In Washington State, thousands of miles from the Netherlands, where tulips are the national flower and a Dutch icon, there’s an annual tulip festival that gives Holland’s famous bulbs a run for their money. For Americans, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival also provides a tulip-viewing venue that’s a lot more accessible than Europe, making for the perfect spring road trip.
Photo: knelson20/Shutterstock
A Road Trip to Northern Washington’s Tulip County Rivals Holland’s Famous Blooms
Photo: Danita Delimont/Shutterstock
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival bills itself as the largest tulip festival in North America. It runs throughout April (possibly longer depending on the season) in northwestern Washington’s Skagit County. Festivities are held throughout the county, but the tulip-viewing centers on four local gardens and farms: RoozenGaarde, Garden Rosalyn, Tulip Town, and Tulip Valley Farms. Festival-goers have two options to participate: Map a driving route around the tulip farms, admiring the bulbs from a distance at no cost, or buy tickets to see the flowers up close at any or all farms, and join in any on-site activities. Each farm and garden has its own admission fee.
Photo: knelson20/Shutterstock
RoozenGaarde is the largest of the four tulip-viewing sites, with a display garden that contains more than a million bulbs and 50 acres of fields with tens of millions more tulips. Garden Rosalyn is smaller but still impressive with seven acres of tulips and charming landscaping details including a pond and Dutch-inspired windmill. Garden Rosalyn is also the first garden you’ll hit if you road trip to Skagit Valley from Seattle, which is roughly 70 miles south.
Photo: Max Lindenthaler/Shutterstock
If you’re considering purchasing tickets, Tulip Town and Tulip Valley Farms are two sites worth your time and money. At Tulip Town, a $20 admission fee ($15 if you book online) comes with parking, a trolley ride around the tulip fields, and access to a beer and wine garden for anyone of legal drinking age. Food and espresso are available for all (and pets are welcome). General admission to Tulip Valley Farms, the only participating farm that allows visitors to pick their own tulips, costs $13.50 (plus a $20 optional bouquet fee). Tulip Valley Farms also stages a fun Night Bloom experience on Friday and Saturday evenings throughout the festival.
Photo: Mariusz S. Jurgielewicz/Shutterstock
With or without the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, Washington’s Mount Vernon area where the festival takes place is an excellent addition to any Pacific Northwest road trip, located roughly between Seattle and Vancouver. And if you’re visiting in April for the tulips, you’ll definitely need a car — the farms where the flowers are display span a roughly 15-mile area, and festival events take place in various locations across the county, from barbecues and high tea, to street fairs and garage sales, to photo contests and pickleball tournaments.
For deals and information on where to stay, eat, and shop during your road trip to Skagit Valley, download the mobile Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Passport. 