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🗺️ Farm Day Trips guide
Things to Do Near the Lavender Fields of Fair Haven & Sodus Bay on Lake Ontario, New York
Ol'Factory's July lavender festival in Red Creek pairs with Lake Ontario bluffs at Fair Haven and Chimney Bluffs and fall apples near Sodus Bay.
5 places · updated October 17, 2026
🌱 What’s happening now
Updated October 17
🪻 In season now
Ol'Factory Lavender & Herb Farm · The Apple Shed · Abbott Farms
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This stretch of Lake Ontario's southern shore, between Oswego and Sodus Bay, is orchard country cut by bays and steep bluffs. Ol'Factory Lavender & Herb Farm grows lavender on a former fruit farm in Red Creek, where the first plants went into a test garden in 2002; the lake's influence on the local climate helps the lavender here. The farm shop sells soaps and scents made from what it grows, and its NY Lavender Festival fills the first two weekends of July.
Fair Haven Beach State Park is about 15 minutes north, with a sand beach under tall bluffs, and Chimney Bluffs State Park's eroded clay spires are a little farther west. Oswego's fort and maritime museum lie to the east, while Montezuma's marshes, Auburn and the north end of the Finger Lakes are under an hour south. Summer is for the lake and the lavender; September and October bring apples and cider to the farms around Sodus and Newark.
The lavender farms
- Ol'Factory Lavender & Herb FarmLavender farm · Red Creek
early July (festival timed to bloom)
Farm shop open April–December, Thursday–Sunday; lavender picking during the NY Lavender Festival on the first two weekends of July; weddings and evening classes.
Best time to visit
Ol'Factory's NY Lavender Festival runs the first two weekends of July (July 4–5 and July 11–12), with lavender picking, workshops, artisans, music and food, and the farm shop is open Thursday through Sunday from April to December. Fair Haven Beach State Park's 2026 guarded swimming ran on weekends from May 23, then daily from late June to September 7, and its cabins are rented May 15–October 12. Fort Ontario is open Wednesday through Sunday from May 13 to October 12, 2026, and the Oswego maritime museum's vessels are open mid-May through mid-October. Montezuma's Wildlife Drive is open April 1 to November 30, when the marshes fill with migrating waterfowl. In fall, the orchards around Newark and Baldwinsville start their apple harvests.
Places to see nearby parks, trails, beaches and landmarks
- Fair Haven Beach State Park🌳 State park · Fair Haven · about 8 mi, 15 min drive
About 1,500 feet of sand beach on Lake Ontario, 600 feet of it guarded, under tall shoreline bluffs, with wooded hills, a hiking trail, boating on Little Sodus Bay and a 30-unit cabin colony.
2026 guarded swimming May 23–September 7 (weekends until mid-June)
$9 per vehicle, April 1–October 31
- Chimney Bluffs State Park🌳 State park · Wolcott · about 15 mi, 25 min drive
Wind and waves have carved the lakeshore here into tall earthen spires; walk the trails along the top of the bluffs or the beach below for the views. Leashed dogs are allowed.
Open year-round, dawn to dusk
$5 per vehicle, April 1–October 31 (as posted)
- Sodus Bay Lighthouse Museum🗼 Lighthouse · Sodus Point · about 18 mi, 30 min drive
A lighthouse museum on North Ontario Street in Sodus Point, which also runs a summer concert series.
Friday–Sunday, noon–5 pm, in season
- Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge🌲 Preserve · Seneca Falls · about 25 mi, 40 min drive
Drive the 3-mile Wildlife Drive through the marsh pools or climb the Tschache Pool tower; the refuge has several active bald eagle nests and sandhill cranes can be seen from Van Dyne Spoor Road.
Wildlife Drive and visitor center April 1–November 30 (visitor center 10 am–3 pm), weather permitting
- Fort Ontario State Historic Site🏛️ Historic site · Oswego · about 24 mi, 37 min drive
A star-shaped fort from the early 1840s, improved 1863–1872, with guardhouses, a powder magazine, barracks and underground casemates; from 1944 to 1946 it was the only U.S. refugee camp for mostly Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
May 13–October 12, 2026; Wednesday–Saturday 10 am–4:30 pm, Sunday noon–4:30 pm
Adults $4, seniors and students $3, 12 and under free (2026)
- H. Lee White Maritime Museum🏛️ Museum · Oswego · about 23 mi, 36 min drive
At the end of the West First Street Pier in Oswego Harbor, with more than 400 years of regional maritime history, historic vessels to board and boat tours out to the West Pierhead Lighthouse.
July–August 10 am–5 pm, September–June 1–5 pm; vessels open mid-May to mid-October
- Seward House Museum🏛️ Museum · Auburn · about 30 mi, 47 min drive
The family home of William Henry Seward, shown on guided tours each hour, with one of the country's largest original house collections plus American art and gardens.
Tuesday–Saturday 10 am–5 pm; Sundays 1–5 pm June through September
- Beaver Lake Nature Center🌲 Preserve · Baldwinsville · about 20 mi, 35 min drive
An Onondaga County nature center around a lake, with birding walks, snowshoeing and skiing in winter, maple sugaring season and a fall Golden Harvest Festival.
Daily 10 am–6:30 pm (closes 3:30 pm October 21–25, 2026)
Where to stop: farms, food and stays
- The Apple ShedFarm stand · Newark
The Apple Shed on Fairville Maple Ridge Road sells 14 apple varieties in 2026, pours from its own cidery and runs a lunch café, open daily.
- Abbott FarmsU-pick farm · Baldwinsville
A Baldwinsville farm with u-pick strawberries, blueberries, apples and pumpkins in their seasons, a bakery, a café serving breakfast and lunch, and a petting farm.
- Montezuma Winery Finger LakesWinery or vineyard (21+) · Seneca Falls
A Route 20 winery that began with honey mead and also pours its own spirits; 2026 wine tastings start at $10, and the kitchen serves food Wednesday through Sunday.
- Springside InnRestaurant · Auburn
A historic inn on West Lake Road in Auburn with seven guest rooms, a restaurant and seasonal events such as weekly neighborhood nights in October.
A one-day plan
- 10:00 AMOl'Factory Lavender & Herb Farm
On a July festival Saturday (July 11), pick lavender, catch a workshop and browse the vendors; about 90 minutes. Festival tickets are pre-sale only.
- 11:55 AMChimney Bluffs State Park · about 25 min drive
About 25 minutes west. Walk the bluff trail for the views of the spires and the lake; about an hour.
- 1:25 PMThe Apple Shed (Maple Ridge) · about 35 min drive
About 35 minutes south to Newark for lunch at the café (weekends 11 am–3 pm) and a look at the apples and cider; about an hour.
- 3:00 PMMontezuma National Wildlife Refuge · about 35 min drive
About 35 minutes southeast. Drive the 3-mile Wildlife Drive and stop at the Tschache Pool tower; about an hour.
- 4:15 PMMontezuma Winery · about 10 min drive
About 10 minutes to Route 20. Try a mead and wine tasting; about 45 minutes. Plan a designated driver.
- 5:30 PMSpringside Inn · about 25 min drive
About 25 minutes east to Auburn for dinner or an overnight; check the inn's dining hours before you go.
Tips
- Ol'Factory sells festival tickets pre-sale only, each good for one day; the farm does not allow visitors' pets, and it has no landline, so contact it by email.
- Fair Haven Beach and Chimney Bluffs charge vehicle fees from April through October; a $80 Empire Pass covers both.
- Chimney Bluffs is open to hunting in season; watch for posted safety zones in fall.
- Montezuma's Wildlife Drive is for vehicles only, and dogs are allowed only on the Seneca Trail.
- Fort Ontario is closed Mondays and Tuesdays (except Monday holidays), so plan an Oswego day for Wednesday through Sunday.
Checked in October 2026 against official park, tourism and business websites. How we check listings
Questions
When is the NY Lavender Festival?
Ol'Factory Lavender & Herb Farm holds it on the first two weekends of July: July 4–5 and July 11–12.
Can I bring my dog to the lavender farm?
No. Ol'Factory says visitors' pets are not allowed on the premises for insurance reasons. Chimney Bluffs and Fair Haven Beach allow leashed dogs outside guarded beaches and buildings.
Is the lavender farm open outside the festival?
Yes. The farm shop is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10 am–5 pm and Sunday 11 am–3 pm, April through December.
How far is Fair Haven Beach State Park from the lavender farm?
About 8 miles, roughly 15 minutes north.
🪪 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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