First time at Jessie's Grove, and I found out about their Flower Festival through Instagram. Honestly, how had I never heard of this place before?! Tickets were $10 online, and the winery itself was super cute with a large, scenic property.
DRINKS: (3.5/5)
They had wine slushies available at different stations, ours was good, but pretty melted compared to others we saw that were more frozen and solid. We also bought a bottle of their Chardonnay. While my family and I usually enjoy white wines, this one missed the mark for us. It didn't go down smoothly and just wasn't enjoyable.
FOOD (4/5):
There were several food trucks to choose from, offering everything from Mexican to BBQ to coffee. I was so happy to see Lockeford Sausage, hadn't had one in ages and it was just as delicious as I remembered.
FLOWERS (3/5) -- the main event!
This was definitely the star of the festival. Flowers were scattered beautifully around the grounds. I started noticing people walking around with gorgeous bouquets and asked where they got them. That's when I learned there were three different flower options--not that anyone told us that upfront, unfortunately. For future visitors, here's a breakdown:
1. Bouquet Bar ($24) - Pre-cut flowers where you build your own bouquet by picking from several flower sections (greens, blooms, accents, etc.).
2. Pre-made Bouquets (~$24) - Already assembled, ready to go.
3. Cut-Your-Own ($15 for 20 stems) - These were a different type of flower (can't remember the name), but beautiful if you get there early. We did this near closing, and sadly most of the good flowers were gone. What was left were small, wilted, or colorless blooms, and they didn't look great. Plus, the flowers we picked didn't last 24 hours--even though they were placed in water. Super disappointing, so next time I'd skip this option unless I got there right when they opened.
If you wanna do this, I would bring my own vase next time bc they put the flowers in a bag of water and we couldn't set down the bag anywhere to eat or anything, and it was heavy to hold too due to the water.
TRAIN RIDE: (3/5)
One fun surprise: the train ride was included in admission and open to all ages--which I appreciated, because let's be real, adults love train rides too! It's a short 5-minute loop around the property, and it was a cute experience.
BUT the wait was long. We waited nearly an hour, thinking the line would move quickly--but between loading passengers (5 mins) and the ride itself (another 5 mins), the line barely moved. Definitely worth doing, but maybe try to catch it earlier in the day before the line builds up.
SEATING & SET-UP: (4/5)
We brought picnic blankets instead of chairs, thinking it'd be "too much." But seating was limited and most people brought folding chairs, which I'd recommend next time.
IMPROVEMENTS:
1. The entry policy listed on their website was overly strict (like concert-level strict): no outside drinks, only one sealed water bottle per person, no reusable bottles unless empty, etc. I even questioned if I could bring ice in my Hydroflask.
In reality? None of it was enforced. No bag checks, no questions, nothing. We ended up buying smaller water bottles and storing them in our trunk just to comply, only to find out no one cared or checked at all. We even saw a couple walk in without wristbands or tickets.
If you're going to post strict rules, at least enforce them--or don't post them in the first place.
2. Their Instagram promoted a 5PM music event and said no reservations were needed. But when the festival ended around 4PM and we tried to sit down to enjoy the live music at one of the tables the staff told us the table was reserved, even though the people weren't there yet. When we asked at the hostess stand about getting a table, we were told they were fully booked. And the girl was very rude about it.
Very confusing and not what was communicated online.
Overall, the festival was fun, but I'd recommend arriving early to really take advantage of everything while it's fresh and available. There's a lot of potential here, but the lack of communication and poor organization took away from the experience a bit. read more