Each spring, Mother Nature blankets Oregon’s fertile Willamette Valley with hundreds of acres of living color—tulips, daffodils, iris, peonies—in hues that rival the rainbow. Although the timing of each flower’s peak bloom varies each season, the tulips pretty much lead the way. This year’s month-long Tulip Fest at Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn, Oregon continues through April 25. Come and see the fabulous color and don’t forget your camera. The multi-colored flowers make the prettiest backdrops for pictures!
Of course wherever you find fields of beautiful flowers, you’ll also find plenty of admirers. Each year, thousands of visitors from around the world come to marvel at the striking blooms. And with 40 acres of tulips and daffodils to wander through, it’s never the same view twice—the tulip fields are rotated annually, so the arrangement of colorful varieties is always changing. As you stroll, don’t forget to look UP once in a while. During clear and calm weather, brilliantly patterned hot air balloons float over the fields. And snow-capped majestic Mount Hood looms on the horizon, too!
Ask just about anyone where tulips originated and you’ll likely hear they’re from Holland. Although the bulbs first became popular in the Netherlands more than 400 years ago, the tulip is actually native to Persia and Turkey and has been grown there for over 10 decades. The Latin name for tulip is Tulipa, which comes from the Turkish word tulbend or turban, which the flower resembles. Today, Holland boasts over 23,000 acres of planted tulip bulbs, and in 1849, the first bollenreiziger, or traveling bulb salesman, came to the United States. America is now the top tulip bulb importer, followed closely by Japan and Germany.
The Iverson family, owners of Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, began growing tulips in 1974, but it wasn’t until Easter weekend 1986 that their fields were first opened to the public. As they say, the rest is history because this popular annual festival has been going strong every since! Come through the week to avoid crowds (and save half price on the $10 per-carload weekend admission fee). But if you don’t mind lots of people, weekends at Wooden Shoe are especially lively with the addition of entertainment, wine tasting, food, and a variety of special activities. If you’re a green thumb or a wannabe, browse in Wooden Shoe’s extensive gift shop where cut flowers, potted tulips, gardening supplies, and bulbs for fall planting can be purchased. If you need help or advice on anything concerning tulips, don’t be shy. The Woodburn Tulip Festival is not only filled with fun, it’s staffed with experts who love to share their knowledge.
33814 S. Meridian Rd.
Woodburn, OR 97071
Phone (503) 634-2243
Festival Hours: Daily 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Click here for more ideas of what to see and do in Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory
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Mount Vernon, Washington is also alive with color during the month of April. Besides touring the flower fields and demonstration gardens, you can participate in many other activities—a street fair, salmon bake, wine tastings, and art shows to name just a few.
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Phone: (360) 428-5959
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In addition to writing about her travels, Denise Seith is also a treasure hunter and loves a good latté. She and her husband own an online gold prospecting and metal detecting equipment store found at GoldRushTradingPost.com
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