Take a Hayride to this Picturesque Pick-Your-Own Sunflower Field in RI

Apple picking, pumpkins, and corn mazes are probably on your brain this weekend but most won’t open until mid-to-late September. We’re in a funny time of the year where it's starting to be too cool for beach trips but too nice to be inside. Add in the concern about mosquitoes and it feels like outdoor activity options are limited.

In our quest to get outside over the weekend, we found what most Little Compton locals have always known about: a picturesque pick-your-own sunflower farm and hayride on the Rhode Island coast.

Here’s why a trip to Young’s Family Farm was just what our Sunday family-day needed.

The Drive. I know car rides aren’t for everyone but a slow drive through the country with the windows down has always been one of the most soul-soothing things for me, especially after being in the city all week. Cows, corn, ocean–give me all of it. Plus, the ride is long enough to catch up on conversation while the kids nap in the back.

The Farm Stand. We didn’t plan on buying snacks but with so much farm-fresh fruit to pick from, we got ourselves some apples for the hayride down to the field. If that’s not your kind of snack, you can buy a bag of cider donuts instead. Their aroma is nearly impossible to resist.

The Tractor-Pulled Hayride. We all love a fall-time hayride, right? Horse-drawn, tractor-pulled, whatever the case. Let those prickly pieces of hay stick into your pants, get tangled in your hair and enjoy a bumpy ride through the farm while butterflies and bees buzz by you.

The Sun Flowers. I’m a sucker for a roadside flower stand but giant, cheery sunflowers are very difficult for me to drive by without stopping. So of course, a farm that encourages you to stroll among them and pick some for yourself is a place I will brake for. Of course, there were more than just sunflowers in their pre-picked area if you needed some pink and purple stuff, too.

You don’t have to pick flowers if you don’t want to. You can just go for the hayride and the stroll through the field and take photos. But If you want to take a ride down to the field for some pick-your-owns, they’ll give you a pair of pruning shears before you get off the hayride. Each stem is $1.50 so make sure you pick only the best for your bouquet.

But as can be expected with the agricultural season, your window of opportunity to visit this hidden gem is short. This sunflower feature is only open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays. And if you plan on going, make sure you plan in advance and bring a bucket or vase (with water) with you so your flowers don’t dry out on the drive home.