About Tenderloin Farms Lavender
Tenderloin Farms is a family farm on St. James Drive outside Edwardsville, run by sisters Kim Hansen and Kris Straub, who planted their first test plots of lavender in 2016 after their parents died. It is still a working farm, with corn and bean fields and machinery around the lavender, which grows on a couple of acres of former pasture. Local reporting has described about 1,000 plants in 15 varieties, with English lavender opening in late May and the peak lasting to about the Fourth of July.
The 2026 season was set to open May 22, with the farm open Friday through Sunday from 9 AM to 3 PM. Entry is free and no reservation is needed. Arrive at the top of the hour to join the farm tour, which ends with a lesson on cutting lavender, then head to the u-pick patch to cut a bundle, mixing whatever varieties are blooming. Red poppies and other wildflowers often bloom at the same time, and you can wander past the pond, the old granary and the greenhouse. Groups can book a prescheduled tour.
The shop sits in a renovated dairy barn and stocks goods made from the farm's lavender: goat's-milk, honey-luffa and chamomile soaps, lotion bars, lip balms, shower steamers, bath soaks and bath bombs, floral water, soy candles, sachets, eye and neck pillows, culinary lavender sugar and extract, lavender fudge, wreaths, and fresh and dried bundles. Picnics are welcome, and the online shop runs year-round.
Liberty Apple Orchard, also in Edwardsville and about 15 minutes away, adds an orchard stop to the day.
Lavender here
- When it blooms
- Late May to about July 4
- Visiting
- 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.
From the farm shop
- Goat's-milk and honey-luffa soaps
- Lotion bars
- Lip balm
- Shower steamers
- Bath soaks and bath bombs
- Floral water
- Soy candles
- Sachets
- Eye and neck pillows
- Culinary lavender sugar and extract
- Lavender fudge
- Wreaths
- Fresh and dried lavender bundles
What to do
- Join the top-of-the-hour farm tour and learn to cut lavender
- Cut a mixed-variety bundle in the u-pick patch
- Look for red poppies and wildflowers blooming alongside the lavender
- Shop soaps, lotion bars and lavender fudge in the old dairy barn
- Bring a picnic to eat on the farm
Season, hours and prices
- Season
- Opens late May (May 22 in 2026); lavender blooms from late May to about July 4
- Hours
- 2026 season: Friday-Sunday, 9 AM-3 PM (from May 22)
- Admission
- free
Good to know
- Reservations
- Walk-in; group tours prescheduled
Tips for your visit
- Wear flat shoes: this is a working farm with uneven ground, insects and farm machinery nearby.
- Arrive at the top of the hour to catch the tour and cutting lesson.
- Bloom timing varies, so check their website or social pages before driving out.
Pair it with a nearby stop
Liberty Apple Orchard · about 15 minutes away
Liberty Apple Orchard, also in Edwardsville and about 15 minutes away, pairs well with a lavender morning.
Getting there
Questions
Is there an admission fee?
No. Entry is free; you pay only for what you cut or buy.
Do I need a reservation?
No, not on regular open days. Group tours can be prescheduled.
When does the lavender bloom?
English lavender usually starts in late May, with the peak lasting to around July 4.
🗺️ Part of the guide Things to Do Near the Lavender Farm of Edwardsville, Illinois, and the Metro East
Checked in October 2026 against the business’s own website and local tourism pages. Hours and seasons change, so check with them before you go. How we check listings · Is this your business? Claim it free
