This Spring our house has been filled with flowers thanks to finding daffodils for a great deal at local farms. We have always wanted to head down to Washington for the Tulip festival down there, but have never made it. Then we heard about a local one here in BC last year, but were saddened to find out it shut down. Thankfully another tulip field has popped up locally, the Abbotsford Tulip Festival. Is it ever beautiful!
This tulip festival was created by the owners to celebrate their Dutch heritage, and bring a touch of it to the Fraser Valley. It’s tucked in a field just a bit off the highway. You cannot miss the vibrant colours! It reminded me of the poppy scene in the Wizard of Oz… I know, I know, wrong flower, but it does give the perfect visual. What I love is that they will be harvesting all of the tulip bulbs in the summer, and storing them to be used again.
The festival is on til May 1st, 2016 and is open daily from 9am to 6pm. Parking is free Monday to Friday, but there is a charge on the weekend. We took advantage of the free parking during the week and went on a week day. It is a $5 fee per person to enter the festival. The one thing we did not expect was the amount of wind that funnels through this area, so if you are planning to visit bring a sweater you may just find that you need it, even with it being over 20C out.
There were little activity areas set up for kids. There was a sand pit with diggers, and a horse saddle, as well as a brilliant duck racing area! This was a highlight for our oldest as she used all her might to get the water flowing through the pump, and move her little rubber ducky around the track. There are also some beautiful cut-out photo boards.
We headed down the path for a couple minute walk to the field, and wandered around admiring the different colours and varieties of tulips. Evie kept saying the whole time that she wanted to bring home pink tulips… light pink, dark pink, lots of pink! Thankfully she had the opportunity to do just that in the u-pick field where all sorts of colours were planted.
In the u-pick field you can get tulips for 75 cents a stem. We picked ones that had yet to open at all, but we could see a hint of colour showing. They opened up the next day while in the vase that was sitting near a window in our kitchen. You can also buy bundles of tulips that have already been bunched together for you at a stand near the entrance. There’s just something special about picking your own though. Evie is very proud of her tulips that we brought home.
Going to the field was a fun little experience that made for some beautiful photos. I am looking forward to going again next year, I sure hope they will be back next year! If you have the opportunity to go out to the Abbotsford Tulip Festival, do it!
Gorgeous pictures! And this tulip festival looks amazing! I haven’t been to Abbotsford in a while – perhaps I should make a trip soon!
Such pretty pictures!!
Such a beautiful place! I absolutely loved the photos!
These tulip photos are SO LOVELY! Thank you so much for sharing and inspiring!
xoxo
Krista
http://www.hundredblog.com
Wow! Those are gorgeous! And I love your kid’s faces in them all! What a great family outing!
This looks lovely! Tulips in full bloom are absolutely gorgeous. I live right outside Boston, and in the public garden in spring there are tulips in a range of colors and it’s absolutely stunning.
This is beautiful. Tulips are such a symbol of spring!
Wow these are beautiful shots and what cute kiddos! What a perfect day 🙂
Omg fabulous photos!!! The tulips are just beautiful!!!
What an amazing experience!!! I Love all of the great photo opportunities this activity gave you too!!
I’ve been wanting to take my girls there! Looks like such a fun outdoor family day 🙂
Beautiful! It looks like you had a wonderful time. We just had a blast of winter in Ontario where I live, but I’m hoping that it’s safe to say that winter is over and spring is finally here.
Gorgeous, I’d love to visit this location!
Lovely…. yup here in Calgary we are just starting to see some buds… maybe…
Great pictures! We’ll have to make it out there!
You went on a beautiful day! I’m hoping we can take our two boys there before it ends!
SO beautiful! I live in Vancouver and plan to visit this place in Abby before it ends!
Thanks for sharing,these photos are so beautiful.
I am speechless! I love flowers in general, put tulips are one of my faves! I must get here!!
I love tulips – I can’t wait until they start coming up here.
Beautiful photos! I went to the Abby Tulip Festival on the weekend, too. It was such a nice day for it.
It’s always been a dream of mine to go to this! Your pictures are stunning and your girls are just too cute, I love those little hats!
So beautiful! We have a tulip festival in Oregon as well and my kids and I just went a couple of weeks ago. They sound similar! I was up in the Fraser Valley last summer and just love it up there. So pretty!
We have a Tulip Festival like Marlynn mentioned here in the Portland area of Oregon. It’s such a great sight. It’s outside of the city, but totally worth the drive. The colors are actually stunning.
Warren @ Blog to Taste
These pictures are gorgeous! Your blog always has such beautiful photos. Thanks for the suggestion about Abbotsford. We always seem to forget about the great activities outside of Vancouver.
http://Picniic.com
What lovely pictures! I’ve heard this is a must see. Now I know why!