This California City Has an Epic Bloom You’ve Never Heard Of — and It Rivals the State’s Wildflower Season

Modesto, California, has almond blossoms every year.

While most of the U.S. is firmly in the midst of winter, sections of California are already gearing up for early spring surprises. Specifically, Modesto, expects its spectacular almond blossom bloom to burst to life in the coming weeks.

Every year, between mid-February to mid-March, the region of Central California springs forward with a spectacular blossom season thanks to its 120,000 acres of almond groves, part of the 1.5 million acres of groves grown across the state — an unsurprising figure when you learn that California grows 80 percent of the world’s almonds and 100 percent of the commercial supply in the U.S.

While sure, you could just drive around aimlessly, following the sweet, honey-meets-jasmine scent of the blooms, or, you could just follow the very well-laid-out plan of Modesto’s Almond Blossom Cruise.

The Almond Blossom Cruise, a partnership between Visit Modesto and Wayfarer, is an audio tour anyone can download for $14.99, which provides turn-by-turn directions for where to go to see the best blooms, as well as stories from locals, and a few non-almond stops to make along the way. The entire audio tour is introduced by none other than Timothy Olyphant, a (nearly) lifelong local of Modesto.

The tour route includes a stop at Rodin Farms, which offers a chance to walk among the blooms (and yes, snap some Insta-worthy photos), as well as pick up a snack at its farm stand. Travelers will also be directed to Bloomingcamp Ranch, which also offers a few apple tree blossoms toward the latter half of spring, as well as a host of freshly-made snacks all year round at its stand.

On the route, guests are also encouraged to stop at Knight's Ferry to see the community’s beautiful covered bridge, which happens to be the longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi. Travelers can also visit Robert’s Ferry Gourmet, where they can get one more culinary delight — the almond butter milkshake — and walk through its almond tree fields, too.

However, almonds aren’t the only culinary delight on offer with this tour. Travelers are also directed to Sciabica Olive Oil, the oldest olive producer in the U.S., which offers tastings to visitors who want to fully indulge in the experience.

Ready to make the most of your experience? Check out everything on offer with the tour, as well as a host of packages curated by Visit Modesto for the experience, at visitmodesto.com. 

For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.