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Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

Parent Category: Attractions
Created: 23 April 2014

Photo from Skagit County, Mt Vernon, Skagit Valley Tulip FestivalPictures below will take you on a virtual tour around 300 acres of tulips in bloom!

General Information:

Tulip fields are located between the towns of La Conner and Mount Vernon

Parking at fields is $5.

Tulip Town Address: 15002 Bradshaw Rd, Mt Vernon, WA 98273

Open 9-5 through Tulip Bloom.  $6/admission, 6 and under free

Roozengaarde Address: 15867 Beaver Marsh Rd, Mt Vernon, WA 98273

Open 9-6, $5.00 parking

Make your spring really bright and colorful by visiting Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in the Skagit Valley of Washington State. It is one of the most beautiful, spectacular and magnificent floral displays in the country.

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is the main and the largest floral festival in the state. More than 1 million people come here to enjoy and explore more than 300 acres of colorful flowers annually. April is the month when the festival is held. Experts say that tulips start to bloom in the beginning of April, and the second week of April is the time for the fields to be in full bloom.

Photo from Skagit County, Mt Vernon, Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

Keep in mind that you will drive a lot, because it is a driving festival, main attractions and numerous events are located far from each other throughout the Skagit Valley.

The Skagit Valley, to my mind, may be surely called Little Holland, because Skagit tulips grow in similar conditions as Holland tulips: similar soil, latitude and altitude, as well as similar marine influence.

Tulip Town and RoozenGaarde are the two main farms where thousands of tulips are grown.

Photo from Skagit County, Mt Vernon, Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

Tulip Town offers acres of colorful tulips (over 60 varieties) that brighten the fields. This farm is very kids-friendly, they have numerous activities for kids, such as kite-flying opportunities, trolley rides, face painting, etc. Tulip Town works Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m. Parking is free here. Admission cost for adults is $6, children ages 6 and under are allowed to enjoy the fields free of charge. Keep in mind that no pets are allowed here.

The second tulip growing company is the Washington Bulb Co., famous for its’ ornamental garden RoozenGaarde with 750,000 tulips of 100 varieties. RoozenGaarde offers wonderful views not only of the blooming tulips, but also of the snowy and famous Mount Baker that sets a perfect background for the blooming fields.

Photo from Skagit County, Mt Vernon, Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

William Roozen emigrated from the Netherlands in 1947 and started his family bulb company here. It should be said that his company has started as a bulb farm on five acres of land, the meetings were held in garage and the tractors and farm equipment was used. But this small business has become the largest in the United States and is still owed by the Roozen family. Nowadays the company owns more than 1200 acres of fields with blooming tulips, daffodils and irises and 15 acres of greenhouses.

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is a must-visit event, but you need to know several things to be prepared for this unusual trip.

First of all, remember that the weather in Washington State is changeable; the temperature can change every minute, that’s why we recommend wearing several layers of clothes. It is also important to bring umbrellas with you or to wear waterproof clothes in case there will be April showers. Don’t forget to wear waterproof shoes, because you’ll be walking along dirty farm roads and fields.

Photo from Skagit County, Mt Vernon, Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival attracts millions of tourists and of course traffic jams are usual for this period of time. If you want to avoid the crowds and fully enjoy the beauty of the flowers, we recommend taking a trip to the valley during a weekday. If Saturday of Sunday are the only days you can visit the festival, try to come here before 9 a.m. or after 3 p.m.

Be very careful with the parking and obey the “NO-PARKING” signs in order not to receive a ticket.

If you travel from Seattle, it will take you about an hour to get here, depending on traffic, of course. But the tulips are usually grown in a 15-mile triangle, which is bordered by Highway 20, the Skagit River, and the Swinomish River Channel, so this driving tour can be really called a scenic one.
Before you decide to go, check the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival website and look for additional information.

Tulip Festival Video in 4K

These pictures were taken on April 18, 2014

Directions:

In order to get directions, click on the map below:

Photo: Roman Khomlyak

Photo Editing: Pavlo Petryshyn

Information: Marina Petrova