Buttonwood Farm Sunflowers and Ice Cream in Connecticut

Looking for a charming New England day trip? Buttonwood Farm in Griswold, Connecticut offers fresh ice cream, scenic sunflower fields, and a relaxing countryside escape. Whether you’re after a summer photo op or just a sweet treat, this local favorite delivers.

As a southeastern Connecticut local, I have been going to this farm every year since I was a kid. I love getting ice cream in the earlier months before the crowds and I always make sure I go in July to see the sunflowers. I have so many memories here.

About Buttonwood Farm

This farm is known for its beautiful sunflower fields, farm fresh ice cream, and scenic charm. Every summer, it draws thousands of people for its Sunflowers for Wishes event, which supports Make-A-Wish Connecticut. It is actually considered the “Sunflower Capital of New England.”

In addition to their sunflowers, they’re also known for their ice cream. The ice cream is made in small batches at the farm. They have over fifty flavors available, including some dairy-free flavors and no sugar added options. Additionally, they make their waffle cones fresh everyday and use real, homemade whipped cream on their sundaes.

Getting There

Buttonwood Farm is located on CT Route 165 in Griswold, Connecticut. There are a couple of ways to get here, it really just depends where you’re coming from. If you’re coming from the highway, you’ll take I-395 and get off of Exit 22 towards Preston City and Pachaug. Going this way, you’ll take CT Route 138 to CT Route 201 to CT Route 165.

Another way you can go is taking I-395 to Route 2A. You’ll go past Mohegan Sun and follow 2A to CT Route 2. Then, you’ll turn on to CT Route 164 and then turn on to CT Route 165. This is the way that we always took when I was growing up.

When you get there, there’s a large gravel lot that you can park in. If you’re going during peak sunflower season, this lot might fill up. There will be signs stating where you can and can’t park if this does happen. There’s also some parking available near the cutting field off of CT Route 201.

The Sunflowers

The window for going to see the sunflowers at the farm is pretty small. Peak bloom lasts for about two weeks. It’s hard to predict exactly when they’ll bloom, but it’s typically between the middle and end of July.

The Sunflowers for Wishes event is one week long. Once the event ends, there’s no set time for how long the sunflowers will stick around. It really depends on what the sunflowers look like. Shortly after the event ends, the farm will announce the date that they will release the cows into the fields to eat the sunflowers.

When the sunflowers are in bloom, there are multiple ways to experience and see them at the farm. The first, and most popular spot is in the walking field. This field is the one closest to the ice cream stand. The walking field is completely free to enjoy, which is why it’s so popular.

The walking field has various paths to explore. Each path is lined with gorgeous sunflowers. The walking paths through the field are great for photos! It’s not uncommon to see professional photoshoots happening as you walk through the field.

The top of the small hill at the far end is a great place to watch the sunset while you’re here. It’s a pretty popular spot, so it might be a little crowded depending on when you go.

The next way to experience the sunflowers is to go to the cutting field to cut your own sunflowers. This is a paid area. It’s $3 per person and an additional $3 per flower donation. Cash and card are accepted for payment. You’ll be provided with shears to cut the sunflowers.

The third field you can check out is across the street from the cutting field along CT Route 165. You can’t go into this field, but you can enjoy it from outside of the stone wall that surrounds it.

This is a popular spot for sunset photos. It’s also a popular spot for photos because you can see Pachaug Pond in the distance. Who doesn’t love sunflowers AND water views?

The Ice Cream

If you’re looking to get ice cream from Buttonwood Farm, it doesn’t take quite as much planning as it does to see the sunflowers. The ice cream stand usually opens in March and closes at the end of October. Throughout the year, they rotate seasonal flavors.

If you’re dairy-free, they also offer some dairy free flavors. As someone who was dairy-free for almost five years, I really appreciated this! They rotate dairy-free flavors throughout the season.

Another dairy-free option is sorbet. The sorbet is a really refreshing treat on hot summer days. These flavors are also rotated throughout the season.

For seating, they have benches available around the ice cream stand and a gazebo. During sunflower season, most people will walk with their ice cream into the walking field.

Avoiding The Crowds

The sunflowers and ice cream are both well-known and well-loved, which means they do draw crowds. However, there are definitely ways to avoid crowds.

For the ice cream, I usually have good luck going when they first open for the season or closer to the end of the season. Ice cream is not very popular when it’s still pretty cold outside, especially at a place like Buttonwood Farm where it’s completely outdoors. During peak season, weekdays tend to be less packed and going when they first open or later in the evening typically has less people.

For the sunflowers, try going during the week and going early or later in the day. I have actually gone during sunrise way before they open to walk through the sunflower field. I only saw one other person the one time I did that. I went that early because I was looking to take self-portraits without people in the fields. It was so peaceful. If you can get up that early, I highly recommend going that early to have the place basically to yourself.

Is Buttonwood Farm Worth Visiting?

I might be a little biased since I’m a local and I go every year, but I definitely think it’s worth visiting. It didn’t get the name “Sunflower Capital of New England” by being just an ordinary sunflower field. There are multiple fields to enjoy, whether you’re looking to spend money picking your own, or just looking to stroll through the fields for free.

Even if it wasn’t the Sunflower Capital of New England, it would still be worth going to just for its ice cream. The ice cream is made on-site and it’s delicious. They have so many flavors to choose from so there’s really something for everyone.

Oh, and if you’re lucky, the cows will be out in the field across from the ice cream stand so you’ll get ice cream AND cute cows. What more could one want?

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