Explore Sweethaven Lavender Farm in Williamsburg, Virginia

“The Earth laughs in flowers.” 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Just over an hour from my Virginia home is the historic city of Williamsburg. In the summer months, it is a busy tourist town with endless places to explore. If your travels bring you here, a beautiful addition to your itinerary should be Sweethaven Lavender Farm.

Tucked deeply into the Williamsburg farmland, you’ll find the joys of a beautiful summer day on a farm. Of course, it can be warm and humid in coastal Virginia by May and June, but the beauty of the farm will distract your thoughts.

The prominent public building on the property is the Mercantile, a white barnlike structure that conjures visions of an Amish barn.  Inside, are lavender products and experts to answer questions.  Refreshments such as lavender sweet tea, lavender lemonade, and other lavender based treats are available. Outside though, as is the case with nearly every farm, is where the magic is happening.

Just outside the Mercantile, there is a gated garden with flower boxes filled to bursting with flower lover delights. During our visits, we found two of my favorite flowers brushed by a slight passing breeze! A rainbow of button Zinnia swayed, tickled by bumblebees, followed close behind by my zoom lens. At the far end of the garden, several beds of sunflowers with their bright faces searching for the sun, were ready for their closeups.

As we stepped out of the gated garden area, the farm opens up to the lavender fields where a faint fog of deep purple rises to knee level and stretches along the ground in neat rows. The luxurious purple lavender is in full bloom in May and June and you’ll find other visitors to the farm bent in half angling for an up-close sniff, snapping photos, and collecting bouquets of lavender to take home. It’s an excellent place for children to run and play while grown-ups enjoy a picnic lunch.

You’ll find the resident bumblebees are busiest among the lavender, totally ignorant of you or any intruding cameras. Instead, they will be focused on their task for the day, leaping from one bloom to another, humming and buzzing to each other as they work. At one point, I put my camera into the fray and captured their song, delighted that they nearly mistook me for a flower as they bustled by.

Enjoy all that the farm has to offer

Only 130 acres that first opened to the public in June 2019, Sweethaven is a beautiful, amethyst gem tucked deeply into the emerald Williamsburg farmland. It is a treat for the senses. The farm offers activities of all kinds but most notably, you can pick your own while the lavender is in bloom. As you plan your visit, you can reserve a pre-made picnic to enjoy in the shade of a tree or at a pre-reserved location such as Bell Tent, Garden Chalet, or a Private Pergola. Other events that take place on the farm include Friday Night Live Music, and ticket add on tours such as “The More Lavender, The Better,” and “Astonishing Honey Bees & How We Help Them.” The farm also plants other flowers for picking such as rows of zinnias, a patch of sunflowers, or a field of wildflowers.

Chicken, sheep, and Highland Cows also call the farm home and a petting zoo is available during set hours.

Sweethaven Lavender Events

My favorite times to visit Sweethaven are when the lavender is in bloom and again in the fall. The farm is bustling with events from late spring into the holiday season so be sure to watch their website, www.sweethavenlavender.com, or follow them on social media for up-to-date lists of events, dates, tickets, and other details. If you live in the area, Sweethaven also offers a season pass so you can participate in all the farm has to offer.

Find them at Sweethaven Lavender Farm, 2460 Bush Neck Road, Williamsburg, Virginia.

We would love to have you visit Virginia and I know you won’t want to miss a visit to Sweethaven! (I can’t help but call it Sweet-Heaven)

Enjoy your visit!