My girlfriends and I decided to head over to Richmond this summer to check out the Richmond Sunflower Festival. One of my girlfriends had gone last year and suggested it and I’m so glad she did. Once we parked, she pointed out Country Vines Winery which is across the parking lot from the entrance of the Sunflower Festival. We thought we would do a bit of a tasting first and then head over to the sunflower fields.
When we walked up we saw a little standing section where people were tasting. It was pretty busy, but we made our way to the front and the man behind the counter told us that we should go in and select what we want to taste and pre-pay. We went in and we all decided on a mixed flight which included rose, red and white wines. The cashier asked if we were going to sit outside and we decided to do that instead of the standing section near the entrance.
We went through the door to their back patio lounge and wow, this place is an oasis. I loved the vibes so, so much. It was a beautiful sunny day and people were just enjoying the rays while sippin on their wine. We found an area in the corner and got comfortable while waiting for our order. They had an incredibly talented live singer. I’ve since found her on instagram (@musicbyadrienne). She was singing songs that my girlfriends and I all loved, but she made them her own. By the end of the night we were all big fans of her. Everyone from the staff to the other patrons were all so chill. Good vibes all around. There was a ton of greenery and fresh sunflowers on each of the tables. It’s a very mellow environment. We loved it so much.
So in error, we were brought out the white wine tasters. Once we told the staff, they brought out the correct one and let us keep the white tasters. All of the wines we tasted were delicious. We purchased one more sampler after that. We ended up being there for hours! It was just so beautiful and relaxing and we were having so much fun. They offer small snacks too, such as charcuterie. We bought some chips and salsa to snack on.
After we were pretty happily buzzed, we walked across the parking lot and bought our tickets to the Sunflower Festival. We hopped on a large wagon that was attached to a pick-up truck. There was a great blue grass/country singer on it and we were really enjoying the ride to the field.
Once we got there, there was an area with lawn chairs set up. One of my favorite donut spots, Cin City donuts, has a little stand set up there too, so of course you know I had to go pick up some donuts to snack on while we were strolling through.
Although there were parts of the fields that were extremely beautiful, a lot of it was underwhelming. My friend mentioned that last year she went a little later in the summer and there were so many more sunflowers in bloom. I’m thinking perhaps we went too early in the summer. Even so, I love that they have all these signs set up “Make Today Beautiful”, old school carriages, John Deere tractors, etc. They really lean into the sunflower decor which is awesome. There are lots of photo ops. I love the retro music they play for strolling through – it just sets the mood. My friends and I had a blast taking pictures, dancing around and laughing our butts off. It was one of the highlights of my summer. This is something that would be great for families. Unfortunately, this is over for the year, but is an annual event.
On the way back to the car, we went hit up Country Vines Winery again to buy bottles of our favorite wines to take home with us.
Such a great summer activity! I would so recommend this and I can’t wait to do it again.
https://www.richmondsunflowerfest.com/
