Just off Highway 84 near the Dumbarton Bridge, Fremont has a farm that runs on horse-era machinery. Ardenwood Historic Farm shows what life on a family farm looked like between 1890 and 1930, according to the East Bay Regional Park District, which has run it as a working farm since 1985.
The Patterson story
George Washington Patterson came to California from Pennsylvania as a forty-niner, had little luck mining, and settled in Alameda County in 1851. He named his estate 'Ardenwood' after the forest in Shakespeare's As You Like It. The Patterson family farmed the land for more than 100 years.
The Patterson House began in 1857 as a simple two-story redwood farmhouse. A Queen Anne addition designed by architect Samuel Newsom roughly doubled its size in the 1880s, and a third addition came around 1910-1915, according to Wikipedia. The property is on the National Register of Historic Places and opened to the public on July 28, 1985.
What you'll see
Staff and volunteers use restored farm machinery to harvest and process crops that were once common in the area, including corn, wheat and hay. There's a farmyard with animals, a large hay barn, an outdoor kitchen and a working blacksmith shop. A railroad museum runs a narrow-gauge line that recreates a branch of the old South Pacific Coast Railroad.
Hours and fees
The farm is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and parking is free. It's cashless. During the historic season, which runs through the Sunday before Thanksgiving, admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors and $2 for children 4-17 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and $6, $5 and $4 on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. In the winter season it's $4, $3 and $2 every open day. Children under 4 get in free. Dogs aren't allowed.
Heads up: The park district says construction on several buildings runs from Oct. 12 through Nov. 25, 2026, so some buildings and exhibits may be closed temporarily.