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🗺️ Farm Day Trips guide
Things to Do Near the Lavender Farms of Ann Arbor & Milan, Michigan
Cut lavender near Milan or west of Ann Arbor in June and July, then paddle the Huron River or tour a free 1840s mill museum in Dundee.
7 places · updated October 17, 2026
South of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County's college-town parks give way to the farm country around Saline, Milan and Dundee, with the Huron River on one side and the River Raisin on the other. US-23 ties it together, so you can cut lavender near Milan in the morning and be walking the Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor within half an hour.
Two lavender farms open their fields here in June and July. Lavender Lane Farm on Plank Road outside Milan opens Thursday through Sunday in those months, holds a harvest festival on the weekend after the Fourth of July, and keeps a year-round shop on Main Street in downtown Milan. Plainly Elegant Lavender Farm, on Ann Arbor's west side, offers you-pick Thursday through Sunday while the lavender is in bloom and distills its own oil. Add a cider mill, a historic mill museum or a few hours on the river and the day fills easily.
The lavender farms
- Lavender Lane FarmLavender farm · Milan
all of July
Farm Shop open June–July (Thu–Sat 10–4, Sun 12–4); U-pick from the Lavender Harvest Festival weekend after July 4; downtown Milan shop year-round.
- Plainly Elegant Lavender FarmLavender farm · Ann Arbor
June and July
Timed U-pick sessions June–July, Thursday–Sunday (45–60 minutes, booked ahead); pop-up farm stand on site; market booths in Dexter and Kerrytown.
Best time to visit
Late May to mid-June is peony time at the Nichols Arboretum peony garden, which usually peaks between Memorial Day and the summer solstice, and June also brings pick-your-own strawberries around Dundee and peas at Rowe's in Ypsilanti. Lavender runs through June and July: Lavender Lane Farm is open both months and holds its Lavender Harvest Festival on the weekend after July 4, and Plainly Elegant opens for you-pick in the same window. July adds blueberries at Dexter Blueberry Farm (a four-to-six-week season that usually starts in July) and tart cherries at Wasem Fruit Farm. From mid-September the apple and pumpkin farms take over: Wasem's fall season, Wiard's Country Fair in September and October, Dexter Cider Mill's fall pressings and Gust Brothers' pumpkin farm from Labor Day to Halloween. In January, River Raisin National Battlefield Park holds its yearly battle commemoration.
Places to see nearby parks, trails, beaches and landmarks
- Old Mill Museum🏛️ Museum · Dundee · about 8 mi, 15 min drive
A three-story mill built in 1848–49 that Henry Ford bought in 1931, restored in 1935 and used to make welding tips for his factories. It is free and handicapped accessible.
Friday–Monday, noon–4 p.m.
free
- Rentschler Farm Museum🏛️ Historic site · Saline · about 14 mi, 25 min drive
A four-acre homestead farmed by four generations of the Rentschler family from 1901 to 1998, with a farmhouse and eleven outbuildings on the National Register, set up to show farm life from about 1900 to 1950.
Third Saturday of each month, May–September, noon–3 p.m.
- River Raisin National Battlefield Park🏛️ Historic site · Monroe · about 21 mi, 30 min drive
Preserves the ground of the January 1813 War of 1812 battles, with a visitor center, theater, a diorama of the River Raisin settlement and the River Raisin Heritage Trail.
Grounds open year-round, sunrise to sunset
free
- Sterling State Park🌳 State park · Monroe · about 23 mi, 30 min drive
A Lake Erie park with about a mile of sandy beach and more than 500 acres of Great Lakes marsh and lake plain prairie seen from the Marsh Trail viewing tower. A 1-mile trail links it to downtown Monroe.
Open year-round
Michigan Recreation Passport required for vehicle entry
- Matthaei Botanical Gardens🌷 Garden · Ann Arbor · about 23 mi, 30 min drive
The University of Michigan's botanical gardens on Dixboro Road, with display gardens and trails. Admission is free; parking is metered.
Tuesday–Sunday 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; closed Mondays
free admission; metered parking
- Nichols Arboretum🌷 Garden · Ann Arbor · about 22 mi, 30 min drive
Wooded hills running down to the Huron River near the university campus, home to a large historic peony garden that usually peaks between Memorial Day and mid-June. Leashed dogs are welcome.
Sunrise to sunset, daily
free
- Gallup Park🏞️ Park · Ann Arbor · about 22 mi, 30 min drive
A riverside city park on the Huron River and Geddes Pond with more than three miles of paved paths and a livery renting canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and paddleboats. Dogs must be leashed.
Park open 6 a.m.–midnight; livery in the warm months
- Parker Mill County Park🏛️ Historic site · Ann Arbor · about 21 mi, 30 min drive
Named for an 1873 grist and cider mill that the Parker family ran until 1958; on mill tour days you can see how corn, buckwheat and wheat were ground into flour.
- Delhi Metropark🏞️ Park · Ann Arbor · about 28 mi, 40 min drive
Riverside park at the Delhi Rapids, a stretch of Class II water on the Huron River, with canoe and kayak launches above and below the rapids, picnic areas and bike rentals.
Daily 8 a.m.–8 p.m.
$10 daily or annual Metroparks vehicle pass
Where to stop: farms, food and stays
- Zilke Farm KitchenFarm market · Milan
A Milan farm kitchen and pantry with simple homestyle dishes, a few minutes from Lavender Lane's fields and shop.
- Wasem Fruit FarmApple orchard · Milan
Pick tart cherries in July, then apples and pumpkins from mid-September with unpasteurized cider and fresh donuts.
- Dexter Blueberry FarmBlueberry farm · Dexter
Pick-your-own blueberries near downtown Dexter during a short season that usually starts in July.
- Dexter Cider MillApple orchard · Dexter
A historic cider mill on the Huron River that still presses on a wood press, with cinnamon donuts in fall.
- Wiard's Orchards & Country FairApple orchard · Ypsilanti
U-pick apples and pumpkins, a cider mill and a fall country fair with a corn maze in September and October.
- Kapnick OrchardsApple orchard · Britton
A year-round orchard store known for fry-cake donuts and cider pressed on site, with U-pick apples and pumpkins in fall.
A one-day plan
- 10:00 AMLavender Lane Farm
Cut a bundle in the fields (June–July, Thursday to Saturday from 10, Sunday from noon). About an hour.
- 11:15 AMLavender Lane Farm · about 10 min drive
Browse the farm's downtown Milan shop for goods made from its own distilled lavender. About 30 minutes.
- 12:00 PMZilke Farm Kitchen · about 5 min drive
Lunch from the farm kitchen in Milan before heading north. About 45 minutes.
- 1:15 PMMatthaei Botanical Gardens · about 30 min drive
Walk the display gardens and trails. About an hour; closed Mondays.
- 2:30 PMNichols Arboretum · about 10 min drive
Follow the trails down to the Huron River; in early June the peony garden is the draw. About an hour.
- 4:00 PMGallup Park · about 5 min drive
Rent a canoe or kayak at the livery for an easy paddle on Geddes Pond, or walk the paved riverside path. About an hour.
- 5:30 PMDelhi Metropark · about 15 min drive
End by the Delhi Rapids with a picnic supper. Plainly Elegant Lavender Farm is also on Ann Arbor's west side if you want a second lavender stop; check their hours first.
Tips
- Lavender Lane's fields are closed Monday through Wednesday, and Plainly Elegant opens Thursday through Sunday, so plan a lavender trip for the second half of the week.
- Metroparks such as Delhi need a $10 vehicle pass, Sterling State Park needs a Michigan Recreation Passport, and Matthaei Botanical Gardens uses metered parking.
- Peony season at the Nichols Arboretum can shift by about 10 days with the weather, so check the garden's bloom page before a late-May or June trip.
- The Old Mill Museum in Dundee is open Friday through Monday afternoons only, and the Rentschler Farm Museum just one Saturday a month, so time those stops carefully.
- Paddlers at Delhi should know the rapids are Class II; there are launches both above and below them.
Checked in October 2026 against official park, tourism and business websites. How we check listings
Questions
When is lavender season near Ann Arbor?
June and July. Lavender Lane Farm in Milan and Plainly Elegant Lavender Farm in Ann Arbor both open for you-pick in those months, Thursday through Sunday.
Is there a lavender festival near Milan?
Yes. Lavender Lane Farm holds its Lavender Harvest Festival on the Saturday and Sunday after the Fourth of July.
Can I buy Lavender Lane products outside of summer?
Yes. Their shop at 12 E. Main Street in downtown Milan is open year-round, Tuesday through Sunday.
What free things can I do near Milan?
The Old Mill Museum in Dundee and River Raisin National Battlefield Park in Monroe have no admission fee, and Matthaei Botanical Gardens and the Nichols Arboretum are free to enter.
When do the peonies bloom at the Nichols Arboretum?
The peony garden usually peaks between Memorial Day and mid-June, give or take about 10 days depending on the weather.
🪪 Collect a stamp at every stop
The free Lavender Passport keeps a stamp for each farm and stop you visit, in real life and in the Lavender Farm Simulator. At the farm, play Field Quest to collect plant varieties as you walk, climb the leaderboards and unlock sponsor rewards.
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