“If I were a flower, I’d be a sunflower to always follow the sun and turn my back on darkness.” – Author, Pam Stewart
Visiting a sunflower field has always been one of the million things to tick off my bucket list. But I always thought something like that existed in another state or country. So you can imagine my excitement when I found out about the sunflowers at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh.
Scrolling through my Instagram feed, photo after photo, locals were posting their best sunflower poses. We just had to get to that park!
A spontaneous decision was made, and we hopped into our car to join the sunflower craze. But when we got there, we were in for a surprise.
Don’t Be Late
Unfortunately, we were a little late in the game because the sunflowers were dying. The story of my life!
We should’ve gone when all the buzz (no pun intended!) started in early July. It wasn’t a huge disappointment, but had we gone earlier while the sunflowers were in bloom, we would’ve gotten better photos.
When we went, the flowers looked like they were drying up and were very short. Not the tall sunflowers I imagined but hey, that’s what happens when you show up late in the season!
Step Out Your Comfort Zone
They were still a joy to look at though. I was even convinced by Meshach to sit among the sunflowers for a photo-op. I’m terrified of bees by the way, but the carpenter bees didn’t seem to mind my presence. Lucky for me!
Anything for “the gram”, right?
If they are planted again next year, I am definitely going to be sure to arrive when they are in bloom, and you should too!
Tristan thought the flowers were pretty cool but he wasn’t all too excited about the bees flying everywhere. It took him some coaxing to at least get in a few photos to commemorate our visit.
Things to Know
This sunflower field is planted every year by the City of Raleigh, but originally was never meant for photo-op purposes. While they are beautiful to enjoy, their purpose is for a bio-diesel project. So visitors are not allowed to pick them or eat the seeds.
You can find the sunflower field at Dorothea Dix Park off of Hunt Drive in Raleigh next to the North Carolina FC soccer field. Parking is on a dirt parking lot next to the soccer fields. There is a clear pathway that you can walk to get into the sunflower field. When in doubt, follow the crowd as I always say!
It’s really easy, and not even a minute’s walk from the parking lot. The other great thing about seeing the sunflowers is it’s FREE!
Check out my other blog post for more great ideas about free things to do in Raleigh. And if you haven’t seen the sunflowers yet, there’s still a little more time left, but don’t wait! They may be gone by the end of July, early August.
Have you ever visited a flower field and where? Comment below and share this post!
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