Home Care In Cream Ridge, NJ

The tulips at Holland Ridge Farms in Cream Ridge have become one of New Jersey’s most photographed spots in the spring. Beyond the whopping 8 million colorful tulips to take in, there are plenty of other things to keep you and your crew entertained during a visit. They include 20+ photo props, as many as 30 food trucks, farm animals, a feeding zoo, pony rides, a tractor-pulled hayride, Dutch souvenirs, a bakery and a tulip planting museum.

So what goes into transforming the 300+ acre farm into a dreamy spring scene of rainbow tulips straight out of Holland? “You would think an event of this size would take an army, but in reality, there’s less than 10 of us who work year-round to bring it all together,” says Patrick Marini, Holland Ridge’s creative manager.

Marini says bulbs are ordered during the summer for the following spring. “We make sure to only order the most colorful and most hardy varieties that will grow well out in the flower fields,” he says. “As soon as sunflower season ends, we start planting the millions of tulip bulbs. Over the winter they grow roots and form flower buds, while we start planning out new photo props and improvements to the farm and event. We love that we have so many returning visitors who make our tulip event their yearly family tradition.”

What’s New This Spring

Given how quickly u-pick tulips tickets sell out on weekends, you may want to consider taking a day off midweek to go. There are new ticket options for 2024, including a weekday group discount, flex any day tickets (these go on sale March 15 at 9 am), weekday general admission that includes half-price flowers, and weekend general admission. Everyone age 3 and up requires a ticket.

Tickets are non-refundable, but starting this year you can change your general admission tickets to another day or arrival time (as long as it’s not sold out) up to 9 am on the day of your visit. There is no change fee; simple click the Change Tickets button in your confirmation email and follows the steps.

Also new this year is bus shuttle that will run from the Hamilton Train Station on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The cost is $5, and pickups will be outside of the station at 10 am and 12 pm; the return trips are at 2 pm and 4 pm.

We know you’re planning your outfits for some sweet spring pictures, since the farm is a hotspot for photo shoots, from engagements and wedding pics to maternity and anniversary shots and beyond. An authentic Dutch windmill is 100 feet tall and visible from the NJ Turnpike. “Guests will be able to go inside and see it grinding grains, and also climb to the view platform to get a better view of the flower fields,” Marini says. “We’re even hoping to do special events in the future. Think wedding at the windmill!!”

Marini says events are a natural next step, given what he calls an “incredible energy” at the farm. “In the Netherlands, they call it ‘gezellig.’ This loosely translates to being sociable, friendly and enjoying the company of others. It’s more of a feeling to describe the culture of Holland and Holland Ridge Farms.”

Here are a few things to know if you’re planning a visit to see the tulips:

U-pick tulip season starts an April; the opening date is TBA. Tickets are $15 per person and must be purchased online in advance. Kids younger than 3 are free. Some activities have an additional fee. Flower picking is $1 per stem.

Plan to arrive on or as close to your arrival time as possible given the crowds. Visitors typically spend around 3 hours at the farm. Seven days a week, there will be flower picking, tractor-pulled hayrides, more than two dozen floral photo props, picnic areas, Big Buds rescue animals, and the Little Sprouts feeding zoo. On Saturday and Sunday, come back for horse and carriage rides, pony rides, and the farmers and makers markets by Asbury Fresh. So far, the live music schedule is Brother Andrew Band on April 13, The Black Ties Band on April 14, The Racket Rocks on April 20, Little by Little Band on April 21, Coastal Vibes Band on April 27, and Modern Motion Band on April 28.

Wear comfy shoes since you’ll be doing lots of walking and if the kids have seasonal allergies, be sure to pack some extra tissues.

Come hungry. The bakery and gift shop will be open every day. There will be up to eight food trucks on site during the week and about two dozen on weekends. A food truck calendar will be posted on the website so you know what types of food are in store for you.

Parking is free. There are multiple entrances and exits for visitors to enter the farm and checkout with their flowers.

You can order tulips and have them delivered with free shipping from the farm. Or, you can pre-order tulip bulbs to experience the magic of Holland Ridge in your own home. It’s easy, too: simply dig a hole, pop the bulbs inside, water them once and voila you have a beautiful bouquet on your kitchen counter.

Holland Ridge Farms is located at 108 Rues Road in Cream Ridge. Follow the farm’s latest updates @hollandridgefarms on Instagram.

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Read More: It’s Not Springtime Until You Visit Longwood Gardens in PA This Beautiful Arboretum in New Jersey is Celebrating Its 50th Anniversary Springtime Flower Festivals in and Around NJ Must-See Gardens in NJ

It’s fall y’all and that means the season’s most stunning blooms are on full display in the Garden State. One of our favorite places to celebrate the change in seasons is Holland Ridge Farms in Cream Ridge. The farm’s annual Fall Flower Festival is underway through October 15th!

What can you expect at this gorgeous spot? The 6th Annual Holland Ridge Farms Fall Flower Festival has yellow, red, white, and bicolor sunflowers, dahlias, gladiolus, calla lilies, and mums (the mums are not for picking). The team at Holland Ridge spends the better part of summer making sure the flowers will be ready for the fall festivities.

“The work begins as soon as the sunflowers end,” says Patrick Marini, Holland Ridge’s creative manager. “We start prepping the fields and planning the layout of the flowers for the fall event. The field crew spends the entire summer planting, watering and mowing to keep the fields in pristine condition.”

Holland Ridge is also known for its epic photo backdrops and is a go-to in our area for social media influencers and families looking to take photos for special occasions like maternity shoots, family portraits, birthday celebrations and more.

This fall, the farm has added Blooming Boulevard, featuring five colorful unique rooms that make for a stunning backdrop to your photos. “This year we were inspired by house-shaped retail displays we came across during our spring trip to Holland,” Marini says. “We took these one step further and created Blooming Boulevard, a series of five colorful houses, one to represent each of the flowers we grow at the farm. We also have a floral shopping cart, a floral arch, a floral throne, the love, peace, and hope arches, our fall barn door display, holiday barn door display, floral umbrella wall, floral swing, and floral peace wall.”

In addition to Blooming Boulevard, visitors will have access to many other photo props with the price of admission. You can purchase PYO sunflowers, dahlias, gladiolus, callas and mixed flowers, head to the pumpkin patch, eat at one of 20 food trucks, ride the free tractor-pulled hayride shuttle around the farm, and visit the Little Sprouts feeding zoo and rescue animals. “On the weekends there’s also pony rides, horse and carriage rides, live music, and a farmers and makers market,” says Marini.

Here are a few things to know if you’re planning a visit to the fall festival:

–The fall flower festival is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm through October 15. Tickets are $15 per person. Kids younger than 3 are free.

–Wear comfy shoes since you’ll be doing lots of walking.

–Parking is free. There are multiple entrances and exits for visitors to enter the farm and check out with their flowers.

To see video of the flowers head to our Instagram!

Holland Ridge Farms is located at 86 Rues Road in Cream Ridge. Follow the farm’s latest updates @hollandridgefarms on Instagram.

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If you love getting in the car and heading out to explore New Jersey, then I want you to take a look at this latest day trip suggestion I have for you and it's right here in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

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This destination is one I have never visited before and it's right in Upper Freehold Township in Cream Ridge, Monmouth County. It's part of the Monmouth County Park System. Historic Walnford is a little spot with lots of history for you to take in.

Historic Walnford is on the National Register of Historic Places in America. You can visit the Waln Farm including the family home, stables, and grist mill. The Waln home dates back to 1773 along with the 19th-century Grist Mill. The site is open 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. It was fascinating to walk through the home and see various rooms and contents from over the years in this 250-year-old mansion. The stables were also very interesting as they contained an antique sled and carriage that is on display. In the Grist Mill, you can see where grains were processed and how the machinery of the day worked hundreds of years ago. Fascinating for any history buff.

We did ask the tour guide from the parks department if there were any ghost sightings but she said to the best of her knowledge there have been no ghost reports. "Either we have no ghosts or they are very content".

I am adding this to my series "Hiking NJ" because there are places to walk if you'd like to get maybe a 2-mile hike in. There are the grounds and there is also a nice country road that runs in and out of the park that will give you about a mile if you do it in both directions. So although it's not your typical park to hike, you can get a bit of a walk-in at Historic Walnford.

Here is my "Ultra Mega Photo Gallery" for you to check out and see all that is available to see at Historic Walnford, definitely glad we made a visit to this historic part of the Monmouth County Parks System.

I've got some great news for you. I'm so excited. You know it's almost spring when Holland Ridge Farms starts talking about their opening date. Yay.

On Sunday (March 5, 2023) the tulip farm in Cream Ridge, NJ announced on social media that they are projecting opening day for its annual U-Pick Tulip Festival to be on Friday, April 7th (Good Friday).

I also found out what's new for 2023. Keep reading.

I can't wait. Going to Holland Ridge Farms' Tulip Festival is my favorite springtime thing to do. I usually end up going several times during the season. I take a ton of pictures, pick colorful tulips for my friends and me, visit the food trucks, the bakery barn and so much more. It's always such a great time.

The post read in part, "DRUMROLL PLEASE. We're projecting an opening date of Friday, April 7th - Good Friday!! Tulip season is typically 2-3 weeks depending on the weather. The colder it is, the longer the tulips will last. Stay tuned for bloom updates and our official opening date."

If you've never been to Holland Ridge Farms you're missing out on this magnificent experience. There are MILLIONS of the most beautiful tulips to see in many different colors.

There are photo props and backgrounds scattered throughout the tulip fields and farm. If you get hungry during your visit, don't worry, there are up to 30 food trucks at the farm every single day.

You'll need to buy tickets before you go to Holland Ridge. The farm is saying tickets will go on sale about a week before opening day so keep checking their website or social media sites.

So, what's new at Holland Ridge Farms for 2023? Grab your family and friends and bring your own food and non-alcoholic drinks for WEEKDAY picnic. Outside food and drinks are still not allowed on the weekends.

There's also a new online, interactive map. Click here to see and play around with it.

You can do what I just did and register for the farm's brand new VIP Text List. There you can register for the U-Pick Tulips 2023 Ticket Pre-Sale. Text VIP to (855) 363-2843 or click here.

I know you probably have a lot of questions. Click here for all the answers.

Holland Ridge Farms is hiring for the 2023 season too. You have to be at least 16 years old. Click here for more details.

The wait is almost over. I'm giddy with excitement. I'll see you there. I'll be the one taking a million pictures.

Holland Ridge Farms is located at 86 Rues Road, Cream Ridge, NJ,

The wait is almost over. I just got an email from one of my favorite places, Holland Ridge Farms. It's going to be opening soon, and is even bigger and better this year. I'm so excited.

If you're not familiar, Holland Ridge Farms, in Cream Ridge, New Jersey, is the biggest u-pick flower farm in the United States, and this year, they will be even flowers to pick. The email says they've planted 8 MILLION tulips for the 2022 season. Wow. The farm has doubled in size to over 300 acres.

Yup, it's THAT big, and absolutely breathtaking. When you're driving to the farm, you know you're getting close when you start seeing all the vibrant colors. I'm telling you, it's an amazing site. I can't wait to go back. It's my favorite thing to do in the spring, hands down. I visited a few times last year. I can't get enough. Lol.

The farm will be opening sometime in April...only a few weeks to go. There's no exact opening date yet, because that depends on when the tulips bloom and it's a little too early to tell. I'll keep you posted.

You'll need to ticket to get in, and they sold out last year for every single day they were open, so, if you want to go, you've got to be on top of this. Tickets will go on sale once they know the opening date, so again, I'll keep you posted.

Here's something to remember, TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED ONLINE. You cannot buy them at the farm. You'll choose a date and a time that you'd like to go, so you may want to look ahead at the weather forecast. Although, some of the best pictures I've taken there have been on cloudy days, because the colors really pop.

There are so many fun things to do while you there. Of course, pick tulips and there are lots of photo props in the fields to have fun with. There are food trucks, a museum, a bakery, and more...it's a lot of fun.

I'll never forget going to the farm when the pandemic first started. I bought bouquets for my friends and family and delivered such joy to them during a time that was scary and uncertain. When I handed the flowers to each of them, instant happiness. I'll always have that awesome memory.

These were from one of my visits:

Click here for more information and ticket info. Don't miss out on this incredible experience.

I can't wait to go again.