A few weeks ago, we had free time and ventured up to Amicalola Falls State Park. Although it’s only 90 minutes away, we hadn’t been there in over a decade. On the way, we stopped at Fausett Farms Sunflowers and Burt’s Pumpkin Farm.

Fausett Farms Sunflowers

Until I saw an Instagram post from ExploreGeorgia.org that Saturday morning, I’d never heard of Fausett Farms. The post simply stated it was opening day to see the sunflowers. 

I love sunflowers and always enjoyed the Sunflower Trail & Festival in Gilliam, Louisiana. I just assumed the sunflower season ended over the summer. When we looked up Faucett Farms and saw how close it was to Atlanta, we decided to make a day trip up there.

We drove north to the outlet shops in Dawsonville and then headed west a few miles along winding 2-lane roads. After seeing a sign, we followed the cars in front of us into the long driveway where we paid the $5 entrance fee. Walking over a wooden bridge, 30 acres of sunflowers standing tall and proud awaited us.

These weren’t regular sunflowers – they were over 5 feet tall! As we walked along the perimeter, we saw people taking pictures  — families with toddlers, a group of women donning white head coverings, a couple posing for engagement photos. The bright yellow of the petals provided cheer to the gray and cloudy day.

 

After we got the lay of the land, we walked among the rows of flowers. As the sunflowers towered around me, the viewpoint was totally different. It reminded of the saying “You can’t see the forest for the trees.”

I learned from the website that the property has remained in the same family since 1860. For decades, the family operated a poultry farm but converted it to sunflowers about a decade ago. For more information, visit their website here.

Burt’s Pumpkin Farm

Just around the corner a couple of miles from Fausett Farms is Burt’s Pumpkin Farm. For decades, visitors flock here in the fall months to buy pumpkins and baked goods, as well as to take a family-friendly hayride.

This year was no different as we got one of the last parking spaces in the main parking lot. Walking around on this crisp, cloudy morning, the bright oranges, yellows, and whites of the pumpkins put us in a festive mood. 

Burt’s lies almost directly across from the entrance to Amicalola Falls State Park. Originally, the farm included Amicalola Falls until the late 1800s. Throughout the years Bartley Crane and his descendants operated a general store on their farm until great-grandson, Johnny Burt started selling the pumpkins he grew in the early 1970s.  Over time, he and his family offered hayrides and later baked goods. 

I never knew there were so many varieties of pumpkins until I walked around. Some pumpkins weighed so much that customers had to use a wheelbarrow to transport it to their vehicle. In addition to large pumpkins, Burt’s sold cute little mini pumpkins for $1 each. 

Burt’s doesn’t just sell pumpkins. They grow other items to help with fall decorating including winter squash, gourds and Indian corn. In addition to the hayrides, they had a food truck selling barbeque.

For more information, click here.