Sparkle in a Small Town: Day Trip to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

Acres of tulips on a cool, cloudy morning in Skagit Valley, Washington.

It was not easy to talk my husband into driving two hours to see some tulips.

I had been reading about the beautiful flowers for months. Then, before I knew it, it is April and it is time for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

I tried to get Darling Husband to the festival the first weekend in April, but we honestly had too much going on. The second Sunday arrived and it was our time.

We left the house at 8 a.m. to make our way up north. It was about a 2 hour, 15 minute drive. The traffic wasn't bad that early in the day. We took the exit the blinking WSDOT sign recommended and somehow ended up winding our way through the valley to Roozengarde.

Owners ask that you stay out of the tulip rows and please leave your puppy pals at home to protect the flowers.

We knew we had made it to the right place by the hoard of cars turning into the parking lot. There were plenty of parking attendants, so it was pretty painless.

When visiting the tulip fields, bring your patience and remember cash is king. Cash gets you in quicker and moves you quicker through the checkout process for your fresh cut flowers and kettle corn made on site.

Once you are in, the photo opportunities are endless. Beautiful tulips greet you everywhere you look. If you have strollers or family members with mobility challenges, enjoy the gardens in the front. The trip is still worth it.

Port-o-potties and hand washing stations were easily accessible in the parking area and in Roozengarde.

Here was our favorite - the Miranda. We're planning to plant them in our front garden bed next fall.

If you plan on walking out into the fields, wear your tennis shoes or rain boots because the fields are uneven, rutted and muddy. The temperature was cool when we went, about 50 degrees, so layer up and wear a rain coat (I love this one in yellow). It was really windy the day we went and I wish I had brought a hair tie and a scarf with me.

We left Ralphie at home because dogs are not allowed on site. The owners also don't want people walking in between rows in the fields because the flowers may get trampled. You can still get beautiful photos from the walkways.

We walked out to the fields, took some photos, watched people and mothers trying relentlessly to get their children to stop wiggling and pose for photos, and headed back to get kettle corn and some fresh cut tulips.

I can't eve wrap my mind around how much work goes into planning and planting the stunning gardens.

Darling Husband waited in the lengthy food line while I purchased the tulips. We had picked our favorite type of tulip, a bold red Miranda, but they didn't have any of those bulbs in stock to take home. I grabbed a bunch of red and pink multi and a bunch of light pink fresh cut tulips to brighten our home and rejoined him in the food line.

After about 1.5 hours, the droves of people were getting larger. We wound our way back toward the exit and through the gardens. I can't bear the thought that we almost missed them. There are more tulips of bold, breathtaking color than the eye can handle. Dane and I talked about arrangements we liked, already planning our garden beds in our heads.

We slowly made our way out of Roozengarde and 1.5 hours was enough.

Verdict: You should see the tulips once. I don’t think we’ll go next year, but make our own mini Roozengarde in our flower beds at home instead. But, the fields and gardens were beautiful and inspiring. Arrive as early as humanly possible to enjoy smaller crowds and less traffic. And bring your patience. There are many screaming kids and yelling parents so leave your judgement at home. Or, just silently people watch. It’s good for that, too.