New Jersey’s most recognizable tulip fields have traded spring pastels for a full-on golden takeover.
Holland Ridge Farms, the Cream Ridge destination known as the nation’s largest U-pick tulip farm, is now open for its annual U-Pick Sunflowers: Fall Festival.
Through October 12, visitors can wander through more than 350 acres of sunflower fields, cut their own blooms, climb a Dutch-style windmill, meet farm animals, and fill an entire fall day with food trucks, tractor rides, live music, and photo stops.
It is officially one of the most colorful fall escapes from NYC. Here is everything to know before heading out here.
The tulip farm has gone golden for fall
Holland Ridge Farms may be best known for its spring spectacle, when it grows more than eight million tulips and welcomes visitors to pick blooms straight from the field.
But as soon as tulip season wraps up, the family-run farm shifts gears and plants millions of sunflowers, wildflowers, dahlias, gladiolus, and other fall blooms.
The result isn’t some tiny roadside flower patch — it’s a sprawling sea of yellow, orange, and gold where giant sunflower heads stretch toward the sky and pathways open into field after field of flowers.
Visitors can hand-pick sunflowers and wildflowers to take home, then spend the rest of the day exploring the farm’s seasonal displays.
There is of course the beloved Dutch Dream Windmill, designed photo installations, friendly farm animals, a giant play area, tractor shuttles, an on-site bakery, food trucks, and a souvenir shop for anyone who has decided one bouquet somehow simply is not enough.
A full fall day, not just a flower field
The flowers are undeniably the main character, but Holland Ridge has built the festival into a proper autumn outing.
Live music is scheduled on select days, and visitors can upgrade their visit with private Picnic Pads or guided Gator Tours, which take guests farther into the flower fields. The farm’s premium add-ons make the festival an especially good option for a date, a birthday outing, a girls’ day, or anyone who prefers their sunflower photos with considerably less walking.
The experience also changes depending on when you go.
A weekday visit can mean more room to move through the rows of blooms, while weekends bring a livelier festival feel, with more guests lingering over bakery treats, farm snacks, and fresh-picked flowers.
Just wear shoes you don’t mind getting dusty because after all, this is a working farm, not a museum set, and the most photogenic corners tend to involve a little bit of dirt on your sneakers.
Why this New Jersey farm is worth the trip
Holland Ridge Farms sits in Cream Ridge, a rural section of Upper Freehold Township in Monmouth County, roughly 70 miles from Midtown Manhattan.
The area is part of central New Jersey’s quieter horse-country-and-farm-country stretch, where wide open fields replace apartment blocks and weekend plans are allowed to include both flowers and fresh cider.
The farm itself is run by the Jansen family, whose Dutch agricultural heritage spans generations. The family purchased the property in 2012, brought its expertise in tulip growing from the Netherlands and New Jersey greenhouse business into the project, and opened Holland Ridge Farms to visitors in 2018.
It now welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors annually for its spring tulip fields, fall sunflower season, and winter flower programming.
And while you’re in the area, make a day of it by pairing the festival with a stop at nearby Allaire State Park, where forest trails, the historic Allaire Village, and old railroad tracks offer a completely different kind of fall scenery.
Or head about 25 minutes east to Point Pleasant Beach for a post-farm walk along the shore, because there are few better ways to end a day of flower picking than with salty air and an end-of-summer ice cream cone.
What to know before you go
📍 Holland Ridge Farms, 108 Rues Road, Cream Ridge, NJ
🗓️ Daily through Monday, October 12, 2026, from 9 am – 6 pm. Timed ticket arrivals are offered hourly from 9 am – 4 pm, and farm entrances close promptly at 5 pm
🎟️ Admission is $17 on weekdays and $20 on weekends for guests ages 3 and up. Children 2 and under are free, and parking is free. Tickets are timed, nonrefundable except in the event of a farm cancellation, and advance purchase is strongly recommended
🌸 Admission gets you into the festival; picked flowers cost extra. Individual stems are priced separately, starting around 50 cents to $1 per stem depending on the day.
🚗 Holland Ridge Farms is about 70 miles from NYC, near I-195 in Cream Ridge. Driving is the most flexible option, and parking is free. The farm also partners with Megabus for direct service from Port Authority Bus Terminal on select dates. Check the farm’s NYC travel FAQ and the Megabus booking page for active routes, dates, fares, and departure times.