There is nothing quite like spring in Skagit Valley! Tulip season is something we all look forward to as we usher in a new season with a colorful display of flowers at some of the best-known flower farms and nurseries in the United States, and even the world! If you want to see these beautiful blooms, here is your guide to the Skagit Valley tulip season.
When to Visit Skagit County to See the Tulips Bloom
As with any event that centers around mother nature, dates for the best time to visit to see the tulips in Skagit County vary from year to year. Usually, you can plan for anytime in April, but sometimes you can see blooms as early as March, it’s hard to pinpoint. The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival website is a great place to look for up-to-date information on the status of the blooms. The actual festival runs April 1-30 each year.
If you do end up a bit too early, you can enjoy daffodils at many places, which are also a major crop in the Skagit Valley and can be equally stunning, filling fields with their bright faces as a harbinger of spring.
Where to See the Tulips in Skagit County
There are four gardens that plan visitor events during the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. You may see other tulip fields as you drive through the county, an added bonus! But to see the blooms up close, order your own bulbs, learn about tulip gardening and more, you will want to plan to visit all four of these gardens! Each garden offers the opportunity to see different tulip varieties and colors, as well as unique activities and items for sale, so you won’t want to skip any of them on your tulip tour of Skagit County.
Tulip Valley Farms
15245 Bradshaw Road, Mount Vernon
Tulip Valley Farms is the only one of the four farms that has a you-pick tulip field during the festival. Farm tickets include the option to pre-purchase a you-pick bundle of tulips, twice-daily Tulip Talk with their experts and access to their beautiful fields for extraordinary photo ops. The fields are open daily during the festivals and they also do a special night bloom on Fridays and Saturdays where you can see the blooms like never before thanks to an incredible light show. Picnics at their beautiful farm are encouraged. Purchase tickets on the Tulip Valley Farms website. They offer discounts to military and seniors with ID, as well as teachers, first responders and government employees.
Tulip Town
15002 Bradshaw Road, Mount Vernon
Tulip Town has a trolley – as long as it’s not too muddy! – that takes you on a tour around their tulip fields, giving visitors unique views of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Another unique aspect of this farm is their Locals’ Night. At this event, they are only open to Skagit County residents as a way of thanking them for their support. Be sure to check their website for when this event happens each year so you can plan your trip accordingly if you are coming from out of town.
As for the tulips, they have over 55 varieties! And you can pre-order your bulbs to be shipped in the fall, which is prime planting time for tulips. They have a beer garden for those wanting to take a break while enjoying the tulips as well as food and espresso. Something unique at this farm is their Experience Pass, where you get to go behind the scenes of the tulip farm, including entering the field for a demonstration on the proper way to handpick tulips. This ticket includes getting a bouquet for fresh-picked tulips! Are you wanting to photograph the tulips in Skagit County? Tulip Town has special packages for photographers that allow them access to the tulips for sunrise photos that are simply stunning. They are also dog friendly! Purchase your tickets on the Tulip Town website.
RoozenGaarde
15867 Beaver Marsh Road, Mount Vernon
RoozenGaarde is a world-renowned destination in Skagit County during the spring. Their fields of incredible tulips and other spring blooms including daffodils, and later peonies and lilies make it a don’t-miss stop on your tulip tour of Skagit Valley. Their farm is planted with over 1 million hand-planted bulbs each year! It’s a sight you won’t want to miss. They have 98% of Skagit County’s Tulips on their farm. They remind people to check what the tulips are doing each year, because while the Tulip Festival runs April 1-30, sometimes their tulips begin blooming the last week of March and sometimes are still blooming into the first week of May. It’s all up to the weather, they say.
When the tulips are blooming, you can gaze at their 7-acre display garden, get a bite to eat, pre-purchase fall bulbs, and head to the gift shop for an assortment of items, including fresh-cut tulips and more. Purchase tickets on the RoozenGaarde website.
Garden Rosalyn
16648 Jungquist Road, Mount Vernon
Garden Rosalyn is another tulip farm that rounds out the Tulip Festival of Skagit County! Visit their garden display of tulips, snap a few photos and just sit a spell to admire the beauty! They are also dog friendly! You may see some fun wildlife at their farm, including wild geese that have made their man-made lake home. From fanciful windmills to carefully planned plantings, you will think you have stepped into the Netherlands at Garden Rosalyn. Visit the Garden Rosalyn website to purchase tickets.
Events at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
Aside from visiting the incredible farms, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival has a host of events throughout the month. When planning your visit to Skagit County, check out their schedule so you can plan your visit around activities you want to see and do. Annual events include a Tulip Parade, English tea at Willowbrook Manor, a photo contest, Kiwanis Salmon Barbecue, Tulip Tussle Pickleball Tournament, Mount Vernon Street Fair and more. Visit the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival website for more information.
