Driving Tours

Just an hour south of San Francisco, take Highway 280 to the stunning coastline along Highway One. Take a left onto Pescadero Creek Road and drive 3 miles. You can’t miss the goats in the field to your left at Harley Farms. Wander the farm on your own, playing with the goats (through the fence), seeing the cheesemaking and the lovely gardens. There is a delightful shop with all their cheeses, famous for their flower-studded decorations, along with other unique handcrafted items. Plan ahead for a guided tour. If it’s a Saturday, drive an hour south to Royal Oaks to visit Garden Variety Cheese, a small sheep dairy. Farm tours can be booked online ahead of time. And if you miss one of those, they have a small farmstand where you can pick up their cheeses (Saturdays only). Finally, Schoch Family Farmstead, an organic cow dairy located in Salinas, where you can get the only Monterey Jack still being made in Monterey County. Schoch has a variety of dairy products, all so delicious, currently available at local farmer’s markets, but soon plan to have an on-farm shop.

Starting in the charming historic town of San Luis Obispo, pick up cheese at the university dairy drive-through - Cal Poly University Creamery - cheese made by students with milk from the college-educated bovines 😂. At the San Luis Obispo Public Market, you can get one of the many award-winning cheeses or cheesy menu items at the Central Coast Creamery shop which also features their own cheeses as well as those from next generation cheesemaker Shooting Star Creamery. If you still have energy and are willing to head to the coast, arrange a farm tour at Stepladder Creamery in Cambria, a couple of miles off of coastal Highway 1. This hidden gem of a ranch has goats, avocados and cheremoyas, as well as a farm stay. Remember, you don’t have to do these all at once. And you can start at any location.

Starting in the center of California, two hours straight east from San Francisco, at the top of the Central Valley farming region, visit Stuyt Dairy Farmstead Cheese, where you can pick up a variety of Gouda, fresh cheeses and any new cheeses made by the family, who originally made their way here from The Netherlands. While there, peek into the tiny small-batch creamery. Another Dutch family, the Bulks, have their creamery, Oakdale Cheese & Specialties, just a few minutes away. They make Gouda of all varieties as well as a mean toasted Gouda grilled cheese sandwich. Picnic there and hang out with their animals in the outdoor petting zoo. From there, begin your trip south to Modesto, to another farmstead operation: Fiscalini Cheese Company. Cows surround their creamery, where they make their award-winning Bandage Wrapped Cheddar. Purchase cheese in their tiny office/shop. Then just a half hour south, for a completely different experience. Hilmar Cheese Company, one of the largest creameries in the world, making over two million pounds of cheese a day, was started by a group of dairy farmers. Videos show you the cheesemaking process, and there are all sorts of educational "toys" in their upstairs exhibit and even a restaurant. You can see cheesemakers filling curd into 200 lb. blocks. It’s not to be missed. As always, you don’t have to do it all. Pick and choose and then go back another time to discover what you missed the first time around.

Starting in the town of Clovis, book online for a Saturday visit to Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery, where you can visit with the goats, get a cheese tasting and purchase cheese. Occasionally, they even have a goat yoga class (ooh!). From there, it’s a short hop to Raw Farm, a raw cow dairy. Again, make sure to check their website before heading out to find tour information and shop hours. And finally, head another half an hour south to Vintage Cheese, a mini-Knotts Berry Farm with antiques and junktiques, animals and a shop full of goodies, picnic tables. If you’re there at the right time, you can watch cheesemaking through the window.

Embark on a scenic journey through Marin County, where cheese and nature combine for an unforgettable adventure. From iconic creameries to quaint towns and picturesque landscapes, this tour is filled with delicious stops and stunning views.

• Marin French Cheese: Begin your tour at the oldest continually operating cheese company in the U.S. Sample their famous bries and camemberts. Pick up picnic supplies or sandwiches and enjoy a meal by their romantic pond.
• Nicasio Valley Cheese: Just outside Nicasio, this creamery offers delightful cheeses like Tomino and Foggy Morning. Peek into the creamery window for a behind-the-scenes look, then explore the tiny one-block town of Nicasio. Book ahead for a Friday or Saturday tour offered April-October.
• The Cowgirl Barn: Located in Point Reyes, this spot is the original home of Cowgirl Creamery, now housing WestMarin Ferments and The Farmer’s Wife gourmet sandwich shop. Don’t forget to explore the local shops, including Toby’s Feed Barn for artisanal goods.
• Heidrun Meadery: A half-mile north of Point Reyes, visit this charming meadery for a tour or tasting of their sparkling honey wine in a beautiful outdoor setting.
• Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co.: Just north of Point Reyes, this award-winning farmstead offers stunning views of Tomales Bay. Drive up the scenic road to the Giacomini Dairy and experience their cheese market. Book a tasting for an immersive cheese experience.

Book ahead for a 1st Sunday of the month public tour or arrange for a private group tour at Toluma Farms and Tomales Farmstead Creamery for an unforgettable look at goat farming, meeting and playing with the goats, and artisanal cheese-making. And if you’re looking for accommodations, especially for a small group, be sure to check out Straus Home Ranch on Tomales Bay for a cozy and scenic stay.

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A trip up the coast of California brings spectacular ocean views and redwood groves, and also includes three cheesemakers. This might be a two-day excursion. 115 miles north of San Francisco, in the Alexander Valley, where there's wine aplenty, make your first cheese stop at Pennyroyal Farm, where you can take a farm tour (goats and sheep), see cheese aging, taste cheese and have some cheese with your wine, as the co-owner is also of Navarro Winery. If you're heading over to the coast, amble north. If you're there on a Sunday, Spring Hill Farmstead Goat in Bayside (near Eureka) has a small creamery with goats, which can be visited by appointment (Sundays only). Keep heading north, first allowing yourself to be distracted by the scenery, stopping often. A stop in the charming and historic town of Ferndale, where many small dairies dot the landscape, is not to be missed. Heading even further north, you'll end up in Crescent City (just south of the Oregon border). Once there, stop by the Rumiano cheese shop and creamery, makers of Dry Jack and organic cheese, to view the cheesemaking and pick up cheese. Finally, just 15 minutes north, still considered Crescent City, you can take a self-guided tour of Alexandre Family Farm, showing you exactly how their A-2 cows are born, raised and fed.

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Plan a trip from Petaluma to the ocean. Starting in the town of Petaluma, stop by the Petaluma Creamery shop, located adjacent to their large creamery, where you can pick up cheese from Petaluma Creamery and Spring Hill Jersey farm. Then, if you plan ahead, you can take a five minute drive outside Petaluma (this must be scheduled through their website) to Achadinha Cheese, a family farm, to visit their goats, cows, see the creamery, taste and purchase cheese. Otherwise, from the Petaluma Creamery, drive out towards the coast, stopping by Valley Ford Cheese Company, in the tiny “town” of Valley Ford. See the cheese wheels through the window, pick up any one of their award-winning Swiss-Italian style cheese, stay for lunch or pick up picnic items and even try their own homemade soft serve ice cream. All products are made from son Jim’s nearby Jersey cow herd.

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Enjoy a trip to the charming vintage town of Sonoma. Right off the central Sonoma Square in a stonewalled building, is Vella Cheese, known for their hand-rolled dry Jack cheese. Ask for a free guided cheese tasting of all their cheeses. And if you plan ahead, take a fun cheesemaking class with Sheana and Ben at The Epicurean Connection, getting tastes of their cheese while you’re there.

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Hidden in an industrial building in a forgettable area of Los Angeles, don't be afraid to knock on the door of Gioia where someone behind the desk will sell you smaller and bulk amounts of fresh mozzarella and burrata. They were the first to bring burrata to the United States. It's surprising no one knows about this place and there aren't lines around the block. And if you email ahead for an appointment, you can also stop by DiStefano. Yes, Lucy, there's cheese in Los Angeles!