This article, originally posted in July 2021, was updated in July 2024.
It’s the start of sunflower season, and whether you’re looking for a perfect photo op, some summer flowers to brighten your day, or a fun outing with the kids, there are a number of sunflower fields in the area where you can pick and see blooms.
Because sunflowers can bloom throughout the summer, farms in the area don’t necessarily plant their seeds at the same time. Some farms offer sunflower picking over the next few weeks, while others are still waiting for blooms—and won’t have their festivals until late August and early September. This season’s hot, dry weather pushed peak bloom back for some spots. Still, farms blooming later in the season sell tickets early, so you may want to plan ahead.
To Pick
Sunflowers of Lisbon
11788 Route 216, Fulton – 50 miles from DC
Sunflowers of Lisbon’s primary location in Woodbine is closed for the season, but you can celebrate all things sunflower at its second location in Fulton, Maryland now through August 4. Tickets are $15 and include three flowers (extras are $4 a stem). On weekends, there are food trucks, music, and local vendors. Pro tip: The festival is dog-friendly. As long as your pup is leashed they can roam the yellow fields with you.
Rocky Point Creamery
4323A Tuscarora Rd., Tuscarora – 50 miles from DC
What’s better than sunflowers, ice cream, and giving back to the community? Rocky Point Creamery in Frederick County offers sunflower picking for $1 a stem, and all proceeds go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The creamery also offers over 80 ice cream flavors, which might include combos like peanut butter/Oreo, hazelnut/coffee swirl, and lemon cookie crunch. The sunflowers haven’t bloomed just yet, but check the creamery’s Facebook page over the next few weeks for updates on both flowers and ice cream flavors.
Burnside Farms
11008 Kettle Run Rd., Nokesville – 40 miles from DC
This Virginia farm plants more than 30 varieties of sunflowers across 70 acres, and most are available for cutting. Its season kicks off Friday, July 19 with “Sunflower Sunset” evening hours, and runs through August 4. Tickets are $13-$16, and sunflowers are $1.50 per stem. Picnic by the blooms or explore one of the farm’s three sunflower mazes. The farm has a variety of other flora to pick from including gladiolus, liatris, cosmos, and zinnias.
Clarksville Sunflower Market
4979 Sheppard Ln., Ellicott City (Mary’s Land Farm) – 38 miles from DC
The Clarksville Sunflower Festival runs August 12 through September 2, and tickets are on sale now, with a 10 percent discount until the end of July. The Ellicott City farm also features more than just yellow sunflowers—they also bloom in orange, deep red, and a pale yellow that almost looks like white. The farm has fields of wildflowers and sells various vases.
Goldpetal Farms
37260 Manor Rd., Chaptico – 50 miles from DC
This St. Mary’s County farm is open for picking Wednesday through Sunday from 10 AM until sunset. You’ll get three sunflowers or seven zinnias with the price of admission, which is $15 a person; each additional sunflower costs $1.50. You can also bring your pup as long as they’re leashed and well-behaved. Act fast, though: peak bloom is expected to last about another week.
Serenity Farm
6932 Serenity Farm Rd., Benedict– 45 miles from DC
This family-run spot hosts the annual Southern Maryland Sunflower Festival on Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1 from 10 AM to 4 PM. Sunflower-picking and a build-your-own-bouquet station are included in the $10 online ticket price (admission will be $15 at the gate). Entry is free for children under 7. On the festival weekend, you can also enjoy hayrides, a petting farm, and local food and art vendors. Leashed pups are welcome to join.
Summers Farm
7503 Hollow Rd., Middletown – 50 miles from DC
Thirty-five different types and colors of sunflowers are available for picking and picture-taking at this Frederick County farm. While the place isn’t open during the week, its fifth annual Sunflower Festival will happen on weekends from August 17 to September 8 (including Labor Day). Tickets are $20.50 a person online, $23.50 at the gate, and children under three are free. You’ll get to take a wagon ride to the field, where you can pick one flower for free and pay $3 extra for each additional stem. The farm also offers a corn maze, farm animals, games, food, music, and local beers and seltzers.
Valley View Acres
4005 Valley View Rd., Middletown – 56 miles from DC
Heard of all-you-can-eat? This Maryland farm offers “all-you-can-pick” special. On weekends from July 20 to August 3, you can take home as many yellow blooms as your heart desires for one flat $10 fee. Tickets are available on a cash-only basis at the gate, and children under 6 are free. After you gather flowers, grab a scoop from an ice cream truck or peruse wares from local artists.
Braehead Farm
1130 Tyler St., Fredericksburg – 57 miles from DC
You can pick a wide variety of veggies, berries, and flowers at this Fredericksburg farm, including sunflowers by the stem. Admission is free for the pick-your-own fields. You can also enjoy a bonfire, farmers’ market, farm animals, and a play area for the kiddos ($6 entry). The end of July is also a great time to pick blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.
Liberty Mills Farm
9166 Liberty Mills Rd., Somerset – 94 miles from DC
This Orange County farm’s sunflower festival is taking place August 31 through September 8. Tickets aren’t yet available but they will be sold online. The festival has different activities every day, including food trucks, live music, and fields of gorgeous flowers to pick and take home. Come for “golden hour” (6 to 8 PM) on Saturdays to grab the perfect picture.
Godfrey’s Farm
302 Leager Rd., Sudlersville – 79 miles from DC
Expect to see blooms popping up in the next few weeks at this Queen Anne’s County farm. To pick, you must check in at the market and buy a bucket to hold your sunflowers before entering the field (BYO clippers). The front of the field has blossoms perfect for cutting, and the back has full-bloom flowers great for photos. Reservations are not required.
Great Country Farms
34345 Snickersville Tpk., Bluemont – 57 miles from DC
Calling all shutterbugs: this Virginia farm is celebrating its sunflower season with a daily festival and photography contest that runs through Sunday, August 11. Basic admission costs $13 for children age 3 to 17 and $15 for visitors 18 and up. Sunflowers cost $1 per stem. Bring your own clippers or purchase ones for $5. The farm also offers peach, nectarine, and plum picking, apple cider donuts, kids games, and farm animals. It’ll also host more festivals this summer, including a Big Dig Potato Harvest, and early honeycrisp-apple-picking in late August.
To See Only—No Picking
If you’re less interested in picking sunflowers and more keen to take the perfect Instagram photo, there are a few places in the area that are meant for viewing and not picking.
McKee-Beshers Sunflower Fields
18600 River Rd., Poolesville – 25 miles from DC
McKee-Beshers, one of Maryland’s wildlife management areas, plants sunflowers every spring to provide a food source for animals. You can access the fields any time of day and entry to the park is free. Trampling on or cutting the sunflowers is strictly prohibited, but you can bring your pup for a sweet summertime picture.
