Picking Sunflowers in Dallas at Mars Hill Farm
We recently spent a fun afternoon picking sunflowers in Dallas at Mars Hill Farm’s Harvest at the Hill! The kindness and love that built this farm are apparent as soon as you enter the barn and are greeted by a smiling face. You’ll come for the sunflowers, but you’ll leave with so much more!
Per their website, “Mars Hill Farm exists to provide jobs for refugees and fresh food and flowers to Dallasites, and to form strong connections between the two.” Not only do they have a beautiful farm where they grow flowers, produce, and cattle for beef, but they also provide plots of farmland to refugees at no charge. This allows refugees steady and familiar work using the skills they learned in their home country. How amazing is that?
During Harvest at the Hill, you’ll find plenty of activities to fill a morning or afternoon!
Good to know:
- Located in Ferris, Texas, just 30 minutes south of Dallas.
- Activities include hayrides, a petting zoo, children’s play area, and of course, sunflower picking!
- Hours are Friday and Saturday, 8:30 AM – 2 PM, or weekdays by appointment.
- Admission is $5, ages 2 and under are free.
- Sunflowers are $2 a stem.
- Additional classes such as photography and watercoloring are held throughout the festival.
- Find more information about the festival and classes here!
Highlights:
- The hayride was my favorite part! It was educational, interactive, and truly a unique experience. My toddler held a chicken and later had her shoe licked by a longhorn. While longhorns look intimidating, they were actually pretty friendly! Most of them walked right up to us, almost as if to say “hi”!
- I think my 2.5 year old and one year old most enjoyed the rock box, which was simply a sandbox filled with pebbles. There were several shovels and buckets which they repeatedly filled and emptied. I literally had to drag them away to do other activities!
- The sunflowers were beautiful, and picking our own was so special! Make sure to ask the staff for tips to choose the flowers that will last longest.
Additional information about the farm:
- The farm serves as a beautiful venue for private parties. Find more information about that here.
- You can buy their grass-fed beef at this link. They even offer subscription boxes!
- Find information about their flower subscriptions here.
Thank you to the kind folks at Mars Hill Farm for the fun afternoon! After learning more about their mission and experiencing the fun on the farm for ourselves, we’re even more excited to support them in the future. If you’re in the Dallas area, make sure to add picking sunflowers at Mars Hill Farm to your bucket list this fall!
