Fall Fun in Half Moon Bay, California
We are embracing fall, and another trip to California means its time for another weekend adventure.
This time: Half Moon Bay!
Half Moon Bay is a small town only 30 minutes from Palo Alto. Its known for 2 things: it’s beaches that give peninsula dwellers their closest access to the coast, and it’s small farming community (HMB is home to a huge string of plant nurseries, mostly along Highway 92). Also on Highway 92 is Lemos Farm, one of several pumpkin patches open this time of year, and where we started our day.
As we headed out for the morning, I just knew we were forgetting something important. We got to Lemos Farm bright and early and parked the car when it hit me…we’d forgotten the stroller! It’s not like we could just drive back and get it quick, so we decided to roll with it. Besides, Evelyn’s been really into walking everywhere on her own these days.
And away she went! Our little miss independent had no intentions of holding anyone’s hand. She cruised along the dirt paths while I kept a close distance to make sure she didn’t trip and face plant onto the ground. I really hate feeling like a helicopter parent, but what are you supposed to do?
If there’s a clear line in between letting your kid explore their own world and protecting your kid from getting hurt, I’m still working on finding it.
We bought our tickets and hopped on board the train ride. Not too exhilirating for the adults, but I suppose for a 15 month old it was a little more exciting!
Next up we stopped by the “petting zoo”. Evelyn was awfully timid, but we stepped inside the pen filled with mama and baby goats and one big old potbelly pig. Evelyn held on to me realllll tight.
The goats had a little too much energy for this girl, and by the time we finally got her feeling brave enough to pet the little baby goat, the mama came running up for some love and scared the bejeezers out of her! I’ve never felt Evelyn tighten her grip so strong as she crawled up my side to get away from the big scary goat. We figured we’d better call it a day on the petting zoo.
Next we headed over for the hayrack ride, and with no one in line, we wondered if they were even running. But the driver told us to hop right up, and he started his truck for our very own personal ride around the parking lot. 😀
There are a few other fun things for kids at Lemos: pumpkins, fall treats, pony rides and bounce houses. But Evelyn was too little for most of the activities, so we let her do a little more running around the farm instead.
We were becoming exhausted shadowing Evelyn’s every move and she grew more rebellious of our help as the minutes ticked by. Finally I said “alright, I’m just going to let her go…if she falls, she falls.”
Literally two seconds later after I’d uttered those words, Evelyn tripped over her own feet, twisted her body completely upside down, and landed face first in the dirt. Dirt in mouth. Glasses scratched up. It was a mess. The worst part: Evelyn was hardly even bothered by it all. She still hasn’t learned!
After cleaning Evelyn up, we headed into town for some lunch. We saw a line forming outside of the San Benito House Deli and figured it had to be worth the wait.
Outside the tiny deli was a patio with live music, and behind that a beer garden with big wooden tables. Behind that even farther was a big lawn and garden. Perfect, I figured, for keeping Evelyn entertained while we ate, and better yet, there was no dirt or hills so she surely couldn’t injure herself again!
In the back, we did some swinging on this old wooden swing in the garden. Evelyn absolutely loved it. I think because she knew it was so big that she wouldn’t fall off. She looked so big swinging on there all by herself!
After some killer sandwiches on their freshly baked French bread, we strolled up and down Main Street checking out the shops.
Some cute places to stop: Coastside Books for books and gifts, P.Cottontail & Co. for adorable children’s clothes, Garden Apothecary for locally-made skincare products, and Half Moon Bay Wine & Cheese for (you guessed it), all things wine and cheese!
It was time to head back home, but on the way out of town we had one final stop. Matt had gotten this wild hair that he needed a plant for his desk at work, and I was ok with an excuse to stop at the Hwy 92 nurseries (they were on the way, after all)!
We stopped at Highway 92 Succulents, one of many nurseries along the highway, and it was literally an entire greenhouse dedicated to succulents!
We found him a tiny shade-loving succulent to grow on his desk, reminding him of our fun fall day in Half Moon Bay!
What are some of your favorite San Francisco Bay Area day trips?
Read Next: 8 Hidden Gems in San Francisco (and where to find them)
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