Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you’re having a great start to your week, not to mention a great end to your July… how is it that summer always seems to fly by so fast!?
Today, I’m excited to share one of my favourite local spots with you… and if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, it may already be familiar to you! Located in Durham Region in the municipality of Clarington, Pingle’s is a local fun farm that hosts various seasonal events and experiences throughout the year. They offer Easter egg hunts in the spring, PYO apples and pumpkins in the fall, and their holly-jolly Christmas Fest in December. (Click here to read my post about Christmas Fest!) I’d been to Pingle’s in the fall and winter, but never in the summer – until now! The weekend before last, Tania and I were spending the day in Durham Region, and we decided to pop by Pingle’s and check out their summer “Flower Days”!
Pingle’s offers two special events in the summertime: Berry Days (PYO strawberry, blueberry and raspberry patches) and Flower Days (wildflower, sunflower and lavender fields.) A general admission ticket includes access to both, along with unlimited wagon rides and access to Pingle’s Playland. (Note that if you want to pick your own flowers or berries to take home, there will be an extra cost, depending on the amount you pick.)
Upon entering Pingle’s, we headed right into their main area. Here, they have several food and drink trucks where you can get everything from pizza, burgers and poutine to coffee, ice cream and Pingle’s famous apple cider doughnuts. You can even order a cocktail! There’s plenty of seating for people to sit and enjoy their treats, and there’s also a stage where they have live music on weekends.
From the main area, you can access Pingle’s Playland, which has plenty of fun games and activities for kids: from mini putt to giant slides to tricycle “race tracks”. At the entrance to the Playland is the animal barn, where you can say hello to the resident alpacas, sheep, goats, ducks, chickens and bunnies. The goats were so cute and inquisitive!
Admission to Pingle’s includes unlimited wagon rides, which shuttle visitors between the main area and the produce/flower fields. The wagons run regularly, about every 15 minutes.
The first stop was the berry fields. Tania and I weren’t doing any produce-picking that day, but judging by how many people were walking around with overflowing berry baskets, it’s certainly a popular activity! You can check out an up-to-date picking calendar here: current offerings include strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peas, tomatoes and beans.
The next stop was what we came for: the flowers! Pingle’s has fields of lavender, sunflowers and wildflowers. You can pick your own lavender or wildflowers if you’d like, but you can also simply stroll the fields and enjoy the simple joy of frolicking through the flowers. We started in the lavender fields, which are so lush, colourful and fragrant. We could smell the lavender as soon as the wagon turned the corner!
There are lots of fun props throughout the field that make for fun photo ops, from hanging picture frames to a vintage yellow door to a bright purple piano.
It was a hot day, so we treated ourselves to a freshly squeezed lemonade from The Pickled Pony, an adorable bright yellow lemonade truck. We got the strawberry lemonade, which was delicious, but you can also get blueberry or plain lemonade. The cups are huge and definitely enough for two to share.
Then we headed over to the sunflower fields. Sunflowers are Tania’s favourite flower (she’s Ukrainian, and sunflowers are Ukraine’s national flower) and they’re one of mine too. They’re just so bright and cheerful – who could be sad in a field of bright yellow sunflowers!?
There’s a swing in this field too, and we couldn’t resist taking some fun photos.
Before leaving Pingle’s, we stopped into their farm store. Pingle’s Farm Market is open year-round and sells freshly picked produce, homemade baked goods, locally butchered meats and various pantry staples, from spices and seasonings to jellies and jams. If you’re just visiting the store, you don’t need to purchase a farm ticket – you can pop in and shop anytime! We picked up some freshly baked hamburger buns from their bakery. Everything at Pingle’s Farm Market is sourced from Canadian suppliers, and a majority of it is sourced right here in Ontario – cheers to supporting local!
Lavender season is nearing its end, so if you’d like to check out the lavender fields at Pingle’s, I’d recommend visiting sooner rather than later. The sunflowers should be beautiful and plentiful all throughout August. Plus, as we get further into August, sweet corn and apples will also become available for picking! You can purchase tickets to Pingle’s online in advance of your visit, or at the door. (I recommend booking online if you can, as day-of tickets are based on availability and may sell out.) You can also purchase a season pass here and come as many times as you like! With all of the fun events happening year-round at Pingle’s, there’s never a bad time to go. Personally, I can’t wait for their upcoming Harvest Festival in September!
Do you have any favourite local flower farms to recommend? Send me your suggestions via email or drop them in the comments – I’d love to hear from you!
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