Here’s a great idea for a springtime family excursion: Visit the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival to see the flowers!
This very popular springtime tradition runs throughout April, although there is no guarantee of when the flowers will bloom. For 2024, they are blooming now!
There are three main destinations: Tulip Town, RoozenGaarde and Garden Rosalyn.
Festival organizers suggest visiting one garden in the morning and the other in the afternoon. The roads may be congested on days that draw big crowds. The Tulip Festival reports that Saturdays are generally the busiest, followed by Sunday, Friday and Monday (in that order). And the wild card: any day that it’s sunny! (Rainy days = smaller crowds.)
There are other things to do while in the area, too, and the Tulip Festival website suggests restaurants and other activities.
Allow around 90 minutes to get to the Skagit Valley from the Seattle area. If you have a full day (or more than a day!), you could even make a side trip to Deception Pass State Park and come home via Whidbey Island and the ferry to Mukilteo.
Tulip Festival organizers emphasize that they cannot guarantee when the tulips will be in full bloom (and, of course, they don’t control the weather!). When planning ahead, aiming for mid-April is probably the safest for gardens in full bloom.
Photo courtesy of Tulip Town
At Tulip Town, tickets will be available for April 1-30; general admission includes parking, entry and a trolley ride (weather permitting). Prices are $15 online and $20 at the gate for ages 12 and up; $7 online and $10 at the gate for kids 6-11; free for kids 5 and under. There’s a boutique and nursery for shopping. Tulip Town also has other admission options at higher prices. However, they still promise “an idyllic day on the farm for the whole family” with trolley rides, a cafe, indoor displays and a retail boutique. Pets are allowed, free of admission and must be on a leash. Owners must clean up after their dogs.
RoozenGaarde charges $15 online on weekdays and $17 at the booth, and $17 online for the weekend, $18 at the booth for everyone over 2 to see its 5-acre garden, 25-acre tulip field, and 20-acre daffodil field. It also has a gift shop and tulip market. Pets are not allowed.
More on the Tulip Festival:
Pro tips for your family trip to the Tulip Festival
