Father’s Day brunch just got a serious upgrade in northern Michigan. Lavender Hill Farm in Boyne City is hosting a special brunch event that pairs the charm of a working lavender farm with a menu built around sweet skewers and candied bacon.
Picture rolling purple fields, fresh air carrying that unmistakable floral scent, and a plate in front of you that somehow makes a lazy Sunday morning feel like a real occasion. If you have never celebrated Dad surrounded by lavender and good food, this might be the year to change that.
The Setting: Brunch Among the Lavender Fields
There are brunch spots with nice views, and then there is eating outdoors while rows of lavender stretch out around you like something out of a storybook. Lavender Hill Farm sits on Horton Bay Road North in Boyne City, and the grounds alone make it worth showing up early.
The farm sits on gently rolling hills, and from the top you can see the fields laid out in long purple-green stripes that catch the morning light differently depending on where you stand.
Visitors consistently mention how the smell hits you before you even get out of the car. That is not an exaggeration.
The wind carries the scent across the whole property, and on a warm June morning it mixes with whatever is coming off the kitchen in a way that is hard to describe without sounding dramatic. Just trust it.
The farm has an easy, relaxed energy that suits a Father’s Day brunch perfectly. There are covered areas, open porch seating with field views, and enough space that it never feels crowded even when the place is busy.
Families spread out naturally across the grounds, kids wander the paths, and nobody is rushing you. The whole setup feels more like visiting someone’s beautiful property than attending a ticketed event, which is probably why people keep coming back.
Boyne City is a small northern Michigan town, and the drive up through Charlevoix County adds to the whole mood before you even arrive.
Sweet Skewers: The Dish That Steals the Show
Sweet skewers at a brunch sounds simple until you actually see them. The concept works because a skewer turns finger food into something that feels intentional, like someone actually thought about how you would eat it.
At a farm brunch surrounded by lavender, that kind of thoughtful detail lands differently than it would at a hotel buffet.
The combination of flavors on a well-built sweet skewer hits multiple notes at once. You get soft, you get a little crunch, you get something bright and fruity cutting through something richer.
When those flavors are built around a lavender farm context, there is usually a subtle floral thread running through the sweetness that does not overpower anything. It just adds a layer that makes you pause for a second before taking another bite.
What makes this particular menu item interesting is how it fits the setting. You are outside, probably standing or sitting casually, and a skewer is exactly the kind of food that works in that situation.
No fussing with utensils, no balancing a plate awkwardly. Just pick it up and enjoy the view between bites.
Guests at Lavender Hill Farm events have noted how well the food aligns with the overall vibe of the place, and the sweet skewers seem to embody that philosophy. They are not trying to be a fine dining course.
They are trying to make a sunny morning feel a little more special, and from what visitors describe, they do exactly that. Father’s Day calls for something a bit more memorable than a standard egg scramble, and this delivers on that without being over the top.
Candied Bacon: Because Dad Deserves the Good Stuff
Candied bacon has a way of making people stop mid-conversation. You put a piece in your mouth and for a second everything else pauses.
The salt, the crunch, the caramelized sugar coating that shatters just slightly before giving way to the meat underneath. It is one of those foods that sounds like a gimmick until you actually eat it.
For a Father’s Day brunch, it is almost too perfect. Bacon is already dad territory.
Candied bacon is bacon that went to a fancy school and came back with better manners. Serving it at a lavender farm brunch adds a contrast that works surprisingly well.
The richness of the bacon against the lighter, floral elements of a lavender-influenced menu creates a balance that keeps the plate interesting from the first bite to the last.
There is also something fun about the way candied bacon travels at an outdoor event. It holds up better than scrambled eggs, it looks good on a board or platter, and people tend to reach for it instinctively.
At Lavender Hill Farm, where the whole atmosphere leans into sensory pleasure, whether that is the smell of the fields, the visual of the purple rows, or the sound of the wind through the plants, the food needs to pull its weight. Candied bacon does not just pull its weight.
It shows up early, sets the table, and makes everyone glad it came. Dads who have been dragged to lavender farms before and been slightly skeptical about the whole thing will probably reconsider their position after the first piece.
The Farm’s Gift Shop and Lavender Products Worth Picking Up
After brunch, the gift shop at Lavender Hill Farm is the kind of place that makes you spend more than you planned. That is not a complaint.
The shop is stocked with lavender-infused products that range from culinary items like seasonings and baking mixes to body care products, sachets, and candles. Everything is well-organized and the space itself has been designed with real care, which visitors notice immediately.
One detail that keeps coming up in visitor accounts is the women’s restroom floor, which is apparently covered in coins. It is the kind of quirky touch that you remember and tell people about later.
The shop feels like it was put together by someone who actually uses lavender in their daily life rather than someone who just ordered a wholesale catalog. The culinary items in particular have gotten strong reviews from people who took them home and actually cooked with them.
For Father’s Day, the gift shop becomes a natural extension of the brunch. You are already there, the kids have been wandering the paths, and now everyone wants to bring something home.
Lavender shortbread cookies are a consistent favorite based on visitor feedback, and the packaged items travel well. Staff members have been described repeatedly as genuinely helpful rather than just present, which makes the shopping part feel less like a transaction and more like a conversation.
If you are looking for something to give Dad beyond the brunch itself, the shop has enough variety that you will find something that fits. The lavender latte and lemonade options near the shop are worth grabbing before you leave as well.
Golf Cart Tours Through the Lavender Fields
For eight dollars a person, a golf cart tour at Lavender Hill Farm gives you a completely different relationship with the property. Walking the grounds is one thing.
Riding through the rows of lavender with a knowledgeable guide narrating the whole operation is another. The guides here have earned consistent praise from visitors for being both well-informed and genuinely enthusiastic about what they do, which changes the whole dynamic of the tour.
You learn things on these tours that you would not pick up just wandering around. The different varieties of lavender, how each one is maintained, what the harvesting process looks like, how the essential oils are extracted in the on-site distillery.
For a Father’s Day outing, the tour gives the whole visit a bit more structure and substance, which tends to appeal to the dads who want to feel like they learned something rather than just ate brunch and looked at flowers.
The cart moves through sections of the farm that are harder to reach on foot, and from certain points on the tour you get a view of the whole property laid out below you. Reviewers have mentioned guides by name, which says something about how memorable those interactions are.
One visitor described the tour as the kind of thing where you go in thinking it will take twenty minutes and come out an hour later still asking questions. The farm itself sits on land that was once a dairy operation, and that history comes up during the tour in ways that add context to the whole place.
For families with kids or grandparents in the group, the cart makes the whole farm accessible in a way that walking might not.
The Event Barn and What Makes This Venue Different
The barn at Lavender Hill Farm is not just a backdrop. It is an active part of what the farm offers, and it has been converted into an event space that handles everything from concerts to bingo nights to wedding receptions.
The acoustics inside have been noted by visitors who came for music events, and the seating came from another venue, giving the space a character that purpose-built event halls rarely have.
For a Father’s Day brunch, the barn adds a layer of versatility to the event. If the weather shifts or if the group just wants a change of scenery from the outdoor tables, the barn provides a completely different feel without leaving the property.
It is weathered wood and open beams, and the light inside has that warm quality you get in old agricultural buildings that nobody has tried too hard to renovate into something modern.
Events at the farm have included yoga sessions, movie nights, and live concerts featuring performers that draw real crowds to a property tucked into the northern Michigan countryside. The staff managing these events has been consistently described as organized and accommodating, which matters when you are planning a Father’s Day outing with multiple generations in tow.
The barn also serves as a reminder that Lavender Hill Farm is more than a seasonal attraction. It operates as a genuine community gathering place for the Boyne City area, and the Father’s Day brunch fits naturally into that identity.
Walking from the lavender fields into the barn feels like moving through two different chapters of the same good story.
Planning Your Father’s Day Visit to Lavender Hill Farm
Getting the most out of a Father’s Day visit to Lavender Hill Farm comes down to a few practical things. The farm is located at 7354 Horton Bay Road North in Boyne City, and the drive through Charlevoix County is genuinely pleasant, especially on a clear June morning.
If you are coming from Traverse City or Petoskey, the route takes you through the kind of northern Michigan scenery that makes the destination feel earned.
Parking can fill up during busy periods, and there is an overflow lot about a hundred meters from the main entrance that handles the overflow without too much hassle. Arriving closer to opening gives you the best shot at a quieter experience before the midday crowds arrive.
The farm opens at ten in the morning, which lines up well with a brunch timeline that does not require anyone to wake up unreasonably early.
For the Father’s Day brunch specifically, checking the farm’s website at lavenderhillfarm.com before you go is a smart move. Special events tend to have their own ticketing or reservation requirements, and showing up without a reservation for a ticketed brunch is the kind of thing that turns a good plan into a disappointing one.
The farm’s phone number is 231-582-3784 if you prefer to confirm details directly. Reviewers suggest planning for at least an hour and a half to two hours to take in the tour, enjoy the brunch, browse the shop, and wander the paths without feeling rushed.
Bring a light layer for the morning air and comfortable shoes, because the grounds are worth exploring on foot even after the main event wraps up.