When
Every year come April magic color comes alive in the Skagit valley starting the annual tulip festival. The blooms stretching for 10 acres with Mount Rainier as the grand silhouhette backdrop on a clear day is breathtaking. The tulip festival ranges from April 1-30 officially annually.
Cost
Tulip Town entry fee is $7 per adult and children under 6 are free! Only cash is accepted. The cost of the Roozengarde entry fee is $7 per adult and gets you free parking at the other Roozengarde field locations.
How to get there
The Roozengarde and Tulip Town tulip fields festival is less than 10 minutes outside Mt. Vernon, WA. They are a little over an hour away from Seattle city and 20-30 minutes away from Fidalgo and Whidbey islands depending on traffic. The fields are pretty centrally located and yet tucked away enough to feel like a different nature world.
Tulip Fields
There are two main fields and tulip companies to choose from to visit. There is always the option of enjoying once to see the fullness of different kinds of tulips and colors and different field locations! Listed below are the top two visited locations for the tulip fields.
1. Roozengarde
This tulip field is open year round and has a 4 acre display of tulips that is alongside 30 acres of colorful tulip rows. This is the bigger of the two main options for tulip fields. The manicured garden is smaller and the 30 acres you drive out to a different location and is not manicured but has a much more casual feel and more freedom to walk around and have less people. This tulip field also has a covered picnic area and it is fine to bring your own food as well. Roozengarde tulip field hours are 9 am-7 pm daily. This field is open longer than Tulip Town.
2. Tulip Town
This tulip field opens March 30 as listed on their website. This tulip field has different artistic gardens, windmills and 10 acres of all the colors of the rainbow tulips to see. Tulip Town is open daily 9 am-5 pm. The parking for Tulip Town is free in a field next door. Drones to take pictures and picnics with your own food on their land is not allowed. No walking through the tulips is allowed.
Bloom Status
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival site has a constant updated picture live webcam of the tulips and their current season and bloom stage in the process. You can look it up and find an update regularly. When it is getting close this is a great tool to see if the tulips are blooming.
Map
There is a pdf map to print out and bring with you on your trip or an interactive map for use on your phone. The interactive map is found here. The printable map is found here.
Activities
There is a free brochure with a tulip field map that they will mail to you upon your request at this link. This brochure also includes the activities throughout the month that will occur on different days so you can stay connected. There are lots of family and kid activities in the fields. There are some examples of previous years activities below.
- Tulip run (34th annual)
- Tulip Country Bike Tours
- Children’s art tables and crafts
Merchandise Store
There are lots of souvenirs to be had like t-shirts, posters, jewelry and much more. They have their website store here.
Tulip Festival Tips
- The early morning light or right before sunset in the evening are the best sweet spot light times for pictures. The middle of the day will be pretty bright and over exposed.
- the crowds are lightest early and late. We visited at the end of the evening when most people and families were leaving after spending all day there and with kids and picnicking. We didn’t have trouble getting good pictures without people in the shots at night. It is worth coming several times and at different times of day and lighting.
- weekday mornings are the best time to visit with nobody else
- cloudy days will be great for pictures and rain even and ensure other people don’t go as much
- you can find field maps online that help you find the other ones that not as many people go to that are not the central ones
Tulip Fields
Take a virtual tour through the gallery below of the gorgeous tulip fields in full bloom.
Where to eat
Snow Goose Produce Market
This local market is located on Fir Island Road between Conway and La Conner. This place is 10 minutes from the tulip fields in Mt Vernon and the perfect before or after pit stop with your crew. This is a cash only destination. It is kind of in the middle of nowhere but is a goldmine of the best ice cream in Washington state maybe even the PNW! The generous cones are the biggest scoops of ice cream you have ever seen in your life. You can barely finish one scoop with one person and trust me I am the person who eats a tub of ice cream with a spoon by myself haha! You can get a cup but their homemade waffle cones from Lopez Island Creamery are to die for and can be smelt from a mile away. It may be easier to roll down your car window and use your nose to find the turn in. There are 48 flavors and normally quite a line to wait in so there is plenty of time to decide have no fear. The line is proof of the product and worth the wait. Besides ice cream they also have fresh seafood, bread, artisan cheese and wine. They have amazing organic local food and produce. They also sell beautiful artisan baskets and other local products.
