As we pulled up to Hubert Family Farms in New Market, red dust settling once the car was parked, we were able to see rows and rows of beautiful sunflowers. After paying the $5 per person admission fee, and selecting the large bucket for $20 (there’s a small one for $15), we were also handed a pair of shears. We were ready to go sunflower hunting.
There are many different types of sunflowers at the farm, making the fields much more eclectic than others that I have experienced. Visitors will enjoy many different sizes and colors, including ones that are so dark they look almost black. A bucket allows you to pick as many sunflowers as will fit- a broad number depending on if you are mostly getting flowers the size of your head or the size of a child’s hand. My advice is to not shove as many as possible, as we ended up losing a lot of petals on the ride home. I think if you give them some room and hold them carefully in the car your flowers will probably end up looking better than ours did by the time they were in vases.
There are lots of lovely places for photo opportunities, including chairs, benches, and even a piano out in the field. If you are a professional photographer that will be shooting photos for families, you must purchase a $50 photography pass when you arrive at the farm.
The gift shop building is a quick walk past some picnic tables, spooky old barn and a tractor, so make sure you stop by there for a fun t-shirt and other merchandise. The gift shop is also where you can find the water hose to fill up your sunflower bucket before you leave the farm. When my group headed over to the gift shop, we were lucky enough to run into owner Kaylee Hubert and she humored me by letting me take some pictures of her putting together a pretty bouquet. Kaylee and her husband Seth run Hubert Farms, and I encourage you to read about Seth’s ancestry and the story of how their sunflower and tulip fields came to be. (The also have pick your own tulips in the spring, so make sure you follow them on Facebook and Instagram for more information.)
The sunflower picking season is unpredictable in length, buy Kaylee felt sure that they would be open at least through the first weekend in September. They have a large Midsummer Market happening on Saturday, August 27 with over 50 vendors, live music, food trucks and face painting. If you are looking for a more low-key day to pick sunflowers, they are open starting August 20: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., they are open the same hours on Sunday, though 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. is reserved for those with special needs.
Remember that you will be outside, walking through dirt and hay, with lots of bugs- so wear sunscreen, bug spray, shoes you can walk around in, and some water! My group had a lot of fun looking at all the different types of sunflowers, picking them, taking pictures and having conversations that didn’t including us staring down at our phones. I highly suggest that you go support local farmers while soaking up the smiles you’ll have from all of the “happy flowers.”
Ashley Polesak has spent the last 10 years living her best life in Huntsville, Alabama. She loves to explore all of the things that Huntsville and the surrounding areas have to offer and is a big proponent for scouting out local experiences. Ashley lives and breathes the outdoors and recreation opportunities in the area, you are very likely to run into her at a park or on a hiking trail. If she has her two rescue dogs with her, Oba and Twyla, please excuse their over-excitement, they are currently being trained and it’s a work in progress! If she had to describe herself in television characters she would choose 1/4 Eleanor Shellstrop, 1/4 Leslie Knope, 1/4 April Ludgate and 1/4 Margaery Tyrell.
