This past weekend we decided to take the trek down to Skagit Valley to check out the Tulip Festival. I never knew looking at a bunch of flowers could be so exciting!
The festival itself runs for a month and is what the organizers consider a “driving festival” meaning there are a TON of farms with tulips on display and you drive around to them and check them out. We wanted a more intimate experience so we went to one of the two farms that welcome people to check out the tulips first hand.
We had a map on route and knew that we were getting close by the explosion of colour that broke the landscape colors of the grass and the farms. The huge kites flying above the farm helped guide our last final kilometers as we got closer to our destination. If the business of the parking lot was any indication of the quality of the farm, I knew we were in for a good day.
The parking was well organized though as manned volunteers guided us to our spots. I couldn’t believe how excited the kids were to get out of the car and check out the farm… my little one seeing all the people buzzing by and saying, “Mommy, I like this place.” He hadn’t even gotten out of the car!”
We went up to the gates and paid our $5/person entry fee… although we lucked out as kids 6 and under are free! After the entrance there’s a market place with face painting, festival shops and food vendors. We were excited to get to the tulips so we headed outside right away.
Rounding the corner to the farms we were greeted by a beautiful windmill… the kids couldn’t believe all the tulips in the garden behind them… boy, were they in for a surprise!!!
We checked out the tractors that were pulling people around the farm but decided to do a self guided tour. We hooked a quick right and literally RAN over to the huge kites that they had on display. It was neat the way they had them held up, and the kids loved seeing the variety of kites in the air.
And then finally we got to go and see the tulips… and wow, were they AMAZING. I can’t even begin to describe the colour, and how intense it was. So I’m not going to try and I’ll leave the photos to speak for themselves… although I will admit, photos don’t do justice and I highly recommend having this experience yourself!
Other than the tulips one of the highlights of the visit was the children being able to see an artist painting a beautiful mural. The mural was probably 50 feet long by 8 feet wide and on two sides of the galley. Absolutely stunning!
Hints:
– Weekdays are less busy then weekends. (Although I was impressed with how they managed the big crowd) If you do want to go on a weekend they say to go first thing in the morning for a quieter experience.
– Bring cash, otherwise you have to pay at the ATM and I’m sure their fees aren’t cheap.
– Bring more cash. There’s a fee for the ride, for face painting and for souvenirs. We didn’t purchase any of these items but if we had stayed longer we probably would have.
– There’s lots of other great things in the area… I wish we had more time to explore Anacortes, Deception Pass, and the parks in between. We will be going back for sure!!!
For more information:
Check it out here: http://www.tulipfestival.org/
Don’t forget to print off the PDF driving map so you don’t miss any farms!!! And make sure the farm that you’re going to visit is OPEN when you want to go![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
This is a great website Jami.
Absolutely love your photos of the tulips. To see them in person would be amazing. Would be a great family adventure.
We are still a quite a bit behind you with springtime, here in Ontario. But we’ll catch up soon! 🙂