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🗺️ Farm Day Trips guide
Things to Do Near the Lavender Farm of Edwardsville, Illinois, and the Metro East
Pick lavender outside Edwardsville on June weekends, then climb Cahokia Mounds, a UNESCO site, or join a free lock and dam tour in East Alton.
9 places · updated October 17, 2026
🌱 What’s happening now
Updated October 17
🪻 In season now
Liberty Apple Orchard · Wood Acres Farm & Flowers · Rinkel Pumpkin Farm · Relleke Pumpkin Patch
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Edwardsville is the Madison County seat on the Illinois side of the St. Louis metro, a brick college town with a lively Main Street and farm country right to its north and east. Within half an hour you reach the Mississippi River bottoms, where Lewis and Clark trained for their expedition, a free river museum at the Melvin Price Locks and Dam, the walkers-only Chain of Rocks Bridge from old Route 66, and Cahokia Mounds, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982.
Tenderloin Farms Lavender is run by sisters Kim Hansen and Kris Straub, who began test plots in 2016. A local news profile updated in 2025 describes about 1,000 plants in 15 varieties on two acres, a 380-plant U-pick patch, a shop in a renovated early-1900s barn and a greenhouse fitted with old stained-glass windows. It opens Friday through Sunday mornings in June and a few fall weekends, so plan an Edwardsville lavender day for early summer and save the orchards for fall.
The lavender farms
- Tenderloin Farms LavenderLavender farm · Edwardsville
Late May to about July 4
Free entry Friday-Sunday 9 AM-3 PM from May 22 (2026); hourly farm tours with a cutting lesson, u-pick lavender patch and wildflowers; prescheduled group tours.
Best time to visit
Tenderloin Farms' lavender starts blooming in late May and stays at its best until about July 4, and the farm opens 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday through Sunday in June. Wood Acres Farm & Flowers north of town adds U-pick cut flowers and workshops; check their website for open dates. Late August starts apple season at Liberty Apple Orchard, which grows 21 varieties and stays open through November, with its Going Gold Kid's Fest on October 17, 2026. Pumpkins follow from mid-September at Rinkel Pumpkin Farm in Glen Carbon and from late September at Relleke Pumpkin Patch near Granite City. Check the Horseshoe Lake State Park closures page before a fall visit, since its hiking trail was closed until October 1, 2026.
Places to see nearby parks, trails, beaches and landmarks
- Watershed Nature Center🌲 Preserve · Edwardsville · about 8 mi, 10 min drive
More than 40 acres of prairie, forest and wetland on Tower Avenue, with paved walking trails, a raised marsh walk and a welcome center. An easy 30-minute stroll close to downtown.
- The Gardens at SIUE🌷 Garden · Edwardsville · about 9 mi, 15 min drive
A 36-acre arboretum on the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus with a half-mile walking path, bridges, benches and student-designed sculpture.
- Lewis and Clark State Historic Site🏛️ Historic site · Hartford · about 12 mi, 20 min drive
A 14,000-square-foot interpretive center with a 15-minute film, plus a reconstruction of Camp River Dubois, where the expedition prepared for its journey, and a settlers' cabin.
Interpretive center Wednesday–Sunday 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
- National Great Rivers Museum🏛️ Museum · East Alton · about 14 mi, 20 min drive
About 20 interactive exhibits on the Mississippi at the Melvin Price Locks and Dam, including a barge simulator. Free lock and dam tours (about an hour, with a half-mile walk and 80-foot heights) leave daily at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., limited to 25 people.
Daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day
Lock and dam tours free
- Old Chain of Rocks Bridge🌉 Landmark · Granite City · about 19 mi, 25 min drive
A 5,300-foot Route 66 bridge over the Mississippi, built for cars in 1929 and known for the 30-degree bend in its middle. Restored as a footbridge in 1998, it is now open only to walkers and cyclists.
- Horseshoe Lake State Park🌳 State park · Granite City · about 19 mi, 25 min drive
A 2,960-acre park around a shallow oxbow lake, averaging 3 feet deep, that was cut off from the Mississippi by old floods. People of the Cahokia mound-building era fished here, and a platform mound remains in the park. The campground is closed until May 2027.
- Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site🏛️ Historic site · Collinsville · about 22 mi, 30 min drive
The site of an ancient mound-building city, a National Historic Landmark since 1965 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982. Walk the grounds out from the Monks Mound parking lot, where you'll find maps, a water fountain and a vault toilet; dogs are allowed on a leash.
Grounds dawn to dusk daily; interpretive center lobby and gift shop Wednesday–Sunday 9 a.m.–3 p.m. (cultural gallery closed)
- Gateway Arch National Park🌉 Landmark · St. Louis, Missouri · about 28 mi, 40 min drive
Across the river in downtown St. Louis. The museum beneath the Arch is free; tram rides to the top are ticketed separately.
Where to stop: farms, food and stays
- Liberty Apple OrchardApple orchard · Edwardsville
Pick from 21 apple varieties at $2.60 a pound in 2026, with no admission or parking fees, late August through November.
- Wood Acres Farm & FlowersFlower farm · Woodburn
A family flower farm north of Edwardsville with U-pick blooms and workshops, a natural pairing with a lavender morning.
- 222 Artisan BakeryBakery · Edwardsville
Lunch sandwiches on house-made bread, soups and salads on St. Louis Street, open until 6 p.m. on Saturdays.
- Goshen CoffeeCafé or coffee shop · Edwardsville
Edwardsville's own coffee roaster on East Linden Street.
- Sacred Grounds CaféCafé or coffee shop · Edwardsville
An all-vegetarian cafe on North Main Street for coffee or a sandwich.
- Cleveland-HeathRestaurant · Edwardsville
A downtown restaurant on North Main for a sit-down dinner after a river day.
- Rinkel Pumpkin FarmPumpkin patch · Glen Carbon
A small weekend pumpkin farm in Glen Carbon with farm animals to feed, open mid-September to Halloween.
- Relleke Pumpkin PatchPumpkin patch · Granite City
Pick-your-own pumpkins near Granite City, with a weekend fall celebration through October 31.
A one-day plan
- 10:00 AMTenderloin Farms Lavender
On a June Friday, Saturday or Sunday (open 9 a.m.–2 p.m.), cut lavender in the U-pick patch and visit the barn shop. About 1 hour.
- 11:10 AMWatershed Nature Center · about 10 min drive
Walk the raised marsh walk and paved loop. About 40 minutes.
- 12:00 PM222 Artisan Bakery & Cafe · about 5 min drive
Lunch downtown, then a short walk on Main Street. About 1 hour.
- 1:15 PMLewis and Clark State Historic Site · about 15 min drive
Watch the 15-minute film and walk through the reconstructed camp. About 1 hour.
- 2:30 PMNational Great Rivers Museum · about 10 min drive
Browse the exhibits, then join the free 3 p.m. lock and dam tour. About 1.5 hours.
- 4:20 PMOld Chain of Rocks Bridge · about 20 min drive
Walk out to the bend over the Mississippi. About 45 minutes.
- 5:30 PMCahokia Mounds State Historic Site · about 20 min drive
Walk the grounds around Monks Mound in the evening light; the grounds stay open until dusk. About 1 hour.
Tips
- Tenderloin Farms keeps short hours, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday through Sunday in June, so visit the lavender first.
- The Lewis and Clark site and the Cahokia Mounds interpretive center are closed Monday and Tuesday; Cahokia's center closes at 3 p.m.
- Public lock and dam tours at the National Great Rivers Museum are capped at 25 people and involve heights of about 80 feet. Groups of 10 or more should call to book a separate time.
- Liberty Apple Orchard opens only in the afternoon on weekdays (2–5 p.m.) and is closed Mondays; Saturday is its full day.
- Check the IDNR closures page for Horseshoe Lake State Park, where the campground is closed until May 2027.
Checked in October 2026 against official park, tourism and business websites. How we check listings
Questions
When can I pick lavender near Edwardsville?
In June. Tenderloin Farms Lavender's bloom starts in late May and peaks until about July 4, and the farm opens 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday through Sunday in June, plus a few fall weekends.
How far is Cahokia Mounds from Edwardsville?
About 15 miles southwest of downtown Edwardsville, roughly a 20-minute drive. The grounds are open daily from dawn to dusk.
Is the Melvin Price lock and dam tour free?
Yes. Free public tours leave the National Great Rivers Museum in East Alton daily at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Where can I pick apples near Edwardsville?
Liberty Apple Orchard on Kuhn Station Road grows 21 varieties, open late August through November, with U-pick at $2.60 a pound in 2026.
🪪 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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