Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival has been drawing visitors since its start in 1984. The beautiful and colorful tulips attract visitors from all over. The festival offers street fairs, art shows, a gala, and a large bicycle coordinated ride. There are multiple farms you can visit and tulips can be seen all over town and on the sides of the highway.
Where did they come from?
In the early 1900’s a resident of Samish Island, Mary Stewart, ordered tulip bulbs from Holland and planted them in her yard. Mary and her husband began growing tulips on their 40 acre farm and drawing much attention from the locals. The rest is history!
When is the festival?
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival runs the entire month of April each year.
Visit the festival’s website for more info HERE.
Where to stay?
If you plan to stay overnight, make sure to book early as local accommodations fill up fast. When we visited we stayed in Burlington. You can also browse accommodations in Mount Vernon, Anacortes or La Conner. I highly recommend staying at least one night so you can avoid traffic. Get up early and arrive before the fields open to avoid traffic from people driving in for the day.
Which farm to visit?
The two farms you can visit are Tulip Town and Roozengaarde. We visited both when we went, and if you have time to do both I highly suggest it. Roozengaarde was our favorite if you only have time to visit one. You can see a variety of blooms at each of these farms, not just tulips.
Visit Tulip Town’s Website HERE.
Visit Roozengaarde’s Website HERE.
What to do?
Both tulip farms have absolutely beautiful and extensive fields. There are fields of color as far as the eye can see. They make a beautiful background for photos and you can find photo backdrops in the fields as well. The farms also have food vendors, wine gardens, and gift shops. Of course you can also purchase fresh cut tulips, tulip plants or order tulip bulbs for next year. The town of Mount Vernon also hosts a street fair during the festival.
What to wear?
April is still pretty chilly in the Pacific Northwest and you are still likely to encounter rain. Continuously check the weather for the day you plan to visit and bring a raincoat just in case! It’s also good to note the tulip fields and dirt. If it has been raining (like it usually does) the field is going to be straight mud so I do not suggest wearing brand new shoes.
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is a must visit at least once during your time in Washington. Trust me though, once you see how beautiful it is you will want to visit every year.
Finding the fun everywhere life takes us!
Love, Olivia Michelle
