Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
Where is it located?
About 60 miles north of Seattle, Washington, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival draws over one million people from all over the world to Mount Vernon's fertile farmland, every April.
What is it like?
For 33 years, large farms all over Skagit Valley County (mainly of Mount Vernon) grow hundred of acres of tulips. The public is allowed to visit most of these fields for free--though parking costs about $5--and take pictures and even buy bouquets of tulips from stands at the field sites. The Skagit Valley Festival lasts all of April. But nature being nature may cause the tulips to bloom at different times based on how harsh the winter before it was. (So the tulips could be ready in late-March or in mid-April). The tulips are “deheaded” and their bulbs later removed two to three weeks after blooming. Quite often, people from outside the state--or the country--miss the chance of seeing the tulips because of the fluctuating timing, so plan accordingly and try to come mid-April. On the plus side, planting tulip bulbs in the fields is staggered so when one field is done, another one begins. Be prepared to spend several hours in traffic--rural towns mean driving on single-lane back roads that only experience traffic when locals are stuck behind a tractor.
Why you should visit.
Stepping into a field of tulips--stretching farther than the eye can see--is how one could imagine stepping into a rainbow would be. Each field contains several strips of different tulip species, each a vibrant color: yellow, purple, pink, red, etc. Only a handful of places around the world grow tulips at such excalibur, Skagit Valley Tulip Festival being the largest one in the United States; thus, the cities of Skagit County host concerts and art fairs, and hot air balloon and helicopter rides are offered during the weekends for aerial views. Local businesses provide special deals for festival-goers, and to help decrease the horrendous traffic, charter buses bring hordes of people from major cities like Seattle and Bellingham. Bike marathons are routed around the fields, as well as a 5k held in downtown Mount Vernon. With so much stuff jampacked into a couple of weeks, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Travel Channel and Tripadvisor.com have deemed the Skagit Valley Tulip Festivals one of the top wonders of the United States. For a price of $5 (parking), that's an opportunity of a lifetime.
Photos taken by Shanna Lowe.
