Best of 2003: Best Little Day Trip To A Farm

Bell Gardens Farm
30841 Cole Grade Road, Valley Center
www.bellgardensfarm.com
760-749-6297

In 1993, Glen "Taco Titan" Bell cashed out his Taco Bell stock and bought 115 acres in Valley Center. He transformed much of the land into a working farm and a park. He surrounded it all with a miniature railroad. During the summer months, Bell Gardens Farms sells some of the sweetest tomatoes and most perfumey melons in the county. All year-round, a tractor takes kids on hayrides. The little train gives families a tour of the farm. And instructors teach low-cost classes on everything from making adobe bricks to planting a garden to canning fruits and vegetables.