Less than a 30-minute drive from Greenville, SC amongst the pastures, back roads, and farmhouses lies Twin Creeks Lavender, one of two u-pick lavender farms in the Upstate. We have all the details on how to experience your U-pick adventure at this beautiful farm.
Twin Creeks Lavender Farm is more than a century old and the current owner, Michelle Ducworth, is a fourth-generation farmer. Her father raised Beefmaster cattle during her childhood on the same land and worked as an ER doctor because, well, farming ain’t cheap. It was this bond between father and daughter that ultimately led Michelle to take over the farm and turn it into a place where people could come and pick the sweet-scented lavender flowers.
About Twin Creeks Lavender Farm
Originally, Twin Creeks was a cattle farm that consisted of 300 acres. It’s now about 200 acres and Michelle lives in the same house she grew up in at the farm. Her dad, Dr. Lyman Ducworth Jr., farmed and worked in the ER but was diagnosed with cancer and died at age 66 in 2015. He died in the very farmhouse where Michelle was raised and his death was devastating to the family. But it ultimately opened up a whole new life for his daughter.
Michelle is such an open book about her life and speaking to her about this brought up memories of my own mother’s death – also from cancer – and how it affected me and really changed how I live my life. Michelle is easy to connect with like that, which I think is part of the unique charm and welcoming atmosphere of the farm.
She had noticed I had a lot of mosquito bites from a recent camping trip and she so thoughtfully put together a basket of lavender remedies for me back at the barn, including the Lavender Flower Water that helped take away the itch. I thought it was such a kind and thoughtful gesture and one that revealed a lot about who she is and how she runs the farm.
There’s something really special when it’s so obvious that someone has deep roots to where they live and intentional reasons behind their business.
Shortly after her father passed away and while working as a successful surgical sales rep, she felt a call to follow in her dad’s footsteps. So she answered.
But how exactly did lavender come into the picture? It’s not a South Carolina crop and is very hard to grow here. Its roots cannot be oversaturated, which is exactly what the red clay in our soil here does. But Michelle wanted lavender because of the many things you can do with it and its many healing properties.
So she flew out a lavender consultant from Washington State and worked with Clemson, where she graduated from, to figure out how to dig deep enough in the ground to get past the red clay and ultimately change the pH balance of the soil to be lavender-friendly.
This massive chemistry experiment led to the first lavender plants going into the ground in May 2017. It’d be two years before she could open for u-pick.
So Much Lavender
Today, there are 10 acres of more than 6,200 lavender plants at Twin Creeks. While there are more than 400 different types of lavender, Michelle grows seven of them at the farm: Grosso, Grosso Bleu, Royal Velvet, Violet Intrigue, Melissa, and Provence.
Each have their own properties and uses from oils to cooking to ornamental. Those are all explained at the farm in the different rows of lavender that you can pick from.
While I was impressed with the rows and rows of purple and nearly blue lavender flowers, the barn and the products that Michelle has inside blew me away. And she makes nearly everything available for sale there.
She makes goat milk lavender soaps in scents that will whisk you away to some peaceful place. There are sprays for everything from linens to bug bites. There are lotions, body butters, hand soaps, sachets, bath bombs, foot moisturizers, and honey. The entire barn smells like heaven.
You can also purchase already dried lavender to use for future lavender projects.
While you can only shop at the barn during u-pick season, you can find Twin Creeks Lavender Farm all over the Upstate at farmers markets (that’s how I first heard of them – thanks, Toasty Farmer!). They have a booth at the TD Saturday Market in downtown Greenville over the summer.
Lavender Honey Ice Cream & Lavender Lemonade
When you go to Twin Creeks, you are more than welcome to take a picnic blanket, lunch, and hang out, relax, and stop and smell the lavender.
But don’t miss the Lavender Honey Ice Cream made by Honest Scoop ice cream. They have an adorable ice cream truck with amazing ice cream, some of which they make for Twin Creeks Lavender Farm. It is delicious.
The other don’t-miss item is the Lavender Elderberry Lemonade made by Mama K’s Elderberry. If you have followed us for some time, you know we are big fans of Mama K’s! They have sold out of this delicious concoction in the past so be sure to get some when you arrive.
2023 U-Pick Lavender
By this point, you’re wondering how to pick your own lavender, right? Well, you totally can!
Here’s how it works: You can either purchase a pass online (and get a $5 voucher for picked lavender) or buy a pass right at the farm. Then you go and get your scissors and pick your lavender. You pay for lavender based on how much you picked. The smallest bundle is an inch in diameter and is $5 and the largest is two inches and is $15.
Tickets online are $5 each and can be purchased here. You get a $5 voucher for picked lavender if you purchase online. Kids age 5 and under and seniors age 65+ are free. Tickets are $6 each at the gate.
And if you come once, you automatically get a season pass to come again anytime during the rest of the picking season. Just present your ticket when you come again and you get in free so you can go pick lavender again or just hang out in the field and relax. This is especially a great deal if you want to pick different kinds of lavender because the different varieties bloom at different times.
2023 U-Pick dates are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9 am – 2 pm starting May 26th and running through July 2nd plus July 3rd and July 4th. The end-of-season party will be on July 4th at the farm.
If you’re a photographer or family who would just love their family photos at Twin Creeks Lavender Farm, you can pay a $100 fee to have the farm to yourself and take all the photos you need. Contact Michelle to arrange your photoshoot.
Tips on Visiting Twin Creeks Lavender Farm
To make the most of your visit to Twin Creeks Lavender Farm, here are a few suggestions:
- Wear closed-toed shoes. It’s a farm and there are ants and that kind of thing. Come prepared and don’t wear sandals or flip-flops.
- Wear or bring sunscreen. It’s the summer in South Carolina. A hat would also be great.
- Bring lunch or snacks and hang out. The farm is very peaceful.
- Hang onto your smaller kids and don’t let them have scissors or if they do, keep a close eye on them.
- Don’t bring your own scissors – Twin Creeks has some waiting for you.
Nearby Things to Do
If you want to make it a day trip down to Twin Creeks Lavender Farm, there are lots of great things in the area to do. Here are a few ideas:
- Happy Cow Creamery for local produce and milk
- Split Creek Farm for the best goat cheese and fudge and adorable baby goats
- Big Water Marina for swimming and an inflatable aqua course
- Shores of Asbury for swimming and an inflatable aqua course
- Twelve Mile Recreation Area for swimming
- South Carolina Botanical Gardens to see pretty flowers
- Kid Venture 2.0 for a free splash pad
- Lake Hartwell State Park for swimming and fishing
- City Scape Winery for locally made wine
Twin Creeks Lavender Farm
4638 Midway Road, Williamston, SC
info@twincreekslavender.com
See more places to pick flowers near Greenville, SC.