The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

Just over an hour north Seattle, WA is the Skagit Valley. Every year, the small town of Mount Vernon blooms with both flowers and tourists for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Two friends and I brunched near Green Lake and continued our drive north to Roozengaarde. My friend had looked up the various farms tourists could visit to see the tulips and decided that one would be the best based on current blooming patterns. She was right. As soon as we passed by (at a crawl, since the single-lane road was jammed with visitors like us), we all shouted with amazement. My friend even opened the sunroof and stuck her head out to photograph the sea of red and yellow as we passed.

Buying an advance ticket was key. We bypassed the long line and immediately entered the garden with our digital tickets, purchased only half an hour prior on our drive to get there.

The colors were breathtaking. We kept saying "ok, no more pictures. Let's just enjoy the view", only to take out our camera phones two paces later to photograph yet another stunning vantage point. We couldn't help ourselves. Why is this so compelling? They're only flowers, after all. But, escaping the city, seeing and smelling the first signs of spring, and being surrounded by color brought us a freshness that you might get from a beautiful hike or sunset on the beach. 

There are two parts of Roozengaarde. The first is a curated garden, and the second is a set of fields. The garden hosts several types of flowers, many of which were labeled, and has a large lawn where people queued for coffee and baked goods at the convenience stand.

Farther afield are the fields. They are beautiful because of their grandeur. It's a sea of flowers. While tulips aren't my favorite flower, there is something spectacular about seeing them en masse. 

Despite only taking an afternoon, visiting Skagit Valley's Tulip Festival felt like a refreshing change of pace. If you're nearby, it's worth the drive.