A Visit to Long Island’s Lavender by the Bay
Long Island’s North Fork, located above the more ritzy Hamptons, is home to beaches, farms, and small towns. One of these farms is Lavender by the Bay and, as you may guess, is a lavender farm. If you live in NYC and frequent the local greenmarkets in Union Square or Grand Army Plaza, you will recognize this farm from the greenmarket lavender stand.
Lavender by the Bay has two locations: the original East Marion farm and a second newer farm in Calverton. The East Marion location is roughly a two and a half hour drive from New York City and the Calverton location is just under a two hour drive.
This post discusses a visit to the East Marion location.
The Farm
My husband and I set out on an early (faster commute with less traffic!) Sunday morning from NYC to be on time for a 9am admission to the lavender fields. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic capacity guidelines, admission tickets are sold online in advance for 90 minute time slots. No tickets can be purchased in person at the farm.
We got to the farm early and ended up being one of the first visitors into the fields that day. I highly recommend going early before the fields get crowded. It’s much more peaceful—and better for photos too!
The fields are enormous, with a mix of English and French lavender varieties. Each variety had its own big patch, with the patches forming a beautiful quilt of different shades of lavender flowers. The English lavender varieties tend to bloom first, followed by the French lavender a couple weeks later. We were lucky to go in early July and catch both varieties in bloom! Definitely the best time to visit! And yes, you can definitely smell the lavender—even through a mask! I believe the French lavender varieties are responsible for the stronger scent.
Since this is an active farm, there are some lavender patches getting harvested (so sans flowers), but at least 90% of the flowers were still there in early July. Farm equipment and bee hives can be found along the perimeter, but not anything that inhibits your enjoyment of the fields.
You can spend a good chunk of your 90 minute slot walking around the fields, but you can also bring a book and relax in one of the many lawn chairs placed around the fields. If you’re worried about sun exposure there’s also a gazebo and a tented sitting spot. Unfortunately we visited on a drizzly morning, but I would definitely go back and claim the lawn chair located right in the middle of the lavender patch!
And if you need a toilet, there is a trailer of clean stalls and hand washing facilities in the parking area near the shop.
The Shop
The relatively large shop is full of lavender items: soaps, lotions, dried lavender, sachets, pillows, simple syrup, extract, essential oil…and the list goes on! You can even buy lavender plants there. I personally love the lavender bar soap—perfectly scented, cleansing, and not drying on my skin!
If you want something other than lavender, they also have rose and honey scented soaps. And for non scented items, they also have mugs and bags for sale.
The only thing I was disappointed about is that there was no food or drink for sale on the farm. If you’re hungry, you have to go elsewhere—which we did!
Nearby
As a visit to Lavender by the Bay does not take all day—90 minutes is plenty time—you have ample opportunity to see other spots in the North Fork. Greenport is nearby with plenty of shops and there are beaches here and there for a glimpse of the water—without the crowds of the Hamptons!
We were starving for some brunch after leaving the farm. We found Erik’s Breakfast & Lunch, which is about 11 minutes drive from the farm and along the route back to NYC. We both had omelettes with potatoes, toast, and greens on the side. It was all delicious! The potatoes were even a mix of different types of potatoes: sweet potato, purple sweet potato, and regular potato. And, as I was in desperate need of caffeine, I had to get a coffee, which was excellent. The small coffee even came with free refills!
Our morning at Lavender by the Bay felt like an enchanted peaceful morning, despite our early start. It was a perfect weekend recharge and, followed by our brunch, gave us plenty of energy and time to get on with other things we needed to do at home! I highly recommend spending a morning at Lavender by the Bay for some needed peace and tranquility.
Related Posts:
What Can You Do On A Lavender Farm?
