Sunfest

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One of the best parts of summer are the beautiful flowers in bloom including one of my favorite flowers, sunflowers. Learn all about my recent visit to Raleigh’s annual celebration of sunflowers, Sunfest.

I love sunflowers. They are so happy and bright! They definitely make the hot summer months a little more bearable. My love of them began in my tween/early teen years. It was the early nineties and sunflowers were everywhere. I loved wearing my favorite sunflower dress and I wouldn’t leave the house without a little spritz of Elizabeth Arden’s Sunflower perfume.

There are many things I love about living in the Tar Heel State. One is the beautiful flowers that they plant along the highways throughout the year. As if North Carolina couldn’t get any more gorgeous, it just brightens my day when I see their pretty colorful blooms while I’m driving along. My smile gets a little brighter when I come upon the sections planted with sunflowers.

There are other areas to see sunflowers and one of them is Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh. In the middle of May, five acres of sunflowers are planted with the goal of peak blooms around mid-July. The sunflower field is not just planted to look pretty and draw visitors. There are actually a couple of local environmental benefits.

The first is that the sunflowers serve as a pollinator habitat. The second is that at the end of the season, the sunflowers and their seeds will be processed into biodiesel. The fuel will be used for local educational programs and demonstrations.

This year on July 13^th, Raleigh held their annual celebration of sunflowers, Sunfest. My hubby was actually off that weekend and I couldn’t resist the chance to check out this free event and see the beautiful field of sunflowers.

We arrived about an hour after the event started. The first thing I wanted to do was see the sunflowers. The sunflowers were not at peak bloom for the event. The weather had them blooming a little slow this year. There were still many to see.

I loved seeing their cheery blooms. I didn’t get to take as many pictures as I would have liked because it was an incredibly hot day and there were a lot of people that were also roaming the field and taking pictures. Sunfest does offer more than the sunflower field. There were amusement rides, games, craft booths, live music, and hayrides. It was all free including admission!

The only thing we needed money for were the food trucks. There was quite a variety to choose from. Since it was such a hot day we cooled off with some beer and cider from local craft breweries. I enjoyed a tart cherry cider from Bull City Ciderworks in Durham. Derek got his IPA fix from Cary’s Fortnight brewery.

We indulged on gyros from Gussy’s Restaurant food truck. They were so good we decided that we have got to check out the actual restaurant that’s located in Durham. The hot summer evening came to a close with vanilla ice cream cones from Mr. Softee.

The sunflower field is open seven days a week during the season. So if you missed the festival, don’t worry, you can still check out their beautiful blooms especially since they had a slow start this year.

I do recommend dressing in cool and comfortable clothing. Wear closed–toe shoes to prevent dirt from getting in your shoes. Even though I was wearing a dress, I went ahead and wore my sneakers. I was glad I did because there is a lot of walking! Douse yourself in sunscreen and definitely wear a hat. I totally believe that my big sunhat prevented me from becoming a lobster that day. The sun was very strong!

During the festival, parking is not allowed at Dix Park due to the number of people in attendance. Parking is offsite at NC State’s Centennial Campus. Any other day though you can park directly at Dix Park.

No matter when you visit, drones are not allowed at the sunflower field. They also ask that you keep your pets on a leash and not to pick the sunflowers or their seeds.

Festival or not the sunflower field is a summer must-see in the Triangle. It’s a great way to spend the day and get out and enjoy a beautiful site in our capital city!

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