If you build it, they will come.
Earlier this week, the girls and I visited the acres of sunflowers blooming at Dorothea Dix Park. In years past the City of Raleigh planted sunflowers along the southern portion of the Neuse River Greenway Trail. A white picket fence around the perimeter deterred most people from getting too close. However, the sunflowers’ popularity has grown exponentially over the years causing the City of Raleigh to rethink where to plant them. So, this year they planted five acres of sunflowers in an open field at Dorothea Dix Park. Based on social media feeds and local news it’s been a brilliant way to encourage people to safely visit the park!
How to See the Sunflowers
Enter the park through the Hunt Dr entrance off Western Blvd. Follow the helpful signs and park near the soccer fields on the right. After parking, walk through a dirt pathway over the old landfill berm and the sunflowers are located above the old landfill berm. This year there’s not a white picket fence keeping you from getting up close and personal with the sunflowers. You can walk among the many rows of sunflowers, but be sure not to pick any, and mind the bees! The City of Raleigh plans to harvest the seeds and process them into biodiesel for farm equipment.
Stay and Play at Dorothea Dix
Visit the park to see the sunflowers, but stay for a picnic, bike ride, walk or organized activity. Some of the best picnic spots in the park are near the Big Field (101 Blair Dr) or overlooking downtown near the intersection of Black Dr and Cramer Dr. After visiting the sunflower field, the girls and I drove over here and set up a hammock between two trees just up the hill from Rocky Branch Trail. They repeatedly biked down the nearby grass hills while shouting, “This is awesome” at the top of their lungs!
We stayed for over an hour swinging in the hammock, eating lunch, biking and enjoying the downtown Raleigh views. If you’re looking for a more organized activity at the park, check out their list of upcoming events including SunFest this upcoming weekend. SunFest runs from 2-7pm on Saturday, July 14th. They’ll have food trucks, vendors, local breweries, kiddo arts and crafts, and live bluegrass music.
Get Involved at Dorothea Dix
The City of Raleigh bought over 300 acres at Dorothea Dix Park to turn it into an amazing destination park. They’re currently in the Master Planning stages with a renowned landscape/architect firm, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, leading the way. I’ve had the pleasure of attending several public community meetings and workgroup meetings. I always walk away in awe of hearing the creative ideas on the table and challenges being faced.
There’s still time to get involved – attend the fourth public community meeting on October 4th or submit your ideas online. Catch up on past public community meetings to learn about possible park features such as a land bridge to Pullen, splash pad, renovations at Dix Hill, and more!
