Long Row Lavender: What to Know Before You Visit
Wright City, Missouri | The Front Porch
Some places just smell like summer. For me, one of them is a 15-acre family farm tucked down a country road south of Wright City, where more than a thousand lavender plants burst into bloom every June.
If Long Row Lavender isn't on your list yet, consider this your friendly nudge from the front porch — because the bloom is happening right now, and it only lasts a few short weeks.
A Family Farm with Deep Roots
Long Row Lavender is the kind of story I love telling. Tracy and Chad Smith bought the land back in 2007, not to start a business, but simply to be good stewards of it and raise their four kids with plenty of time outdoors. The first lavender went into the ground in 2009 (fun fact: lavender is deer-resistant, which solved a very Missouri problem), and what started as a family project slowly grew into one of our area's most beloved destinations.
Today the farm is home to a beautiful gambrel-style post and beam barn, a gift shop stocked with bath and body products handmade right on the property, a café, workshop space, and rows upon rows of lavender in varieties like Phenomenal, Hidcote Blue, Munstead, and Sensational. It's still family-owned and family-run — and you can feel that in every corner of the place.
What to Do When You Visit
Walk the lavender rows. Admission to the farm is free, and visitors are welcome to stroll the field, visit the pond, and yes — sit awhile on the porch swing. (You know I couldn't resist a place with a porch swing.) Peak bloom hits in mid-June, so this is the moment.
Stay for lunch. The café serves lunch from 11 to 2 — think sourdough grilled cheese, chicken salad, and quiche — plus specialty espresso drinks, herbal teas, lavender lemonade, and homemade desserts all day. Word to the wise: do not leave without trying a lavender chocolate chip cookie.
Shop the barn. The gift shop is filled with lavender body butter, sugar scrubs, lip balms, sachets, wreaths, home decor, and herbal teas — almost all of it made by hand at the farm. Head upstairs to see lavender hanging from the ceiling to dry. The whole barn smells incredible.
Take a workshop. Throughout the season, local artists and makers teach classes at the barn — everything from wreath-making to pie crusts. It's a perfect girls' afternoon or mother-daughter outing.
Catch a farm event. Long Row hosts seasonal makers' markets featuring local artisans, plus special events like their summer farm-to-table dinner on June 18th. Follow them on social media for "you-pick" days when the public is invited to cut their own lavender, peonies, or zinnias.
Know Before You Go
Where: 26549 S. Stracks Church Rd., Wright City, MO 63390 — about 20 minutes west of Wentzville, straight out I-70 (take exit 199)
When: Open Wednesday–Saturday, 10:00–4:00, mid-March through mid-December
Lunch: Served 11:00–2:00, no reservations needed
Cost: Free admission to the farm and fields
Best time for blooms: Mid-June for lavender; sunflowers, zinnias, and peonies take their turns through the season
Heads up: The farm closes for one week in early July for its annual post-bloom reset
Why I Love Sharing Places Like This
This is exactly what I mean when I say living in the St. Charles County area is about more than the house you buy. It's about the Saturday mornings within reach of your front door — the lavender farms and farmers markets, the small family businesses pouring their hearts into something beautiful, the kind of community where a 20-minute drive lands you somewhere that feels like a getaway.
If you visit Long Row this month, tell them The Front Porch sent you. And then come back and tell me what you ordered at the café — I'm always taking recommendations.
Thinking about putting down roots in St. Charles County, or wondering what your current home is worth in today's market? I'd love to chat — pull up a chair on the porch anytime.
— Sarah
Sarah Ruder is a residential real estate agent serving St. Charles and St. Louis Counties. The Front Porch is her love letter to the neighborhoods, small businesses, and people that make this corner of Missouri home.
