Visiting our Farm in 2024
FAQs
When are you open for the season 2024?
We are currently CLOSED. Our Plant Sale is May 24-25. Free Admission to Farm Grounds this weekend only. Pre-Order Lavender Plants propagated off our own plants HERE. We sell out of plants prior to opening May 24, so make sure to reserve your plants now.
Opening Day is June 1: Wagon Tours begin. Admission to Farm Grounds apply.
See our detailed schedule of farm tour dates, times, and pricing on our Farm To Table Wagon Ride Tour tab here.
Admission Reservations can be made here.
What are your business hours?
We are currently Closed. During Open Season in 2024, our hours are Tues-Saturday, 10am-5 pm.
When is the best time to come and see the lavender in bloom?
New Life Lavender is a beautiful working farm that sits on 40 acres with a scenic view of the Baraboo Bluffs in the background. Our farm offers 25 varieties of lavender which blooms mid June-mid July. Each variety blooms and peaks at different times depending on a number of factors including weather. Some varieties begin mid June and end mid July. Some varieties begin in early July and bloom through the end of July. Typically we have our main harvest finalized by end of July. There will be a few varieties that bloom in September.
Our farm is so much more than lavender. We have 8 acres of wildflowers that bloom all season, beginning June through October. Each week the wildflowers change over with a different beautiful show of flowers.
We've worked hard in the off season to add landscaped features to our farm. Each year, we've added more patio space, and a landscaped river through our lavender fields featuring koi fish and waterfalls.
This all makes our farm a beautiful place to visit any time of the year, regardless of lavender in bloom. We think our farm offers a peaceful, scenic spot with rolling hills perfect to enjoy a stroll with friends and family, or to celebrate a special occasion in your life anytime June-October.
photo credit in order l-r: Alison Van de Hei Photography, Ellen De Vries, Micah McReynolds
how big is your farm?
As stated above, our farm sits on 40 acres but we open about 25 acres to the public. We have 16,000 lavender plants, with over 25 varieties of lavender, & 8 acres of wildflowers to enjoy.
WHAT IS THERE TO DO ON YOUR FARM?
When you arrive at New Life Lavender, all guests are asked to enter through the front door. The parking lot is fenced off so please do not climb over or through the fences. When your enter our farm store, you can choose to do a number of things:
1: Shop in our farm store full of a variety of lavender skincare products.
2: Enjoy a lavender treat or two from our commercial kitchen. Menu's are posted by the cash register, where you can place your orders. Treats can be enjoyed on the patio outside (limited seating) or outside by the lavender fields (with admission).
3: Take a Farm to Table Wagon Ride Tour ($13- $15/person and includes admission afterwards to our farm grounds). More info on Farm Tours here. Petting the sheep is only accessible through our farm tours.
4: Take a stroll or a Self-Guided Tour of our Farm Grounds (Admission is a flat rate $6/person. More info on admission here).
5: Make arrangements to bring your club, ladies day out to enjoy our farm.
6: Have a coffee date with a friend and relax on one of our patios overlooking the lavender
7: Pick your own lavender bundle by signing up for one of our U-Pick Classes during peak season
8: Pack your own lawn chairs or blankets to enjoy one of our lavender treats
9: Set up a professional photography session. Learn about our professional photography policies here.
10: Treat yourself with a breathe of FRESH AIR, taking in the aromas of lavender all around you. Come back every week to see the different wildflowers in our 8 acre wildflower field.
photo credit (pic of pie: Amy Vande Hei)
WHAT IS THE ADMISSION FEE?
Admission Fees are a flat rate of $6/person. Children 5 and under are free. Admission Tickets are non-refundable and are good for the one day that tickets are issued for. Admission covers entry into our lavender farm, including the lavender fields, 8 acres of wildflowers, our Secret Garden, our observation deck, our Pergola, our landscaped river, and the trails surrounding the 25 acres open to the public. Areas where the animals live are only accessible through the Farm to Table Wagon Ride Tours.
Admission Tickets are NOT required to ENTER our Farm Store and shop or order from our menu of lavender treats. There is a patio outside with limited seating for patrons to enjoy. If this area fills up, patrons will need to purchase admission tickets to enjoy the farm grounds, or to use the other outdoor patios. In other words, Admission Tickets are only required for patrons who wish to enjoy our Farm Grounds Outside of our Farm Store Building. For more details on Admission and Ticket Policies, check out our Admission Tab.
DO YOU ACCEPT DEBIT/CREDIT CARDS?
We accept cash, credit, debit, American Express. We do not accept personal checks.
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Do You Sell Lavender Plants?
Yes, we have a very limited variety of lavender plants that we propagate off our own lavender. Each year, we will release our Online Pre-Order form & more details mid-April for our Annual Plant Sale under the Events Tab. Ordering Online for your lavender plants is for pickup only; sorry we do not ship plants. Ordering Online is the only way to guarantee availability. Instructions for planting guide and care is found here.
what other events do you offer on your farm?
Each year, we offer classes during peak bloom season, typically during the first 3 weekends in July. Classes includes:
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U-Pick Classes (Lavender Fest & first 2-3 weekends in July)
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Daily Farm Tours (read more about farm tours here)
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Lavender Festival (June 28-29, 2024)
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Ornament Painting Workshop & Christmas Open House (Nov 18, 2024)
Unfortunately, we have decided not to offer our Afternoon Teas any longer.
Can i go out into your fields and pick a lavender bundle anytime?
No. Lavender is our main crop, and cannot risk damage to our delicate plants, so we have decided to set up classes where patrons can experience picking their own lavender bundles in a controlled setting. Our U-Pick classes are typically held in July (the first 3 weekends in July). Participants are taught how to cut their bundles and then brought out to our U-Pick Fields on our wagon ride.
If patrons do not wish to take the U-Pick classes or miss the classes, we have fresh picked bundles available for purchase in our farm store that we harvest every day while the lavender is in season, beginning mid June-mid July.
Do you host weddings or rent out your barn for private events?
Each year, we get several requests to host outdoor weddings on our farm. Unfortunately, we have decided that weddings are not the direction our farm is taking, so we are unable to host your wedding on our farm. We do not rent our building out for events such as bridal/baby showers any longer.
However, many groups such as bachelorette parties, or family reunions have enjoyed our farm grounds and Farm to Table Wagon Ride Tours for a fun outdoor outing.
Do you offer u-Pick Cherries?
While we have planted over 2000 cherry trees, we have suffered a heavy loss of cherry trees over the years, and currently have decided to take our farm in a slightly different direction. But we offer cherry products in our farm store, including our homemade Lavender Cherry Pie and a variety of cherry jams, salsas, chutney, cherry butter, etc.
are you having a lavender festival this year?
Each year we host the Sauk County Lavender Fest. The dates are set for June 28-29, 2024. Stay tuned for our upcoming schedule of events by checking out our Sauk County Lavender Fest tab or Register for events held during our Lavender Fest by visiting our Events Tab. Farm Tours fill up quickly, so be sure to make your reservations early. CLICK HERE TO MAKE RESERVATIONS FOR FARM TOURS.
Do you host bus tours?
Yes we love to host bus tours. Bus tour Managers should reach out to Laura at info@newlifelavender.com to schedule a date and time for 2024. Dates are already filling up for next season so please reach out soon if you would like your tour to get on our schedule.
We limit the days and times we accommodate bus tour reservations to Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays at 9-11 am, OR 3:30-5 pm. We offer bus tours package deals so please reach out to Laura at info@newlifelavender.com for specific details.
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is your farm wheelchair accessible?
Our farm store and restrooms are wheelchair accessible. Given the nature of being a working farm, navigating on a scooter or wheelchair could be challenging as there could be uneven ground. But we do have wheelchair access to our closest lavender fields by a ramp off our back deck or through a gate off our side patio. We do not currently have wheelchair or scooter rentals available at our farm.
For Farm to Table Wagon Ride Tours: We have hosted assisted living groups and bus tours of folks using walkers in the past, so our staff will be available to assist in any way we can. But you should be aware that anyone should be able to take a few steps up into the wagon on their own. The wagon has 4 steps with a handrail and benches on both sides of the wagon to sit, as well as seating in the middle. Our staff can not lift anyone into the wagon, but we can be there to support those who need assistance. We will be able to bring the wagon right up to the wheelchair accessible ramp to load for easier loading.
is professional photography allowed? what are your fees?
Our fields and over 25 acres open to the public make a great venue for professional and amateur photographers. When our lavender is not in bloom, we have many other beautiful spots on our farm to enjoy for family pictures, engagement photos, etc all season June-October.
We are not charging Session Fee for professional photography sessions on our farm. As such, we are limiting photography sessions to only our open hours, Tues-Sat, 10 am - 5 pm, in which we are only charging the flat admission fee of $6/person to enter our lavender grounds. We ask that professionals tag our farm, @NewLifeLavender, on any social media posts. If several sessions are lined up, admission rates will be charged per session, per person. More info on our photography policies are stated here. We ask that all patrons follow and respect our grounds as stated in the policies.
For those wishing for Evening Hours, we have decided to open our farm for Evening Light Photography Sessions, which are available FRIDAYS ONLY, during peak season, June 21-July 19. For a detailed list of policies for Evening Light Sessions, please click on the event in the EVENT Tab.
phot credit: Karmen Lindner Photography
can i bring my pets on your farm?
We love our animals, and we understand the difficulty when traveling with our furry family members. Unfortunately, at this time, we do not allow pets on our farm or in our farm store. For more info, check out our Professional Photography and Pet Policy page.
is smoking allowed on your farm?
We have a strict no smoking policy on our farm grounds.