In the Spring, Brent and I got the chance to visit the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival at Roozengaarde. I have been hearing about this magical tulip display since we moved here seven years ago! So when my parents were in town and we got a night away, we put this on our itinerary. It was truly incredible and well worth the wait. One more check off my Washington State bucket list!
I unfortunately heard about a few complaints from fellow moms that visiting the tulips during their short window of bloom time can be hard with kids. Long lines, lots of crowds, grumpy kids. It was about an hour drive from where we live and so in these past seven years, the idea of dragging all my kids, baby or toddler in tow, sounded really stressful.
We went on a sunny Sunday afternoon and it was very crowded. It definitely was more enjoyable for me to take it all in for the first time without our kids. Though I would love some incredible pictures of my kids roaming these tulip fields, I was grateful to get to enjoy this just with Brent. I think if we ever were to bring our kids, we would probably try it on a weekday.
So don't let the photos fool you. There was tulip security keeping people from going too deep into the rows of tulips and trampling the flowers. We were able to squeeze in a few pictures actually in the tulips before we realized security was roaming around. But having this rule did allow you to get a few pictures without crowds of people around you. It just wasn't as care free and joyful as I might have fantasized it being - which would have been less enjoyable to have to control our four energetic children in this setting.
We did bring our camera and tripod to get these pictures of the two of us. It was definitely worth it!
There were so many colors and varieties.
We picked Roozengaarde for their aesthetic and large variety of tulips. But another popular tulip location is Tulip Town which also appears more kid friendly. I figured we could try Tulip Town one day when our kids are with us.
It took me back to trips Brent and I have taken pre-kids. Casually strolling, taking pictures, and enjoying each other's company. It was a sweet time together.
I left feeling so inspired and wanting to plant a million tulips in our yard!
After visiting the tulips, we walked around the town of La Conner and had lunch at Tunnies Fish and Chips.
And enjoyed some ice cream at La Conner Ice Cream Tower.
We ended the day with our ice cream by the water, grateful for such a beautiful Washington day.
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