For years, I’ve had a photo saved of the wild sunflower bloom at Lake Jesup Conservation Area just North of Orlando, Florida. After some research, I found that the wildflowers only stay in bloom for about three weeks in October.
Each year I either forgot about that saved photo, or didn’t have a chance to make the trip during the small time span they were blooming. Last year, I decided I would finally get to see them, but learned that heavy rain and flooding prevented the flowers from blooming.
This year, I wasn’t going to miss them! Honestly, if it wasn’t for my boyfriend sending me a photo of the Lake Jesup flower field and suggesting we check it out, I probably would’ve forgotten! (thanks Travis).
I could go into detail on how to find the flower field, but the Firefall Photography blog by Jeff Stamer has every bit of information you need to know when visiting. Check out his blog post here!
We opted to take the red trail to the flower field. It was only a 15 minute walk, and the trail was mostly dry, so no need to wear hiking boots.
I’ve never seen a wildflower field like this before. There were so many sunflowers, I couldn’t see where they ended or began. The flowers stood around 5-6 feet tall. If you’re looking to get a proper photo, I would recommend bringing a tripod…or a tall boyfriend.
Another option for viewing the flower bloom option is on horseback. Hidden Palms Ranch offers trail rides out to the sunflower field for $75/person. It is for sure on my list for next fall!
15 minutes away from Lake Jesup, you’ll find Lake Mary, Florida. Beyond the chain restaurants, downtown Lake Mary is a quaint area with eateries and boutiques.
I was in search of a sports bar…because any boyfriend that spends hours frolicking in a flower field deserves to watch football. We stumbled upon 4th Street Bar & Grill. The food was impressive, more of an upscale bar food menu. Travis gave it five stars because they were showing every single NFL game on television.
After all of the exciting football we watched, I needed a little caffeine fix. Next door I found New City Cafe, an adorable coffee shop with delicious lattes.
Thanks to Orlando blogger, lemonhearted.com, I read about the Lake Mary “mural alley”. A small, but colorful, alley complete with wings and balloons for posing! The alley was located behind the Statements by Sophie and Trey boutique.
A fun filled day consisting of a wildflower field and street art…what more could I ask for?
