Central Valley - Loop #1

Begin in Escalon, near the northern end of the Central Valley, at Stuyt Dairy Farmstead Cheese. The family brought its Dutch cheesemaking traditions to California, and you can pick up a variety of Goudas, fresh cheeses, and whatever new creations they’ve been making. Peek through the window into their tiny, small-batch creamery while you’re there.
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Just a few minutes away, another Dutch family, the Bulks, makes cheese at Oakdale Cheese. Choose from an array of Goudas, order a toasted Gouda grilled cheese sandwich, and linger over a picnic near the animals in the outdoor petting zoo.
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Then head south toward Modesto and Fiscalini Farmstead Cheese Company. Cows surround the creamery where Fiscalini makes its award-winning Bandage Wrapped Cheddar. Stop at the tiny office shop to take some home.
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About half an hour farther south, Hilmar Cheese Visitor Center offers a change of scale. Hilmar Cheese Company, founded by dairy farmers, is one of the world’s largest creameries, making more than two million pounds of cheese a day. Watch videos about cheesemaking, explore the hands-on exhibits upstairs, and see curds being packed into 200-pound blocks. There’s a restaurant, too. It’s a stop you won’t want to miss.
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You don’t have to do the whole loop in one day. Pick a few stops, then come back for the ones you missed.

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