Mezza Luna Lavender Farm

What it is: Who knew there was a lavender farm right here in the Triangle?  I certainly didn't until my friend told me about this little place just about 15 minutes away from my house in South Durham.  My son and I went last weekend to pick some lavender with some friend and had a great experience.  We drove right into a little parking lot in front of a house, and walked up to the garage next to the house where a little stand was set up.  The stand was filled with all kinds of good-smelling lavender goods like soap, cookies, sachets, culinary lavender, etc.  I personally love the smell of lavender, so I could have purchased any of the goodies.  However, we were there to pick.  The man said we could pick a bundle of lavender tied with a rubber band for $10.  We each decided to pick one, so he gave us some shears and a basket and off we went.

The lavender field was hot, but beautiful.  My son and I each had shears.  They weren't terribly sharp, so I was ok with my 5 year old son handling them, but I still kept a close eye him.  We were told to pick from the bottom of the stem leaving about one inch, but you could pick several stems at once.  This meant the picking went pretty quickly.  There were little bugs and bees flying around, but they were entranced in the lavender and not bothered at all by us.  They had several varieties of lavender to pick so we loved walking around to the different kinds and smelling how they were different.

Once we got our bundles we headed back over to give back our shears and basket.  Then, I also had to pick up a couple sachets for my car and house and of course, we had to get some homemade ice cream with lavender syrup.  The ice cream was fantastic so we sat in the shade of some tents they had set up and enjoyed the treat.  Once we were finished they had a couple of activities set up for the kiddos including cornhole and a kids' tent with bubbles and other sports, clothes pin painting, face painting, drawing, and purple nail polish.  The kids loved it and the two great young girls that were helping the kids and were so wonderful with them.

I don't know whether it was the lavender smell wafting over everything, but it was just a peaceful place.  I would love to go back before their short lavender season is over!

What we liked:  We love to get out to local farms in the area, and this was definitely one we hadn't experienced before.  It was easy to get to and park and the actual picking did not take too long.  The ice cream was delicious and the kids' activities made it into much more of an experience for the kiddos!

What we would change:  The lavender picking season is so short.  They are only open each year from May 29-June 14, so that doesn't give us very long to enjoy the wonderful experience. Plus, at $10 a bundle, it can be a little bit of an expensive activity.

Website and other important information:

Website: https://www.facebook.com/MezzaLunaLavenderFarm/info?tab=overview 

Address: 1850 New Hope Church Rd., Apex, NC

Hours: 9am-6pm, May 29-June 14

Photos: 

(one of the beautiful varieties of lavender)

(lavender hanging to dry)

(yum, ice cream!)

(cornhole)

(the kids' area)

(the whole farm)