Tulips at RoozenGaarde in Washington's Skagit Valley 2023

I love tulips and have an infinite amount of patience when it comes to admiring and photographing them. Last year I visited Tulip Time for a Friday Fun Day with my friend Amy. We arrived in the Skagit Valley around 1 pm (with a light picnic I had packed) and spent the afternoon visiting 2 Tulip Farms and Christianson's Nursery.

Then on Sunday, Dan and I took my mom up for a day trip to see the tulips. She had seen them our first year in Seattle but its been 8 years and it was time for another visit up close. It was really perfect because my Friday trip helped me decide which farm to take my mom to (RoozenGaarde) and how to orchestrate the trip (remember to bring chairs & lunch). It went so well and she had a great day. 

A new development was she now stands and tells me which photos to take, so everything you see here was art directed by Louise.

I love the apricot-pink tulip Menton. I can't be sure if this is it, but it sure gives the same effect.

The show gardens at RoozenGaarde feature ribbons of color and texture and are worth the price of admission. It is best to visit midweek when you can take photos without the crowd in every shot, but either way you will enjoy the magnificent natural displays.

Why don't I plant peach tulips with peach centered daffodils and deep blue grape hyacinth? This is such a charming display.

I want to call this garden bed "Cream & Sugar." 

And this delightful pink & peach double tulip combo is girly and glorious.

We also stopped at Christianson's Nursey and shopped for plants (and we love their gift shop!). I can't recommend a day like this enough. And if you can do it with your mom you have hit the jackpot.

Tulip Time in the Pacific Northwest: Tulip Town

I was lucky and had 2 occasions to drive up to the Skagit Valley to appreciate the tulips last year at this exact time. It was so relaxing and so beautiful, I need to encourage you to jump in the car.

This post shows the photos when my friend Amy & I drove up to see Tulip Town. We looked around the grounds, and in the gift shop but the highlight was the hayride around the square field. 

I think I may need to print some photos of tulips and frame them for my kitchen; could there be a better way to add a touch of pink?

We had a great day to take photos and play hooky. I brought us cheese, apples & crackers to snack on in case we didn't find a place for lunch and that worked out perfectly. The traffic can be gridlocked during peak bloom and these are 2-lane country roads. It is best to have a snack along.

Isn't this wonderful? Has it been years since you drove up to see the tulips? If you time it right (maybe mid week?), I know you would love it.

Tulips in the Valley: A Day Trip for Everyone

I want you to think of a day trip to see the tulips in the Skagit Valley as a perk. If you are within driving distance, you should see it.

It is a wonder of the world - one that happens once a year and gets everyone talking. How could you be within driving distance and not go? It's worth it for the Christmas card photo opportunities alone! In a nutshell, the day consists of driving on paved roads admiring the fields (see the yellow and red rows above) and stopping to take photographs - selfie sticks encouraged.

When you are ready to see the tulips up close and in arranged gardens, head to RoozenGaarde or Tulip Town. Before you leave home, be sure to visit the Skagit Tulip Festival website and print the bloom map so that you know which turns to take through the farmland.

After driving around the area, we parked at RoozenGaarde and had a picnic in our car before heading into the formal gardens. The area does have a snack bar, visitor tent with picnic tables (for shade, cover or warmth, depending on the weather) and porta-pottys. Their gift shop is wonderful and I know that you'll want a memento. Of course, they also have a tulip tent where the bulbs you have admired are available for order.

Could we have had a prettier day? Dan had a vacation day on Good Friday and there was sun in the forecast. Everybody get in the car! My mom has spent the winter out in Washington and she has been talking about seeing the tulip fields in bloom for months. I was so very happy that we had a beautiful day to show off our new part of the country. See my post featuring the daffodils here.

RooseGaarde has formal areas planted around their property (most labelled with the variety) and you can bring camping chairs or a picnic blanket to sit on the open lawn and just soak up the beauty of Spring.

There are beautiful plantings everywhere you look and as you can see, the bulbs are in full swing right now. This is a parrot tulip (below). I love the curled edges and touches of green on the apricot petals.

Grab some friends and insist on a road trip to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Washington. It will give you the Visual Vitamins TM that you need after a long rainy Winter. 

Seattle: Skagit Tulip Festival in Washington

Allow me to add to your bucket list.  When I say I that went to "see the tulips" at the Skagit Tulip Festival, I really mean it!  Look at this spectacular field of red.  Part of the fun of a tulip festival is that it is crawling with people, all out to enjoy the day and marvel at the beautiful and varied blooms.  Each and every person is in a good mood and all are willing to take your pictures for you.  I can't resist showing you this great picture of Dan and me standing in a tulip field.  Maybe this should be our Christmas card picture...

We are staying just outside of Seattle, Washington and the drive is an easy 90 minutes north.  Check out this map of the tulip growing area.  (I am going to publish this blog post now and I'll come back when Dan is around and note our exact route for you - it was short and sweet, but allowed for plenty of tulip viewing.)

Look at the mountains in the distance! I could not believe our luck - we visited on April 12 and the day was about 65 degrees and partly sunny.

There is a lot of traffic (think of a row of cars snaking their way down country roads), so I recommend a bathroom break before you arrive within the map area and bring along snacks and water to keep your passengers happy and comfortable.  There are clear areas where cars have pulled off along the road to exit their vehicles and take pictures.  Join in the fun and try for your perfect family portrait.  

After exploring a few fields, we crept along the road to Roozengaarde Tulip Display Garden.  You can Visitors pay $5 to enter the garden display and enjoy the beauty of 250,000 blooming bulbs. A 15-acre tulip field (above) is right across the street (and next to the parking area).  Paid entrance to the garden display allows you to wander these fields as well.  What a sight! 

In the manicured garden area, some families spread out blankets and enjoyed the sunshine while their children ran around nearby.  It was very crowded, but as I said, I think that is part of the fun.  When something is special and only blooms for a short period of time, it inspires people to come out and enjoy it.

Above is an example of the display gardens (each variety clearly marked in case you want to note your favorites and order bulbs for your garden in the shopping tent).

Yellow and red as far as the eye can see.

What could be better than an arch of tulips and a mountain backdrop?  I saw a couple taking what looked like their engagement photo right here.  

This "Salmon Parrot" was one of my favorite tulips.  It looks like a Dutch painter's dream. I think a large bouquet of these would make my hotel room look like it was in House Beautiful.

Within Roozengaarde's open tulip field, I could see a painter set up to capture the day.  Can you see her with her easel?  I wish I had thought of bringing my travel paint set along - I would have loved to paint this on site.

I really can't emphasize how relaxing and worthwhile it is to head to the Skagit Tulip Festival (which will run April 1-30) - if not this year, then next.  Just mark your calendar and promise yourself.