Take a hayride through a sea of sunflowers and bring some of the sun-shiny beauty home with you while supporting a wonderful cause, The Make-a-Wish Foundation of Connecticut, a non-profit organization devoted to making wishes possible for children with life-threatening medical conditions.
At Buttonwoods Farm, in Griswold, Conn., what began as an attempt to lure more customers to their roadside ice-cream stand, has evolved into a beautiful week-long sunflower festival that to date has raised over $235,000 for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. (Read more about the history of this wonderful event at yankeemagazine.com). The festival runs from July 18 – July 26, 2009, however due to the colder than normal temperatures, and excessive rain this year the sunflowers are blooming later than usual. Peak blooms are expected the weekend of July 26. Call ahead first to confirm.
Details:
The event runs 10 a.m. to dusk, July 18 through 26. Tractor-drawn hayrides run from 4 p.m. to dusk on weekdays and 10 a.m. to dusk on weekends.
Location: Buttonwoods Farm, Griswold, Conn
Directions from Providence (about 34 miles): Take I-95 South to Rhode Island exit 5A. 1 mile south on Rt. 102. Right on Rt. 3 South for 1 mile. Right on Rt. 165 West. 13 miles on Rt. 165. West to Buttonwood Farm Ice Cream.
Web site: http://www.sunflowersforwishes.com/
That is so great, what a fun time that sounds like. The sunflower fields remind me of when I traveled across country and seeing the sunflower fields in Kansas for miles and miles, it was amazing.
This sounds so wonderful, I wish it was longer than a week.