This week’s blogging destination is an event – the Sunflower Festival at Beaver Dam Farm!

The calendar is halfway through September and that means FALL! What is a better way to start fall than with a Sunflower Festival!?

We went to the Sunflower Festival at Beaver Dam Farm for the first time last year! It was amazing! It has sunny, tall sunflowers as far as you can see and plenty of activities for the family. I mean, it is the perfect event to kickoff fall, plus you get plenty of pretty pictures! We have looked forward to it again this year! My kids and I went this past weekend (my husband is battling wildfires out West).

The Sunflower Festival is at Beaver Dam Farm in Buchanan. It opened this past weekend and continues through next weekend! There are new procedures and guidelines for the Covid-19 pandemic but that does not affect seeing the flowers and enjoying the activities!

The Sunflower Festival has rows and rows of sunflowers for people to walk through and take pictures. Organizers have several photo booth areas and decorations set-up too. Make sure to find the “smiley face” flowers too! I believe I took a hundred photos of my kids in the flowers (but probably didn’t get one with everyone looking at the camera at the same time #momlife)! 

These flowers are not for picking (please follow the rules so there are flowers for everyone to enjoy the festival!), but the owners have other flowers available for purchase at the festival. 

In addition to the flowers, there are family-friendly activities like the wagon ride! It goes through a section of the farm where you can see many more flowers.  My 6-year-old rode this over and over for quite awhile. It was his favorite part! They also have a small horse and cow for viewing – another big hit with kids!

The festival has several food vendors, so there is plenty to eat! The Homestead Creamery is there with ice cream too! Each food vendor has its own prices, but it is affordable and some booths benefit a local organization. 

There are a wide variety of arts and crafts vendors as well! From art to wooden signs to handmade toys, there is something for everyone to view and purchase if desired! Prices at each booth vary.

The organizers have to keep the number of people at the festival within the Covid-19 pandemic health guidelines, so this year you need a ticket for entry. Tickets were available online but appears they are sold out for this weekend. Walk-up tickets for $5 are available at a limited basis at the door. If you missed out on purchasing online tickets, you can definitely try getting a ticket at the door! Beaver Dam Farm is also offering weekday evening hours on Wednesday and Thursday for $5 at the door. The Beaver Dam Farm Sunflower Facebook page has all of the up to the minute information. Check it out when planning your trip.

Beaver Dam Farm is located on Wheatland Road in Buchanan. It is easy to find. I just plugged it into my GPS plus they have signs up off the interstate directing you there. Reminder this is a farm, so wear appropriate shoes. It is stroller friendly but remember you will be pushing the stroller on grass, dirt, and gravel. Port-a-Potty bathrooms are set-up.

For health guidelines, no one with Covid symptoms is allowed to attend. Social distancing is encouraged and masks are needed for ordering food, visiting booths, or other times when close to others.

We enjoyed our time at the Sunflower Festival and can’t wait to go back!

If you have any suggestions for where we should visit next, please let me know! 

Other Ideas to Roam Roanoke

• 
  Roaming Roanoke: Little Green Hive
• 
  Roaming Roanoke: Mommy Time
• 
  Roaming Roanoke: Salem Ice Cream Parlor
• 
  Roaming Roanoke: Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest
• 
  Roaming Roanoke – Mill Mountain Zoo at the Library