Neighborhood-Kids All Local. All for Kids. All the Time.

Family Fun at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

by Theresa Carpine4/2/2009 2:48:04 PM

There’s a lot to see and do in Skagit County during their annual Tulip Festival.

When April hits the Pacific Northwest, local residents can count on two things: a lot of rain and the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Hopefully the gray skies clear up enough for you and your family to truly enjoy all that this annual event has to offer for locals and visitors who love flowers. This year marks the 26th year of the festival, which spans the first full month of spring when the tulip fields are in bloom.

Two of the largest tulip growers in Skagit County are Tulip Town and Roozengaarde. You can tour their colorful fields of flowers, buy bulbs to plant at home, and enjoy other special activities like face painting, trolley rides, and more.

Along with flower farms, you can also enjoy tours of the other farms and nurseries around Skagit County. Top stops for the kids that love animals are CountryTime Alpacas, where you can see alpacas up close and learn more about hand-crafted alpaca products, and meeting dairy cows and learning how cheese is made at Golden Glen Creamery. And, grown-ups, there are lots of Skagit County vineyards and wineries to visit as well.

Another great feature of the Pacific Northwest is fresh salmon, and the Kiwanis Club of Skagit County serves up salmon barbeque with all the fixings at Hillcrest Lodge in Mount Vernon from April 4th to April 26th from 11 AM to 7 PM.

Numerous locations around Skagit County offer daily activities for visitors as they enjoy the tulips. Skagit County Historical Museum’s featured exhibit is “The Way We Played: Skagit Sports & Recreation 1880-1960,” which will delight sports fans of all ages. And if you’re up for some 21st century recreation, you can join Tulip Country Bike Tours for a guided bicycle trip for prime garden views. This year, they’re offering some special Family Tours, where kids ride for free!

Visit Skagit Valley Tulip Festival to get more information, including a Festival Field Map and a 2009 Tulip Festival Brochure. You can also check Neighborhood-Kids.com Activities to find daily reminders about all the fun, family options throughout the festival.

A Note About the Author: Theresa Carpine

Theresa Carpine graduated from WWU in 2006 with a BA in English Literature. She enjoys yoga, listening to music, riding her bike in downtown Bellingham, and babysitting really cute kids.