A frilly, frothy weekend escape to the Lavender Festival in Sequim, Wash.

Easy ingredients for a frothy, frilly, lavender-infused weekend: Round up three girlfriends, a few purple shopping bags, a love of all things floral and head north to Washington state for the hugely popular Lavender Weekend in sunny Sequim, pronounced “Skwim.� We strolled, sniffed, tasted, clipped and sipped our way through five lavender farms in two days in mid-July (this year, July 21-23), plus did serious shopping at the annual festival’s street fair.

The tab: $224 a night at the Holiday Inn, excluding taxes and fees; $125 each for food and lavender drinks; $22 each for weekend-long admission to three farms (two others were free) and an undisclosed amount for purchases, including luscious lemon lavender pound cake mix and a deep-purple pashmina scarf.

The bed

Holiday Inn Express & Suites (1441 E. Washington St., Sequim; [360]) 681-8756) is air-conditioned, comfortable and convenient to the highway and downtown. We paid a premium for this high-demand weekend; the Sequim (populaton 7,000) visitor center estimates festival attendance at 30,000.

The meals

At a farm named Purple Haze, the out-of-this-world fresh salmon with caprese salad, accompanied by signature lavender margaritas, was provided by Blondie’s Plate (134 S. 2nd Ave., Sequim; [360] 683-2233). We ate outdoors at sunset, while singing (or some of us, dancing) along with a Beatles tribute band. Definitely groovy. For early risers, the Black Bear Diner’s (1471 E. Washington St., Sequim; [360] 504-2950) California Bacon Benedict and “Fit & Focused� scrambles were cheerfully delivered by a server who couldn’t wait to get back to the festival for Day Two.

The find

It’s all about choices: A show farm or a working farm? Distillation demos about lavender oils? A marketplace of culinary lavender ingredients? Lavender craft instruction? Works by local artists? My friends, the lavender veterans, had it strategically mapped out. First, Sunshine Herb & Lavender Farm (274154 Highway 101, Sequim; [360] 683-6453) for its farm-produced products designed to “heal and medicate, add flavor and scent, rejuvenate and calm.� Then Purple Haze (180 Bell Bottom Road, Sequim; [360] 683-1714). Think 12 acres of rolling fields, specialty craft booths and fine food and music. Next, scenic Jardin du Soleil (3932 Sequim Dungeness Way, Sequim; [360] 582-1185) for the congenial owner’s distillation demos and easy “u-pick,� followed by Olympic Lavender Heritage Farm nearby (1532 Marine Drive, Sequim; [360] 683-4475). Try the lavender crafts and lavender ice cream. And last, Nelson’s Duckpond & Lavender Farm (73 Humble Hill Road, Sequim; [360] 681-7727). Gulp the chilled lavender lemonade from daughter Tilly at this second-generation family farm.

Lesson learned

We don’t need to wait for festival time to luxuriate in the lavender; on-site rentals offer a year-round option. At Purple Haze, a three-bedroom farmhouse overlooks the fragrant fields, and at Nelson’s, it’s a barn-style cabin on the half-acre pond. But if it’s the aromatic and colorful festival weekend you crave, go early, before the heat and crowds build. And, word to the wise: Wear purple – a frilly skirt, a floral hat or appropriately tinted hair are all part of the colorful fun.

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