Welkom to Tulip Time in Holland, Michigan!
Coming off of a winter trip to the Arctics of Scandinavia followed by a tropical beach vaca in Florida, I was more than craving a springtime holiday. My momma and I recently embarked on a long-weekend road trip up to Michigan, stopping at Tulip Time in Holland, America’s largest flower festival.
About Tulip Time
For 90 years now, the Dutch town of Holland, Michigan have been holding the Tulip Time festival. With over 5 million tulips of 800 different varieties planted throughout the town, it’s a bloom-lover’s dream to visit during this time. In fact, over 500,000 people do it annually. The 2019 theme was “Paint the Town Orange” so multitudes of tulips in different shades of orange popped up all around Holland.
Tulip Time is always the first or second week of May and most sites are open from 9 AM to 6 PM daily. Be sure to pick up the Tulip Time brochure, a Holland map and list of events from the accommodation you’re staying at or from the Civic Center in town.
A park and ride shuttle bus is available to take you around to the top sights in Holland. Click here for more information on that.
What to Do at Tulip Time
There are events happening every day throughout Holland, some free and some you must purchase tickets to:
- Enjoy performances by live bands and stand-up comedians
- Wander through the Artisan or Mother’s Day markets
- Stay active with the Tulip Time Run or Yoga in the Tulips
- Watch the parades that roll throughout downtown almost daily
- Attend the carnival or take your children to the Tulip Tea Party with Disney princesses
- Search for all 45 pairs of artistic large wooden shoes sprinkled throughout the city, which is a part of the Klompen Garden art project.
If you’re looking to dive into more traditional Dutch celebrations, attend a Dutch cooking demonstration. Another cool cultural thing to do is to partake in a Tulip Time tour or visit the De Klomp Wooden Shoe factory. You can learn traditional Dutch dances or watch more than 1000 dancers line 8th street to clog away to music in their wooden shoes.
Where to See the Tulips
Over 200,00 tulips are planted along 8th Street alone. Take some time to wander down the curbside tulip lanes that make a square from 12th Street to Van Raalte and then on to Central Street.
The Windmill Island Gardens have over 100,000 tulips planted in the fields. It also features America’s only authentic, working Dutch windmill and an Amsterdam street organ. You can also find Dutch carousel and a souvenir shop dedicated to selling Dutch gifts imported from the Netherlands.
The Victorian-style Centennial Park was Holland’s original market square and boasts over 43,000 tulips sprinkled throughout the landscape.
Window on the Waterfront has nearly 85,000 tulips and features a rainbow tulip stand with perfect photo opportunities. This was one of my favorite areas to see the tulips because of how they’re planted in rows that curve and in all shapes and colors.
Veldheer’s Tulip Gardens is a must-see during Tulip Time. This 7 acre park has been in operation for 94 years, operating the De Klomp Wooden Shoe factory and a large shop full of traditional Dutch treats and memorabilia.
The flowers here are really what take the cake (obviously)! Veldheer’s Gardens is chock-full of 3 windmills, a herd of bison and nearly 5 million planted tulips which are available to buy in their store.
Entrance to the wooden shoe factory is free but there is a fee to enter the Veldheer Gardens. Click here for current prices.
Wooden shoe like to visit Tulip Time?
Be sure to check out my blog post here about the best gardens for tulips in Holland!
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