Have you ever lived near or drove by something your entire life and not notice it at all?
I've lived on Long Island in a small town my entire life. I've drove behind plenty of backroads and shortcuts to avoid traffic and maneuver around road blocks. I also grew up always passing by miles and miles of farmland since my childhood bestie lived further out east on the island. My entire car ride back was boring because I was always just staring out the window at miles of crops and fields. I didn't care for this place I grew up around much.
Fast forward to me in my adult years where I regret all my ungrateful ways and unappreciative ass for what I had. Now I love visiting these fields in search of gorgeous new blooms, freshly squeezed lemonade, creative ice cream flavors and home baked goods. And of course, beautiful photo ops for the gram. What's even funnier is how these places have evolved as well to keep up with the times. They have lots of cute gorgeous displays purposely for you to snap and post with their own designated hashtags. A lot of them now run social media pages to keep you informed when their peak blooms are happening, how much it costs to walk the fields, and local specials for their in-season crops and what's available daily on the premises. Some farms even hold festivals with tons of activities on the weekend. I love this use of social media to connect with the public on a current basis since it helps me coordinate my days off and know when the best time to visit is so I won't waste a drive out just to be disappointed.
Two years ago I learned about Lavender By The Bay, Patty's Berries and Bunches, Sound Shore Market and Harbes Farms, which you can read about here. Last year I stumbled upon Pindar Vineyards for a shoot (unfortunately there are no photos from that since that photographer unfortunately turned out to be an unprofessional piece of work and a fraud so hopefully this summer I will get to go back with someone else and have a go at a re-do). This spring, I recently learned about another new but actually not so new farm called Waterdrinker.
Cherry blossom season is on its way out and tulips are on their way in currently, and Waterdrinker is holding their first ever tulip festival this weekend. Unfortunately I’m working this weekend then LA next week. And nature waits for no one so I squeezed in a quick visit to the fields yesterday before it’s all gone and I miss it for this year. When I got there, I realized I’ve been driving past this farmstand my entire life! I passed it every morning on my way to pharmacy rotations during college days. I even did a photoshoot at the farm across the street one summer. Hence how it’s new but not so new. Funny how life is, sometimes.
The tulip field is relatively small compared to the likes of those beautiful fields you see photos of in Europe, but beautiful nonetheless. They have it beautifully curated for optimal photo ops as well, with 3 different brightly colored vintage bikes to pose with, a windmill, and a rustic cart full of flowers. They have both fields of tulips and boxed tulips, and tulips of several different colors. And for those with small children, there is a big playground set up too to keep the little ones occupied. There’s also a main indoor farmstand next to this area where you can browse more floral offerings to purchase and take home. I didn’t have time to browse the farmstand since I was strapped for time this day but hopefully on my next trip I can take a more detailed look. The admission to enter these tulip festival area is just $5 which is totally worth it to go in and check out even if you’re just snapping a few quick photos. I hope they bring this back next year and make the fields even bigger and fuller! Interested in a visit? They’re located right at 663 Wading River Rd in Manorville if you ever find yourself out east in my neck of the woods. The tulips are what’s in bloom currently but the offerings change from season to season and week to week. Check out their instagram for the most current info before you head out! For any questions, they respond back pretty quickly and the staff I found really friendly and helpful with any questions you may have regarding your visit or any floral purchases you’re interested in bringing back. I’m excited to visit again when they rotate out more blooms and crops.
