In the heart of Harnett County, just about forty-five minutes from "everywhere," fields of gold, yellow, orange and red await those looking to shoot some beautiful photos amongst the sunflowers on Cathis Farm.

The second annual Sunflower Days at Cathis Farm is a fun summer outing for the entire family, open Saturday and Sunday from July 9 to July 24.
Sunflower Days bring the vibrancy of summer, and ticket holders have access to two acres of land dotted with over twenty varieties of sunflowers.
Though most people are more than familiar with the lemon-yellow flower with a chocolate brown center, co-owner Stephanie Freas, loves to see people discover just how versatile the ubiquitous blooms can be.

"Some of these sunflowers are around 10-feet-tall and bigger than your head. There are fluffy ones and some that come in purple, orange and red. Sunflowers come in such wide varieties; it's a lot of fun to go through and discover all these flowers you just weren't expecting."

With a pivot toward events and seasonal activities in 2018, Cathis Farms teamed up with Freas, who brought her haunted attractions to the business. Their partnership proved a fertile environment for ideas, and the seed for Sunflower Days was planted.

When we first started this event, we noticed there weren't a lot of sunflowers around," Freas said. "We wanted to create a fun experience; it's really nice out here, and people are looking for outdoor activities to do.

People love sunflowers, and it's an opportunity to create great photos — it's just a fun summer event."
Single-day admission tickets grant access to the sunflower fields for as long as the visitor cares to stay. Each person gets a sunflower on the house, but they're also free to pick their own. To complete the pastoral aesthetic, they can even collect them in lovely galvanized buckets.

With a keen eye toward social media trends, Cathis knows its audience and offers Sunflower Days first and foremost as a prime destination for photographers and selfie-lovers alike. Friday, July 15 and 22, guests can access the farm in the evening to capture the beautiful sunset and some gorgeous late afternoon light.

"This is a big photography event," Freas explained. "We're sprinkling photo-ops all around the farm. There are a lot of antique bicycles, tractors and benches, just mixed in with the flowers. It's perfect for maternity shoots or engagement photos. Most people run around and take these cool selfies because it's such a great background."

Though not a totally kid-oriented event, Freas assured Up & Coming Weekly there will be plenty to do and see. The Cathis Farm concession stand will be open during Sunflower Days, and there is a hot dog cart featuring meat from the farm's own animals.

Guests can also pop in and take a look at the little market on-site stocked with local and regional goodies.

"It's a nice getaway to the country," Freas said thoughtfully. "We try to do things a little bit different here — something fun enough to bring the whole family. We try to provide a wide variety of things to do throughout the year."

Tickets are $15 for ages 11 and up and $10 for ages 3 to 10. To purchase tickets, visit https://cathisfarm.ticketspice.com/sunflower-days-2022.
Cathis Farm is located at 544 Falcon Road in Lillington.