4 stars for Casa De Fruta & 5 PHENOMENAL STARS FOR RIC!!!!!!!…read more My family and I have driven past Casa De Fruta on numerous occasions and never thought to stop by and check it out. Located in Hollister, this is a well known family owned attraction. Here you will find a market, a restaurant, and some fun kiddy attractions. The attractions are what brought my family and I here. After seeing social media posts about the activities, I knew I had to take my toddler here to explore. Fun attractions available are: 1) Casa de ChooChoo 2) Casa de Carousel 3) Gem Mining 4) Casa de Playground [a whole playground kiddy structure] We purchased tickets for the carousel and the train ride. The carousel seemed a little outdated and could use a little bit of maintenance. some of the seating rocked a bit- nothing unsafe but definitely had some unexpected movement. Casa de ChooChoo was by far our most favorite attraction. At $5 a ticket, this little train takes you all around the property. This was a good 12 minute ride so you aren't rushed to get the next load of riders on. The views aren't anything amazing but the seating is comfortable and you get a nice break from being on your feet. Popular purchasing staples include: fresh produce, dried fruits, spiced or candied nuts, & CDF's pomegranate wine. We walked away with some pink pineapple, assorted jerky, candy, & caramel apple. I'll have to come back and try their pomegranate wine again because of all the raving- I got a bottle a few years back as a gift but didn't enjoy it at all. Hopefully my palate has become more refined with time. LMAO! Shout out to Ric. Thank you for the delicious samples and even better convo!! You shine in a store full of staff, you are my favorite part of my very first visit to Casa De Fruta.

Very pricey but not surprised as it seems like a very touristy spot…read more I bought a bag of almonds for $18.99 and they are one of the worst almonds I've ever had. They are mushy/stale, extremely disappointed for the price point. The fruit I bought was pretty good.

All the girls are nice. They're the owners. I really enjoy going there. I recommend him to…read moreeverybody.

Compared to fruit stands in San Jose, pricing for Blenheim apricots are worth it here. I was in the…read morearea visiting a friend & gave them a call. They answered promptly and were very informative. This review comes during the time of COVID-19....when I arrived, they had a line set up with "X" markings to ensure social distancing. Also, a stand dispensing hand sanitizer. I purchased a 12 pound box of Blenheim apricots for $26! They look very ripe and plump. Decently sized. Can't wait to eat them! Sadly, I missed the bing cherries for the season. Will have to make note to return here next year.

I stopped here to try their apricot freeze. For $5, it was very tasty. I sampled their fresh…read moreapricot. It was not like the ones I get at Masumoto Farms in DelRey.

They had me at APRICOT FREEZE---when I went in and discovered I was in apricot heaven!!!!! Cannot…read morewait to go back!!!!!

Avila Farms of Hollister a small farm using organic processes and working on their certification at…read morethe Fort Mason Center Farmers Market. They brought a nice mix of vegetables.

I adore Avila Farms and am thankful that they pop up at the Saturday Santa Clara Farmer's Market…read more I've been happy with their peppers, carrots, and ginger, but the lettuce is really out of this world. I'm no gourmet chef, but I can use the lettuce to make a salad that would hold up at a fancy restaurant. The staff is always very friendly. Recommended!

Cute little shop with a large selection of local goods including pie, salsa, honey, and garlic ice…read morecream! The owner was super nice and made us feel welcome as we browsed. It was cool inside on a warm day and had a clean bathroom so it's definitely worth a stop on your travels.

Pacheco Pass Farmer's Market is a great stop in Gilroy! We loved looking at all the fun things…read morearound the market and had a hoot trying the vanilla and chocolate garlic ice cream. Of course it's not my #1 choice in flavored ice cream, but well worth the try at least once! Don was superb, having us guess songs for a free honey sucker stick, which made the time there even more fun. Overall, this was a great experience that I recommend to everyone and anyone to enjoy!

I love the Hollister Farmer's market. Despite being surrounded by agriculture, we don't have many…read morelocal stores or restaurants, so the summer Farmer's Market is a rare treat. I should add that its especially good if you don't happen to work, and you can show up in the afternoon and browse. Commuters might find 7pm on a Wednesday a hard target to meet. Anyway, I love the organic heirloom tomatoes and fresh peaches. You also get your fair share of characters (go talk to the guy with all the herbs and lettuce). The price is always right, and you just feel good about yourself buying fresh and buying local. Other towns may have bigger and better markets, but this is Hollister, and I think the selection and size is pretty good. I just miss the honey sticks. Bring back the honey sticks!

Great spot to walk around on Wednesday. The produce is great. Also the local food venders. Kettle…read morecorn

I've ordered their dried apricots, and chocolate covered apricots to ship to someone out of state…read morewho enjoyed them on their last visit ti this area. They have excellent options, and they ship all over the U.S. I was introduced to this company at a farmers market in Santa Cruz, and they always have super good service, and products.

This place was interesting to find. I kept thinking, where in the world am I going. So I finally…read morefound the place and right after I park a lady comes up to me greeting me and asking if I have ever been there. I said no. I said I loved Blenheim apricots and she saw I was looking at the chocolate dipped and she had one of the employees bring a freshly dipped dried apricot. It was sooo good. I was also looking at the red walnuts which I have never seen before and she gave me a sample of that also. The employees were super friendly. I got dried dipped apricots, regular dried apricots and the red walnuts. LOVE Blenheim apricots. Will definitely be back.

This is a cool fall festival and event to visit during halloween season. A beautiful laid-back and…read morespacious atmosphere, and country music played through the speakers near the big barn, with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating available, and a few merchandise vendors on site, as well as beer and wine for sale. However a big negative here are the LONG LINES. Not only were lines slow, but there were extra unnecessary lines. Two lines for entry, one for wristbands, then the other for security. Two lines for food, one to place orders and pay, the other to pick up orders from the appropriate truck/tent (the steak quesadilla and tri-tip sandwich weren't even worth the wait... though the former was bigger and better). Also, there was one SUPER MEGA LINE (worse than Disneyland) for the Trail of Lights and Frights due to lack of instructions from staff and no signs to indicate that there were actually two separate entries: one trail is for kids, bright and safe (with LIGHTS), the other trail is for the haunted attraction (with FRIGHTS) where the sounds of chainsaws and screaming could be heard coming from behind the corn field (this is not the same as the regular corn maze on the farm by the way). It was definitely fun and creepy! The corn maze was cool and not too challenging, lit even after dark as they have a giant flood light high above. There was also a good amount of entertaining activities for both kids and adults, including a pumpkin patch, mechanical bull, and giant jump pillows. But again, a lack of instruction and signage, especially for the biggest attractions on site. I even saw people sliding down a hill in potato sacks on the far end of the farm, but there was no clear sign about "slide mountain", so you would not know about it unless you happened to go in that direction or had a map of the farm. As a reminder there is uneven terrain everywhere and lots of walking necessary, (especially in the trails of lights and frights, and corn maze), so wear comfortable walking shoes that you don't mind getting dirty. Despite the issues I mentioned, we still enjoyed our time here. And the cost of tickets is worth it if doing the Trail of Frights (since it's comparable with other haunted houses, but you also get other farm activities on top of that). Parking was free and easy too.

We recently attended a wedding at Swank Farms. While the site is lovely, the staff was unorganized…read moreand not helpful. Appetizers/charcutier boards were being assembled as the guests waited. The guests were told the bar was not open and when it did open, there were no mixers for drinks and for $ 14.00, I received barely an inch of wine in my glass. Choose another venue for your event.

We were driving by on a road trip and saw this U Pick cherry orchard and decided to stop off. My…read morefirst concern was whether they take cards, as I'm not a cash carrier, and to my surprise they did. We arrived about an hour before closing and there were only a few other people picking cherries. We walked up and were told what to look for and what cherries to avoid. We were handed bags and told how far on the property we could venture. The price was around $6.99 a pound. It's more expensive than the store for bing cherries, but you can't beat the quality, freshness and supporting a family business. We picked cherries for about 20 minutes and of course took the opportunity to take some pictures. We picked about a pound and a half and were on our way. This was a great quick stop and we had a healthy snack on our road trip. I would recommend stopping if you are in the area.

Eat, Drink and be Cherry…read more Local cherry growers that allow customers to harvest their own fruit at one of five ranches throughout the Gilroy/Morgan Hill area, with this location being "Ranch 4." Unfortunately, this Ranch--and all the rest I believe--are sold out for the 2022 year due to a small crop this year. But, in the meantime here's a few tips for next year's picking: *Follow them on IG at @UPICKCHERRIES for updates and picking info. *When they open a Ranch get there as early as you can. They tend to sell out fast--sometimes in less than a day! *If you're really serious, bring a small step ladder or someone tall to get the good stuff. *2022 prices were $6.25/lb, which ain't cheap, but you're paying for the experience :) *They take cash or cc *Parking lot is a dusty dirt lot, so don't go to the car wash ahead of time.

Best organic produce at the most reasonable price. I've…read morebeen shopping Pinnacle for 2 decades at the Palo Alto FM and it is consistently the best, especially the Romaine lettuce which is a staple of mine. Love the cilantro, parsley, carrots, and all the members of the cabbage family. All around excellent, healthy, fresh, high quality produce with very nice staff! Thank you!

organic organic organic my favorite farm stand on a…read moresaturday i cant wait for corn season, yum!