Come Tiptoe Through the Tulips With Me

May 03, 2020

"Knee deep in flowers we'll stray

We'll keep the showers away

And if I kiss you, in the garden

In the moonlight, will you pardon me?

And tiptoe through the tulips with me"

Al Dubin (lyrics) and Joe Burke (music)

Did you know that the Pacific Northwest is home to one of the top tulip festivals in the world during spring?  When we think of tulips, our thoughts naturally go to Holland, but there are several spectacular festivals worldwide.  Did you know, for example, that the festival in Ottawa, Canada, claims to be the largest in the world, or that the festival in Kashmir, India is the largest in Asia?

The United States is home to the Skagit Valley just north of Seattle, WA.  It is right in between Seattle and Vancouver, and it is the place to go in the Pacific Northwest during April to get your fill of tulips.  I visited the valley this year, and the display is indeed all that it is cracked up to be.  Since I received my second vaccine dose in early April, I decided to make the trip in late April.  I visited several lovely gardens in the Seattle area:  The Seattle Japanese Garden, The Washington Park Arboretum, and the Bellevue Botanic Garden.  Each of these gardens was unique and beautiful in its own way.  The finale of my adventure was my trip to the Skagit Valley, where I visited Tulip Town and RoozenGaarde, as well as the town of La Connor.

The image of the ferns shown above was shot at the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle, WA.

For my day trip to the festival, I booked a tour from Seattle with Nature Nuts Adventure Travel.  Our tour guide Michael was fantastic and I would recommend this tour for a day trip.  The van picks you up at your downtown Seattle hotel for the hour-long trip to the valley.  We visited Tulip Town first, followed by a lunch stop in La Connor.  Then we were off to RoozenGaarde for more tulips.  We ended the day at a local winery for a lovely wine tasting with snacks and socializing before the trip back to Seattle.  The tour price excluded lunch and gratuities.

The image at right is from Tulip Town

This is a brief Instagram / Facebook video I recorded at RoozenGaarde

My favorite of the two tulip fields was RoozenGaarde.  RoozenGaarde features a full-size Dutch windmill, a spectacular display garden, 30 acres of tulip fields to wander, and 20 acres of daffodils.  Note that if you go in April, the daffodils are pretty much done by then as they bloom in March. 


At left is one of the favorites from my trip titled My Alibi, click here for more information.

In addition to the tulip festival, the valley hosts a wide range of events throughout the month to keep the tourists entertained.  If you love tulips, then the odds are that you'll love this trip.  The one potential downside is the weather, as rain and mud are a distinct possibility.  We were fortunate as we had a dry, overcast day.  The weather forecast for the following day and week was full of rain, so we were blessed.

If you're participating in my bonus giveaway, the song Tiptoe Through the Tulips was recorded in 1958 by Eydie Gorme.