Redberry Farm, a commercial strawberry grower located in the picturesque town of George along South Africa’s Garden Route, is unique as a family entertainment venue and popular tourist attraction, writes Sharon House.
Opened in 2000, Redberry Farm has steadily grown into the major tourism attraction that they are today. The farm is rustic and relaxing with green manicured lawns and magnificent views of the Outeniqua Mountains. Redberry Farm offers family-friendly activities such as pick your own strawberries, the largest hedge maze in the Southern Hemisphere, a tea garden and farm stall as well as the Red Shed Coffee and Berry Bar.Children’s activities include miniature train rides, pony rides, a large outdoor playground, bumper boats and bubble ball on the dam.
Redberry Farm is a popular option for school, agritourism, ecotourism and family group tours. They have packages set up that offer different options depending on the amount of time clients have and the age or interests of your guests.
A typical one-hour tour consists of a welcome strawberry drink, an informative and interesting talk on strawberries by the knowledgeable owners or farm manager, and an opportunity to pick your own strawberries. The speaker leading the tour adjusts the talking points based on the age of the attendants. School tours are aimed at the appropriate level for the children while adult groups will have a more intellectual dialogue. The tours are very affordable at R72 per adult and R53 for children, and STO rates are available.
The landscape surrounding the picking fields is breath-taking, so the whole experience of being outdoors and selecting your own berries is very enjoyable. As Redberry Farm is a commercial grower, the quality of their berries is excellent.
If your tour group has a bit of extra time, it is really worthwhile to do the maze. The maze is 10,567m2 in total size and is the largest permanent hedge maze in the Southern Hemisphere. In fact, it is only a little bit smaller than the largest maze in the world. Planted six years ago, the maze consists of over 30,000+ Syzygium Paniculatum plants (also known by the common name magenta cherry), which make up the hedge pathways. These hedge walls are two and a half metres high, so no peaking over! The objective of the maze is to discover the seven stations hidden inside the labyrinth of hedge pathways. If you manage to achieve this, you will have ‘discovered the secrets of a strawberry’ and will be rewarded with a prize. There are interesting features in the maze such as a 25m underground tunnel and a look out deck.
If you view the maze from above, the centre hedges are shaped like a strawberry. The maze is a fun, active, outdoor adventure that educates its visitors about strawberries. It takes one to two hours to complete, depending on your sense of direction and how good your navigation skills are!
Other add-ons for the tours include lunch or a snack from the tea garden and adding children’s activity pony rides, bumper boats and bubble ball. The farm stall is filled with strawberry products and is worth browsing for unique products and take-home gifts.
Redberry Farm is situated 4km from the George airport and is just off the R404, on the route to Oudtshoorn. This makes them conveniently positioned for tour groups on their way to the Cango Caves or those who want to hop back onto the N2 to Knysna. Strawberry season runs from September until early January but they do generally have berries all year round.
For more information visit www.redberryfarm.co.za or phone +27 (0)44 870 7123 for enquiries and bookings.
