La Conner bursts into a vibrant dreamscape of color, where endless tulip fields paint the landscape in every shade of spring. Photo courtesy of La Conner Chamber of Commerce
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Sometimes, all it takes to renew your energy after a lengthy winter is a lively road trip, especially if it’s to Skagit Valley, Washington, during tulip season. Take a deep breath of fresh air and enjoy row upon row of flamboyant blooms.
Daffodils, snowdrops and crocuses bloom throughout March, heralding the arrival of spring. Then, tulips claim the stage. Tulip Season is from April 1-30 annually.
Some years, the tulips bloom in the last week of March, and in other years, they’ll pop in the second week of April. The blossoming season is nature’s symphony, playing its own variations and crescendos.
Getting to Skagit Valley
My partner and I drove 66 miles from Seattle to La Conner by car. Follow I-5 north and take Exit 221 to Conway, about an hour from Seattle. You can’t miss the red building at the Conway turnoff that sells ice cream and fresh produce, and you definitely won’t miss the signs that lead you to the antique stores.
Now you’re on Best Road in Skagit Valley, the most picturesque state road to drive during spring.
Sights and Stops
Stately homes, with their timeless elegance, dot the terrain on Best Road. They reflect the prosperity of the verdant Skagit Valley. You’ll note lush crops of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cucumbers, potatoes, apples and pears that thrive along with the flowers.
Deep into the valley, you’ll encounter Snow Goose Produce, “famous for our immodest ice cream cones.” That’s an understatement. A stop here for fresh seafood and produce. An indulgent ice cream cone that could suffice for lunch is a must.
Continue with your ice cream-happy stomach to La Conner, stopping a dozen or more times to delight in the fields striped in alternating rows of red, purple, yellow and pink tulips.
An additional stop might be at a stand that sells those vibrant bouquets. Indulge yourself. Tulip season, the “Netherlands of the Northwest,” is only once a year.
Navigating the Tulip Festival
After you arrive in La Conner, get the Tulip Festival Bloom Map from the Visitor Information Center and drive the designated route. The festival features four gardens, some of which are between La Conner and Mt. Vernon.
Roozen Gaarde Display Gardens’ admission ticket covers parking at the fields. Tulip Valley Farms has family discounts and is the only u-pick site. Tulip Town has a variety of ticket levels including a photography pass.
Garden Rosalyn features acres of tulips in intricate designs. Skagit Guided Adventures offers tours, but it isn’t necessary to pay to view the blooms. The fields surround you, painting the landscape in vivid hues.
Skagit Valley Summers are Festive
There are summertime festivals every weekend in the Skagit, and La Conner hums with activity. The Kiwanis Club sponsors a parade where wacky, impromptu entries are welcome.
Perhaps you would enjoy English tea or your selection might be a basketball tournament, a pickleball tournament or a salmon barbecue. The La Conner Historic Walking Tour also features landmarks such as the Grange Hall, Gaches Mansion and Marietta/Planter Hotel.
The Sculpture Tour is another option. La Conner Arts Commission selects sculptures and exhibits them as a walking tour throughout town. Don’t miss walking the boardwalk in town along the Swinomish Channel. It’s part of an 11-mile long salt-water channel which connects Skagit Bay to the south and Padilla Bay to the north.
Of course, there is shopping galore in the quaint stores along 1st, the main street. There is also Calico Cupboard with its tantalizing bakery. Make time to stop into The Museum of Northwest Art. Its permanent display on the second floor holds some impressive works. The movable feast of displays on the first floor is equally fascinating.
San Juan Airlines flies over the picturesque fields, and Shutter Tours will pick up passengers from downtown Seattle. By any means of transportation, it’s a day well spent. If you have only one day, return to Seattle, tired but delighted.
Stay Overnight
If you have an extra half-day, stay overnight. Make room and dinner reservations ahead of time during the festival.
An excellent choice of accommodation is the La Conner Inn. We had a room with a fireplace and outdoor sitting area for under $200. It is right on 1st Avenue and even less expensive is the quaint Hotel Planter. Slightly higher priced is the La Conner Channel Lodge on the water.
After a distinctive wine and scrumptious pasta at La Conner’s Oyster & Thistle Restaurant and Pub, we planned our next day.
Explore Further Afield
The delightful thing about being in the Skagit Valley is the opportunity to explore the surrounding area, so after breakfast we headed 14 miles north to the Deception Pass bridge that connects to Whidbey Island. The bridge is 180 feet high and offers a thrilling view of the water below.
Another 10 miles brought us to Anacortes, still in Skagit County and on Fidalgo Island. There, we made a bee line for the Majestic Hotel, where visitors can climb to the cupola on top for a 360-degree view of the northern portion of Puget Sound. We saw the fishing boats and the ferry plying its way back and forth to Guemes Island.
Anacortes stages art festivals as well as Shipwreck Days, a massive community garage sale including antique vendors. There is always something going on in summertime in the valley.
Because we weren’t ready to leave the Skagit Valley, we undertook a circuitous route back to Seattle, traveling 25 miles to Bow, WA, along Farm to Market Road. The luxuriant green fields stretched beyond the horizon, revealing tidy rows of potatoes and brussel sprouts. Imposing farmhouses dotted the roadway.
We stopped for coffee and a luscious polenta cake at the Farm to Market Bakery. It perches next to Rhody Café, an excellent choice for dinner. Bow’s adjacent town, Edison, has interesting shops as well as Bread Farm Bakery, another tasty choice.
As we meandered back to Seattle from Bow, we discovered a yard where the owner displayed animals he made from driftwood. He gives Deborah Butterfield, acclaimed for her sculptures of horses made from found objects, a run for her money. These sculptures were the cap on our adventure full of nature’s discoveries, the dazzling tulip fields being paramount among them.
If You Go:
Where To See Tulips
Tulip Tours
Touring La Conner in Any Season
Where to Stay in La Conner
Where to Eat in La Conner:
Side Trips
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