Happy Wednesday, friends :) It's out of control how excited I am to share these photos with you guys today. I've been going to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival every year since my first Seattle Spring in 2009. It started out as one of those random day trips I wrangled my friends into attending. Although the gorgeous photos that pop up around March every year are what inspired me to originally go, experiencing endless fields of tulips and daffodils in real life keeps me coming back. I really can't say enough good things about visiting the tulips as it's basically a perfect mini trip for you and your best friends if you live in the PNW, but personally, my favorite part is taking pictures.
I've labeled myself as an amateur photographer for 7ish years now, frequently bombarding my facebook friends with "editorial" shoots and littering newsfeeds with countless photographs of Niky Champion. But I got to say, pretty pictures of pretty girls in pretty fields of flowers is seriously MY JAM. I live for this shit, you guys. I am so grateful to be able to have easy access to such a beautiful location every year and have friends that are willing to subject themselves to me and my camera.
I hope you enjoy a few of my favorites from this year's trip. I've included some tips for visiting the tulips if you're thinking of going this year. Please share your photos if you do! I'd love to see them!
I've labeled myself as an amateur photographer for 7ish years now, frequently bombarding my facebook friends with "editorial" shoots and littering newsfeeds with countless photographs of Niky Champion. But I got to say, pretty pictures of pretty girls in pretty fields of flowers is seriously MY JAM. I live for this shit, you guys. I am so grateful to be able to have easy access to such a beautiful location every year and have friends that are willing to subject themselves to me and my camera.
I hope you enjoy a few of my favorites from this year's trip. I've included some tips for visiting the tulips if you're thinking of going this year. Please share your photos if you do! I'd love to see them!
Tulip Tip #1: Where to go
There are two different businesses that run Tulip attractions, Roozengaarde and Tulip Town. I've never been to Tulip Town, but based on their site photos they seem to have more variety in their tulip fields, but it does look smaller than Roozengaarde. Roozengaarde was the first place I ever went to visit the tulips and their fields have been so great, that I've never felt the need to check out Tulip Town. Roozengaarde has MULTIPLE fields that you can visit. This is the first year that I ventured out to visit fields other than the main site with the show garden and I HIGHLY recommend it. This is seriously my #1 tip. We went to field #4 on Best Rd. and it was GORGEOUS and way easier to access than the main site.
Tulip Tip #2: BLOOM MAP
You definitely want to use the Bloom Map to check when fields are in bloom. In 2010, we went too late in the season and like complete noobs didn't check the bloom map. The tulips had been cut and we basically drove 2 hours to visit fields of dirt! Lol, never again. Roozengaarde does an A+ job keeping their site updated.
Tulip Tip #3: When to go
This is also the first year I didn't go on a weekend. Not gonna lie y'all, going on the weekend can get pretty miserable, especially when the flowers are in peak season. I love that the PNW rallies for Skagit Valley and it's super adorable seeing all the families frolic among the flowers, but the high influx of people causes a ton of traffic and doesn't really make for nice photos. If you have to go on a weekend, GO EARLY. The fields open at 9 AM. You can grab breakfast with your crew afterwards! OR if you can swing it, go on a week day! We went yesterday morning (up in dis club on Tuesday!) and it was just us and the flower flaggers (responsible for keeping you on the main path, which we blatantly disobeyed).
Okay but, pause. Because I need a personal moment to appreciate how incredible these photos of Kasey in the red tulips are. Seriously a couple of my favorite pictures of all time!
Tulip Tip #4: Check Weather
This seems like a duh, but it's something to remember when you're planning your trip, especially if you have some flexibility. Make sure to base it on Mt. Vernon, WA weather, not just Seattle, WA weather. It was pouring rain when we left Seattle yesterday morning and continued to do so but Mt Vernon was far enough away that we avoided the rain clouds. I'm glad we didn't give up on going :)
Tulip Tip #5: Rain Boots
There's always a high chance that the fields will be muddy. Wear shoes that you don't mind sloshing around in. Hooray for Hunters!
Tulip Tip #6: What to Wear
Whatever you want! However, I've always encouraged all the groups I've taken to coordinate, usually in white or a nice solid in a primary color. It makes for nice photos :) I'm also a fan of multiple outfits, lol. So this year, we also did a floral theme.
I hope these photos brought a little cheer to your Wednesday! See you guys at the end of the week.
