ponies to the train to petting the goats to running through the Play Area, while a few designated adults guard belongings and chat at the private tables. If you can, grab the slot earlier in the morning, which gets you an extra hour and a half of fun time, and bring some extra cash for Laser Tag. All of the choices can be a little overwhelming, but the food choices are made quite simple: pizza. You can either opt for a medium pizza with just cheese or pepperoni for $15, or make it a somewhat healthy snack by paying $18 for all-veggie toppings. On the other hand, there are charcoal barbeque stations at each of the many picnic areas, so you can bring the hot dogs and hamburgers and all the buns and fixings, so long as other parents are willing to help carry in the coolers.

Close

REVIEWS FOR Lemos Farm

0 Places For Kids review

PLACES YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

1001 Fairgrounds Drive, Vallejo, CA 94589

Located on 135 acres, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom started out as Marine Worldland. It still maintains ties to its aquatic beginnings but with so much more. Treat yourself and your family to a fun day of rides suited to the thrill level of every family member, wildlife and marine animal shows and the chance for the young and young at heart to get up close and personal with some of the animals. If you’ve ever wanted to feed a giraffe or sea lion, touch a stingray or frolic among butterflies, this place is for you.

Learn More

2173 views

0 reviews

Gilroy Gardens

3050 Hecker Pass Hwy.
Gilroy, CA 95020

When the Gilroy Garden Park reopens on March 30th, the child world and plant world will again collide for good. The Garden Park is a good mix of education and fun, and can help kids think through conservation issues – especially if they're looking at the living Circus Trees that look like sculptures. During the summer, you can even go down a water slide through one of the trees, and pretend you're on a Jungle Book adventure with Mowgli. The rock maze is also a cool retreat from the sun, and there are shady trees all around the complex. Bring your bathing suit for walking behind the waterfalls, and tipping buckets onto the kids' heads at the Splash Garden. This is one of the best features of the park, not just because of the huge treehouse and twisty slide, but also because the kids can either shoot water at each other with super soakers, or use a water pump as a see-saw. The spinning water wheel may be as close as a city kid can get to seeing wheels and water other than in a movie. However, if you and the kids prefer to observe the beauty of water rather than interact with it, watching ducks while imitating them on paddle boats can be a lot of fun. The second great feature is not the rides, which are definitely mild to moderate on the thrill scale. The teacups, flying mushrooms, and little fire engines will probably thrill the toddler to four-year-old crowd. It's the gardens that are truly amazing. One of the really worthwhile rides is when you get to meander down a backroads area on a motorized antique car, going past a barn and a small pond with a tiny dock. You can see the Rainbow Gardens on a boat ride that goes around a small lazy river, and chase butterflies through the Monarch Garden greenhouse. Claudia's Carousel is especially good for toddlers, because then you get to slowly look at the amazing trees in all their twisty shapes – this could be a horticulture session for the older kids.

Learn More

3194 views

0 reviews

Happy Hollow Park and Zoo

1300 Senter Rd.
San Jose, CA 95112

Happy Hollow is definitely the sort of place that kids love, and parents love that it's quite affordable. Many of the rides are quite young, and quite tame when compared to the thrills of Magic Mountain, but they are definitely suitable to the seven-year-olds and younger set. Parents may be underwhelmed by the Danny the Dragon ride featuring fairytale statues and a small dark tunnel, but small children seem fascinated and will probably insist on 'Danny again'. Since Danny is currently under a construction makeover, they may have to wait a while until he's ready to thrill them all over again. The carousel and Pacific Fruit Express roller coaster are also a quiet sort of fun, but the bumper cars and Frog Hopper may satisfy the boys' needs for a little adrenaline. The animals in the petting zoo can actually be petted, from the large cow to the ponies and donkeys, which is a step above some ultra-safety conscious facilities. You can brush them as well as feeding them, which is a definite plus, although the goats may have to be deterred from anything flapping that may look like food. No need to bring hand sanitizer, because there's a real hand-washing station with soap. If these activities aren't enough, try the puppet shows and the play areas. These are scattered across the grounds, so if at any time one of the kids has a desperate need to climb and slide and spin around, they can do so. If you pack along some yogurt bars and fruit cups, you can spread out at the picnic tables also scattered across the grounds, and then visit one of the many bathrooms. You may even be visited by face painters, if the season is right. In keeping with the rides, the zoo doesn't provide the larger impressive animals like elephants or giraffes, but the meerkats and birds are always good to see – especially if you make it during feeding time so the trainer can answer questions. Also, sometimes the jaguar lets himself be seen up close.

Learn More

3255 views

0 reviews

Oakland Zoo

9777 Golf Links Rd.
Oakland, CA 94605

Animals and kids go together, especially at the Oakland Zoo. As a parent, it's important to have that 'magical' place in your back pocket, with plenty of activities, that isn't as pricey as Disneyland. (Parents in the Bay area should think about getting a membership, which includes free admission, parking, guest tickets, and 8 ride vouchers.) For parents without a car, the 511 Trip Planner can save a lot of time on public transport. Since the Zoo is spread across more than 500 acres with hills, parents with toddlers should definitely remember the backpack or stroller. What's great about the Zoo is that there's more than just waiting for the lions to roll over, or reading up on monkey grooming habits. If your kids are of the 'do everything' type, you'll want to check out the train, carousel, and rollercoaster. If your kids are of the 'observer' type, there are 650+ animals to watch, and Monday through Friday feeding times - from alligators to elephants to sun bears. If your kids are of the 'up close and personal' type, scrambling through the meerkat tunnel or the reptile cave is always a good idea, along with the play areas. (Don't forget to take a bathroom break after all that crawling – restrooms are right next to the meerkats, the Bug House, the picnic area, and the goat and sheep barn.) The lack of a 'concrete jungle' at Oakland is what sets it apart from the Los Angeles Zoo. Kids and parents who want to see animals in a naturalistic environment can't go wrong here. It's also more interactive, from the bat house to the goat petting area, and the cable car allows you to see the Bay area while peeking into animal cages.