Lodging Among the Lavender Fields

Courtesy of certified organic Purple Haze Lavender Farm - Sequim, WA

Last weekend, I grabbed a girlfriend and headed outside of town for the Michigan Lavender Festival, where we dealt with the sweltering temps by sipping lavender lemonades and checking out bloom-peddling vendors. We were sold, naturally, by just inhaling the scent that wafted through the sticky summer air, and not surprisingly, we came home with an armful of lavender-infused goodies.

It got me thinking. My first experience with lavender was when I plucked a bud from a plant in Wales on a high school trip to Europe. I recall pulling it from my sweater pocket weeks after I'd returned home, only to drift right back to that same moment in time. The scent was heavenly. The taste, on the other hand, as I found out last summer in Germany, is not something I'm suited to. Lavender cake looks delicious... but it leaves me feeling like I'm chewing on potpourri.

Culinary uses aside, the lavender flower is known for its calming properties, and remains a staple of travel products near and far. Over the years, I've accumulated a few favorites within the all-natural category, including Indigo Wild's Zum Glow lavender travel candle ($15), Pharmacopia's organic lavender travel set ($20), and more recently, Kiss My Face's travel-sized castile peace soap in lavender mandarin ($3). Sniffing these scented wonders is nearly magical, but to get a true sense of the flower power, you really need to hit the fields.

I adore the volunteer concept at the Daybreak Lavender Farm in Streetsboro, Ohio, where visitors can harvest the 14-acre farm in four-hour increments for a $50 gift certificate at the farm's boutique. Or, if you'd like to lounge for a longer period, scope out options like the field-side vacation rental at Cedarbrook Lavender & Herb Farm in Sequim, Washington. In the same city, the certified organic Purple Haze Farm offers a similar farmhouse rental that can accommodate eight guests starting at $260 per night.

The opportunities to loose yourself in fields of soft, purplish hues abound. To find a farm near you, reference this comprehensive state-by-state lavender farm listing, where you'll find farmers from southern Texas to northern Maine.

Lavender cake and vanilla bean ice cream at Weleda Gardens in Germany
Copyright: Jessica Blair Howell / Green Globetrotter