This is a beautiful time of year, in part because the weather is warm, the trees and forests are lush, the skies are blue (well, most of the time), and the farm fields are yielding crops. And while the fields look great with rows of cornfields or beds of flowers, there's nothing quite like the sight of sunflowers. These golden wonders offer an amazingly beautiful sea of yellow, brown, and green in fields. It’s a huge photo op (yes, selfies included) and quite a few farms around the state offer the chance to walk amongst them, view them from platforms, and even pick and walk away with some of the beautiful blooms. Here are some of my favorites with details – please note farms generally have specific COVID-19 restrictions in place this year:
Lannon Sunflower Farm, Menomonee Falls
W204N8525 Lannon Road, Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
(414) 803-1542
Part of Otter Creek Farms LLC, Lannon Sunflower Farm offers a U-Pick option as well as a maze you can navigate in the midst of these colorful beauties. It’s a good (and more efficient) place to bring the whole family, especially since they charge by carload instead of by the person. $20 admission gets you in – cash only – and you can pick up to 12 “U-Pick” Sunflowers to take home. Lannon Sunflower Farm is now open 7am – 7pm daily through Labor Day. They’re in Menomonee Falls on Lannon Road, accessible via I-41/U.S. 45 or Highway 175 if you head south about 2-3 miles via Lannon Road or west 2-3 miles via Menomonee Avenue (depending on which direction you’re coming from.) From the west, you can use Highway 164 and head east via Plainview Road to County V, and then east on Menomonee Avenue.
Oh, and here’s a tidbit: the land across the street from the farm was once a NIKE missile site!
Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center, Newton
7001 Gass Lake Road, Manitowoc, WI 54220
(920) 726-6000
The Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center is right along I-43 between Sheboygan and Manitowoc at the County C/Newton exit (Exit #144.) The facility always offers great insight to Wisconsin’s farms and farming community, but right now the land adjacent also offers seas of sunflowers.According to their Instagram, the sunflower fields are included with your regular Farm Wisconsin admission. The Farm Wisconsin Discover Center is open Fridays – Sundays, 9am – 5pm.
The Bowery, Ashippun
N2201 County Road P, Rubicon, WI 53078
(262) 457-9660
Website
The Bowery is a combination farm and event space, especially popular for weddings. Located along County P in the Town of Ashippun amongst the rolling hills of Dodge County, this lovely locale hosts asunflower farm fieldthis time of year… and food trucks on Tuesdays! Photo session specials are available, or you can just frolic as you wish. Highway 67 is to the west, Highway 83 is to the east… Highway P is right in between, just a little bit south of Highway 60.
Jelli’s Market, Helenville
N5648 S. Farmington Road, Helenville, WI 53137
(262) 593-5133
Jelli’s features roadside stands in Johnson Creek near Culver’s, in Watertown by Ace Hardware, and in Wales at the corner of Hwy 83 and 18, but back at “headquarters” they offer a lot all year. That includes picking of blueberries, raspberries, and even green beans depending on the time of year. But in August and September, the sunflowers come out to play! For $6/person – except for children 4 and under, they’re free – they let you do photography sessions (or Instagramming, whatever you wanna call it), plus you can pick one sunflower to take home. Additional sunflowers can be picked and taken for an additional dollar per flower.
Kelley Country Creamery, Eden
W5215 County Highway B, Fond du Lac, WI 54937
920-923-1715
They start early with sunflowers at Kelley Country Creamery, located along Hwy B just east of I-41 in southern Fond du Lac County.
They’re scheduled to run through mid-August, call or hit their site for the latest.
Check out more around the state, from Burlington to Eau Claire, on my StateTrunkTour.com road trip website!