As a farming and cooking hub, Kidifornia is a wonderful place for kids to try new things, pick their own produce, and enjoy some great tastes – while parents sample some great wines!

With San Diego running along the Mexican border, it’s no surprise the city is home to some of California’s best Mexican restaurants. You can gorge yourselves silly on burritos, nachos and quesadillas, but it’s the fish tacos at Oscar’s in Pacific Beach that pack a real taste of the town.

You’ll find family-friendly farm and food festivals all over Kidifornia. In May, head west of Los Angeles to the seaside town of Oxnard for the California Strawberry Festival, which showcases all sorts of strawberry-flavoured treats imaginable, from strawberry popcorn to strawberry pizza! 

Like strong flavours as part of your food experiences? Check out Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park, where a range of rides and attractions have a garlicy twist, such as the Artichoke Dip and the Garlic Twirl. Garlic fans will adore the Gilroy Garlic Festival in July, where chefs cook up garlic specialties and dozens of vendors sell garlicky goods.  Should all of those smells build up a bigger appetite, head along to the Stinking Rose, an aptly named ‘garlic restaurant’ in San Francisco that serves up garlic in all kinds of dishes, including ice cream! 

In the Central Valley, treat the kids at the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield, the home of the original multi-coloured jelly bean!  The brilliantly coloured beans are not only produced here in their millions to be shipped all over the world, but are also built into huge portraits of famous icons.  Look out for Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and even the former US President and notable Californian, Ronald Reagan, who was quite a fan of the candy. He reportedly kept a jar full of them on his desk in the Oval Office!