The North Shore of Massachusetts is one of my favorite road trip destinations from Boston. And if the timing is right, visiting the Colby Farm sunflower field should be on your list – hopefully this photo essay will show you why!
Given that I was recently away from Boston for 11 days visiting family in New Jersey and friends in Colorado, I really wanted (and needed) to be productive this past weekend. But that went out the window when I heard from my friend Kristin that the Colby Farm sunflower field was in full bloom.
Visiting the Colby Farm sunflower field has been on my Boston-area “bucket list” for a while, so I couldn’t say no when she asked if I would accompany her for an afternoon of Instagramming. Our visit was just in the nick of time – the beautiful blooms are expected to droop this week.
The sunflower field takes up just two gently sloping acres of the 370-acre Colby Farm, which sits off 95 North about 45 minutes from Boston. The field itself is much smaller than I expected, and needless to say, it’s quite a popular destination. We had to get creative with our picture taking to avoid the dozens of families posing for what will very likely to be their holiday card photo (Many even had professional photographers in tow).
We worked up an appetite after about 30 minutes of crouching, stretching and jumping to get some clear shots – below are some of my favorites – so we headed to the Colby Farmstand, which sells a good variety of locally sourced vegetables, fruits, meats, baked goods, and more. And, since fall is almost here, you can chose from a variety of mums and cool-weather plants.
Photo Essay: Visiting the Colby Farm Sunflower Field
crowds traverse the bridge from the parking lot to the sunflower field
good advice, in general
Success! (no people in the shot)
I think this is my favorite shot of the day.
just some of the locally grown vegetables for sale at the farm stand (What Colby Farm doesn’t grow on site, they source from other local farms.)
Goats Bella and Willow entertain visitors to Colby Farm (I’m not sure which one this is. Sorry, goats).
Tips for Visiting the Colby Farm Sunflower Field
- There is no charge to park, and there is no entrance fee for the sunflower field.
- Keep your eye on the website to see when the sunflowers are in full bloom. Given the crowds, you might want to try to visit at the beginning or end of the day. Colby Farm is open from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; however, on our way home from dinner, the parking lot was still full close to 7:30 p.m.
- There are many shops, cafes and restaurants in downtown Newburyport, just a few miles away, so it’s worth stopping there as well. We went after our visit to walk around the waterfront and have dinner at the Port Tavern.
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