When you’re in the Death Valley / Las Vegas area, be sure to visit the China Date Ranch near Tecopa. You won’t regret it!
When I first came to Death Valley, I spent my first night in the area at Tecopa Hot Springs, and everyone there told me the date ranch was a place to be. I didn’t listen. Date shakes? Weird… It didn’t sound that special. It took me a year before I bothered to check it out. I had NO idea what I was missing.
This is a working date farm, but the China Date Ranch is so much more! It’s a date plantation, a historical site, a gift shop, a nature preserve. Lush, green, filled with hummingbirds in one of the driest landscapes on the planet, this tiny pocket oasis holds a plethora of possibilities.
In addition to their famous shakes and about a dozen different varieties of dates to try, China Date Ranch also makes delicious cookies, muffins and date bread.
It’s not ALL about dates. China Date Ranch also sells local honey and a host of gourmet food items – jams, jellies, hot sauces, dips.
Food is just the beginning of what they have to offer. The gift shop holds one of the most eclectic inventories you’ll find anywhere. From simply splendid mineral specimens to beautiful handmade jewelry, baskets to coffee cups – antiques, imports, curios – take the time to peruse the jumbled shelves and corners and find a treasure in this odd little boutique.
Walk outside and sit at a shaded table to enjoy your shake, surrounded by a marvelous cactus garden. This is a wonderful bird watching spot. Coveys of quail hustle from bush to bush.
Hummingbird feeders attract the little feathered jewels year round, and shade and water in the desert can lead to other unusual bird sightings. Watch for a splash of orange up in the palm fronds, and you may catch a glimpse of an oriole, even in winter!
Take a walk around the grounds. There is a tiny museum on the premises for you history buffs. If you like to hike, China Date Ranch is the gateway to a wonderful trail system maintained by the Amargosa Nature Conservancy. One trail takes you down to the Amargosa River, where you may find footprints left by a kit fox or catch a glimpse of rare pupfish. There are slot canyons to explore and windows and hoodoos to photograph. Walk along the bed of the defunct Tonapah to Tidewater Railway and visit the remains of old borax mining sites.
You might like the China Date Ranch so much that you’re reluctant to leave. Perhaps one day is not enough. Well, there is a way to stay, and it’s as unusual as everything else at China Date Ranch. Cynthia’s provides luxury teepee accommodations right in the valley.
After a full day of hiking and fun, you can ease those tired muscles in the hot springs just a few short miles away. I’ll tell you more about that in another post sometime…..