I’ve always wanted to stroll through California’s beautiful sunflower fields. The bright yellow colors absolutely shout summertime to me, and this year I finally had an opportunity to enjoy these towering giants up close.

Centerville Fruit Station

Last week I discovered the the Centerville Fruit Station in Sanger California while heading home from a little getaway in Yosemite. This adorable little fruit stand is a fun quick stop if you’re on your way up to Sequoia or Yosemite. Fresh local fruits, produce, and beautiful flowers are sold here, but what drew me here were the rows of vibrant sunflowers visible from the road! I just had to pull over to take a look, and I’m so glad I did! Centerville Fruit Station is hosting a sunflower maze for all of us sunflower lovers this Summer.

Know Before You Go:

One thing that makes this maze extra special is that it’s entirely donation based...so everyone can enjoy these flowers. Please consider donating generously if you can as a way to show your appreciation for this great sunflower gift to the whole community. The fruit station and maze are located at 106 S Academy Ave, and the entire path/parking area is dirt...so make sure to wear shoes that can get a little muddy. 😉 The maze is relatively small, I was able to walk the entirety of the loop in under 15 minutes. No one else was visiting when I was there (yay for a private sunflower tour!), but please bring your mask and practice safe social distancing when others are enjoying the maze. Also a friendly reminder that where there are a bunch of sunflowers there will also be a bunch of bees...but they didn’t bother me one bit while I was exploring. They were just enjoying the sunflowers too! The sunflowers here were definitely at their peak last weekend, so plan your visit soon before they wilt away until next year.

Other California Sunflower Locations

If you can’t make it to Sanger, consider looking into some of the locations below. Please be advised Covid-19 is affecting many businesses and this years sunflower festivities below are subject to change at any time.

• Underwood Family Farms has a wonderful “pick your own” sunflower garden.

• Swank Farms holds an annual Sunflower Festival in September.

• Rancho Bernardo Pumpkin Farm has beautiful sunflowers along with a corn maze.

• Dutch Hollow Farms has rows of sunflowers in the Summer and admission starts at $5.

• Oma’s Pumpkin Patch has a sunflower “triangle”.

• Andreotti Family Farm has sunflower blooms in September.

• Tanaka Farms has sunflowers with the pumpkin patch.

If you’re not located in California, see this article for 32 of the best sunflower fields across the US.

Respecting Local Lands

If you’ve heard about the popular sunflowers at Muller Ranch in Woodland CA, Pedrick Produce in Dixon, or along CA-89 in Winters, please be aware most fields here are privately owned farms. As an Iowa girl who grew up around local farms, I respect the incredible amount of time and effort that goes into working farmland, and I’m linking this article on why NOT to visit private farms without specific permission from the owner. Please do not trespass on private property. Respect all farm policies on visiting the fields and abide by all farm signage. I firmly believe it is a special gift to cultivate caring relationships with our local farmers...after all they are putting delicious food on our dinner plates!

In Summary & Behind the Blog Video

Thanks so much for joining me at Centerville Fruit Stand’s Sunflower Maze. To take a virtual walk with me here, see my Behind the Blog video below. Until next week, I hope you find adventure and encouragement wherever you go.

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