North Pole Meets Inland Empire

Visiting Greenspot Farms for a Christmas Tree and Holiday Cheer

12.14.2017

Every December night, Greenspot Farms in the tiny town of Mentone becomes a rustic North Pole, complete with live Christmas trees, Santa, holiday movies, cookies, shopping, and festive lights. It’s sure to enchant anyone with a heart softer than Ebenezer Whatsisname.

The ideal adventure begins with a 20-minute hayride amid thousands of holiday lights featuring all of your favorite characters. Snoopy and Jack Skellington make appearances, among many others. Be sure to bundle up! It’s not quite the North Pole, but it gets chilly out there near the base of the San Bernardino Mountains. While you wait for your hayride to begin, take a stroll through the farm to see the animals, including an adorable pony. Wait: Is that Mrs. Claus riding by on horseback?

Then warm up by the giant fire pit and watch holiday movies (Polar Express, anyone?) while you roast s’mores and drink hot chocolate. Or perhaps decorate a Christmas cookie. Or pick up some fresh honey for deserving folks on your shopping list. And definitely stop to take a photo with Santa.

Don’t forget to pick up a tree! Cedars, Monterey pines, and redwoods are grown right on the farm. When you find your perfect tree, one of the friendly employees will cut it down for you. It doesn’t get much fresher than that! Douglas and noble firs from Oregon are also available for purchase.

If all this festiveness leaves you thirsty, Hangar 24 Brewery is just a few minutes away and open late. Nothing beats their Russian Imperial Stout to warm you up on a cold winter night! Holiday cheer plus craft beer = a perfect date night.

Greenspot Farms is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free parking.  Hayride and holiday activities are available through December 23 from 5 to 8 p.m. Hayride is $10 for adults, $8 for children, free for kids 3 and under. Refreshments (including s’more kits) and gift store available. Cash or check only.

Take the I-10 east to Redlands, exit on University, and turn left. Turn right on Lugonia Ave., and then right on Ward Way. Follow Ward until it ends at Greenspot Farms. Dog-friendly! 

Hangar 24 Craft Brewery, 1710 Sessums Dr. in Redlands, is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Dog-friendly! 

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  2. Bikers and walkers on the Bay Area Ridge Trail with the Golden Gate Bridge behind them

    National Park City Walk

    See San Francisco the way locals do by hiking the Presidio, a national park right in the city! Wooded trails, secluded beaches, and epic views of the Golden Gate Bridge feature on this 5.5-mile out-and-back on the Bay Area Ridge Trail. It’s a lovely slice of the City by the Bay.

    View

  3. Bucks Up!

    Come on in, the water is beautiful. Whether you like swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddling, or heading out on a bigger boat, Bucks Lake is a high mountain haven that’s easy to access, blissfully uncrowded, and surrounded by sandy beaches, picnic areas, pines, and aspens.

    View
  4. Surfboards and tents for shade are set up on the beach at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the Swim Lagoon Area

    Switchbacks and Swimming Holes

    Hike hard, play hard! This 7-mile out-and-back in Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area is a great workout with payoff vistas and a relaxing post-hike picnic and dip in the water.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories

  1. Bear Hug

    This 5.5-mile loop through Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park explores one of the newest segments of the acclaimed Bay Area Ridge Trail, one redolent with trees ranging from madrone and manzanita to buckeye and blue elderberry (with a bubbly post-hike bonus).

    View
  2. Two kayakers on Upper Klamath Basin on tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures

    Zen & the Art of Kayaking

    It’s the most meditative and relaxing experience you’ll ever have on a kayak. Yes, you read that right, a Zen experience on a kayak. It all happens in beautiful Klamath County when you head out on a guided tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures.

    View

  3. A Rose in the Pines

    A crackling fire, a bottle of wine, a bubbling Jacuzzi tub with a waterfall … now the big question: Marvin Gaye tunes or not? In the morning (ahem) it's breakfast in bed and a leis

    View
  4. Alex Villicana, Villicana Winery and Re:Find Distillery

    Locals' Feature: Alex Villicana

    Tech booms, AI revolutions, okay that’s all fine, but you wanna know what else is really cool? Being a pioneer in a world-famous industry that—in Paso Robles—remains solidly down to earth. When Alex Villicana established Villicana Winery in 1993, he clearly had grape expectations...

    View