Tiptoeing Through the Tulips at the Skagit County Tulip Festival! Part 2
Some of you who have known me for a while know that I am a complete tulip nerd. I grew up in an area that had/has quite a few people with Dutch heritage. There, tulips were almost synonymous with the concept of Spring. Many folks planted tulips in their yards, went to a local tulip festival, and I even played and marched 5 or 6 years in my schools’ bands in the tulip festival parade.
I love the shape, the colors/patterns, and the various types of tulips. In fact, I love them so much you can read a pretty funny story about it in my first post in this series. Click below to go there. ⬇️
This past April I had the opportunity to go to the Skagit Valley (Washington) Tulip Festival with a dear friend I’ve known since preschool and it was a wonderful trip I will cherish forever.
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival happens every April and, if the weather is right, extends into the month of May. Skagit Valley is roughly an hour or so north of Seattle on Washington’s western side. It is an enchanting area (especially in the Spring) with snow-capped mountains, fertile farmland, winding rivers, beautiful harbor and bay views, and lush flowering trees and plants of all types. And all the flowers seemed to be blooming all at once when we were there. I instantly fell in love with the place. 😍
The second day there we went to our second tulip farm called RoozenGaarde Farm. More information about RoozenGaarde below. ⬇️
RoozenGaarde is the largest tulip farm in the area and also seems to be the most popular. It has a large, beautiful display garden tucked among flowering trees, plus 50 acres of tulips, and daffodils. During the growing season, there are more than 200 varieties of tulips and more than 50 varieties of daffodils. Visitors can walk paths among the display garden and spread out and walk on grassy and gravel areas through the flower fields. It is truly an eye-popping experience!
See video for a glimpse of the beauty of the Skagit County Tulip Festival!
Brief video of the beauty of RoozenGaarde Farm during Skagit County Tulip Festival in Washington during the month of April.
Yes, it was windy that day! 😉
In addition to the display gardens and fields, there are numerous photo opportunities, a stand selling quick meals like hamburgers and hotdogs, and both an outdoor gift shop and an indoor gift shop selling live flowers and other garden-related gifts. There are several places to pick up a bulb catalog and some picnic tables to enjoy a meal or some treats.
A few tips before visiting RoozenGaard Farms as part of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival:
If you plan to stay in the area, book your lodging as soon as possible, particularly if you plan to stay overnight on a weekend.
RoozenGaard allows you to purchase entry tickets online ahead-of-time. It’s a great idea to take advantage of this, especially if you are visiting on a weekend.
Wagons and strollers may be a challenge to push or pull through the field. Plan accordingly so that you don’t weigh either transportation mode down. If the kiddos are old enough, the gardens and fields are a good place to release some of that youthful energy 😉, under the watchful eyes of their parents or caretakers.
Don’t give in to the temptation to do too much in one day. Both adults and kids get tired and subsequently, cranky. If you are going to RoozenGaard, I would prioritize that as the big event for the day.
If you don’t wish to partake in the tulip festival festivities like the parade, etc…, I would highly recommend going during the week and not on a weekend. Traffic, crowds, and parking will be much lighter during the week. If you must go on the weekend, try to arrive at ARoozenGaard a bit before the tulip fields open up for business in the morning. Pick up some breakfast and coffee somewhere and enjoy that while parked in the first row or two of parking spaces. Get in line five to ten minutes before opening. You will feel like you have the venue to yourselves for about 30-60 minutes and your kids won’t get tired before you even get to the entrance. Yep, I’m a mom too. 😉
So, as with most of life, plan ahead but prepare to go with the flow. 😊 That approach will serve you well wherever you go, but especially at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Below is a link to the events of the 2025 Tulip Festival, to give you an idea of what is offered. Keep in mind that the whole area offers many things to do, including parks, museums, art festivals, a parade and more during the month of April. Skagit Valley is a beautiful place, but during the Tulip Festival month of April, it is a magical place!
More photos, because I’m both a tulip nerd and a photography nerd! 👏
The local birds were serenading us with mini concerts while we were there too!
