A Guide to U-Pick Flowers in and around NY State
I traveled last week to the incredible Holland Ridge Farms in Cream Ridge, New Jersey. Coming from Buffalo, it was about a 6 hour drive, but so worth it! The farm grows millions of tulips and hosts the largest tulip event on the East Coast. For just $1 a stem, you can pick as many as you want! While the 2021 tulip season has come to an end, they also host a U-pick sunflower event in the fall. Make sure to get your tickets in advance as they will sell out!
The trip got me thinking about how a visit to a place so beautiful can be calming and uplifting in times of chaos and uncertainty. I thought I would put together a list of flower fields that are all within driving distance from Buffalo, NY.
Some of my favorites in the Buffalo area are:
Kinloch Farmstead - 4299 Ridge Road, Lockport, NY 14094
A small, but beautiful lavender farm located in Lockport, NY. The field contains nearly 2,000 lavender plants and all visitors will need a pre-purchased ticket. Peak blooms will be sometime in July. All materials needed to cut the lavender are provided.
The Flower Stand - 13187 Vaughn Street, Springville, NY 14141
A beautiful 3 acre flower farm with over 150+ varieties located in Springville, NY open from June-October. If you would like to visit, you must reserve a spot ahead of time. The appointments are released a few weeks in advance and do book up! Flowers are paid for by cash, check or Venmo.
Sunflowers of Sanborn - 3111 Saunders Settlement Road, Sanborn, NY 14132
A beautiful field located in Sanborn, NY that has over 10 acres of sunflowers, a corn maze and a general store full of fun sunflower items. I think this is a fabulous place for family pictures too!! Open August through September and admission is free! Just pay for any sunflowers you cut.
Some others that are worth mentioning in the area are:
Kelkenberg Farms located in Clarence, NY or U-Pick sunflowers
Wickham Farms - located in Penfield NY (90 minutes from Buffalo) for Lavender in June/July and Sunflowers in mid August-September.
Stokoe Farms - located in Scottsville, NY (about an hour from Buffalo) for sunflowers and other fall fun. They offer a twilight experience to see the farm at sunset!!
Durgin Family Farm - located in West Henrietta, NY (about 75 mins from Buffalo) small farm for assorted flowers and sunflowers.
If you are up for a road trip, here are some beautiful farms to visit! Each of these are located 8 hours or less East of Buffalo, NY.
First up is Kelder Farms located in Kerhonkson, NY (about 5 hours from Buffalo) for u- pick flowers and fall fun! Flowers are available from June-October and this stop would be fun for the whole family. They offer a corn maze, mini golf, farm animals and more. A farm pass must be purchased for an allotted time and prices change throughout the season.
Next is Brittany Hollow Farm located in Rhinebeck, NY (around 5 hours from Buffalo ) for u-pick flowers opening in June. Purchase a bucket and fill it for $20 and then reuse all summer for $15 each visit. Cash or check only.
Next is the Sunflower Valley Farm located in New Hampton, NY (just over 5 hours from Buffalo) for u-pick sunflowers. This farm is free for kids 5 and under, $5 for adults and your admission price comes with 3 sunflowers. Each additional sunflower is $1. There is also a maze, petting zoo and other activities for the kids.
Now if you find yourself in South Windsor, Connecticut (around 6 hours from Buffalo) I would tell you to stop at this u-pick flower farm. Peterson’s Flower Farm doesn’t have its own website or even an Instagram but the flowers are beautiful and from what I can see, a favorite stop for many. The flowers are picked and paid for by an honor system, $8 a pound and payable by cash or check put in a lockbox. I absolutely love little treasures like this. The address is 125 Burgess Road, South Windsor, CT 06074.
Located in the small town of Johnston, RI is Dame Farm & Orchards (around 6 hours from Buffalo) for u-pick flowers and apples. What I love about this farm is that they offer Dahlia’s, Zinnias, Eucalyptus, Sunflowers and more! They provide a mason jar to fill for $20 but you must bring your own cutting tools. If you prefer not to cut and just want to view the flowers, there is a $7 entry fee. This farm looks fun for fall activities too!
Last stop on our East Coast flower farm tour is the stunning property known as Lavender by the Bay. There are two locations on Long Island and the drive from Buffalo is around 8 hours. Although this is the farthest farm on my list, I promise you the drive is worth it. The farm tends to start blooming at the end of June and the admission was $9 last year.
I hope I have provided some summer road trip inspiration and would love to see pictures if you go to any of these places! Please comment below if you have been to any other u-pick flower farms and would like to share the location.
x, Julie