Sometimes a good weekend getaway doesn’t require reservations, an overnight bag or hours on the interstate. This Saturday, the road trip can lead straight to a field of sunflowers.
Riceville is about 65 miles southwest of Knoxville, roughly a one-hour drive, making it an easy destination for a Saturday day trip.
Thousands of bright yellow blooms are putting on their late-summer show at New Beginnings at Sweet Southern Farm in Riceville, where the family-owned farm will host the first-ever Riceville Sunflower Festival on Saturday, Aug. 22.
The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., offering a chance to slow down for a few hours in the East Tennessee countryside.
The sunflowers are the stars of the day. Visitors can wander through fields filled with thousands of blooms, take plenty of photos and pick their own flowers to carry a little bit of summer home with them.
There will be plenty to do beyond the flowers, too. The festival will feature live music, food trucks, local vendors, family activities and outdoor fun. Visitors also can catch the inaugural Riceville’s Got Talent competition.
Admission is $5, with children ages 10 and younger admitted free.
New Beginnings at Sweet Southern Farm grew from a family’s fresh start on its Riceville property. As the land was cleared, mountain and countryside views emerged, inspiring the owners to create a place where other families could gather and make memories.
That makes a sunflower festival seem like a pretty natural fit.
New Beginnings at Sweet Southern Farm is located at 227 County Road 728, Riceville, TN 37370.
So, grab the camera, wear shoes made for walking through a farm and leave a little room in the car for a bouquet. Summer won’t stick around forever, and neither will those sunflowers.
For additional information, visit the Riceville Sunflower Festival event page.
This column will explore adventures that are ‘Close to Home, Far from Ordinary,’ and if you have some to share, please send them to news@knoxtntoday.com.
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