Everything’s Coming Up Tulips

Spring has officially sprung. Granted, it might be hard to tell based on the temperature fluctuation, but a quick glance around at my neighborhood trees and flower beds confirms the arrival of one of Virginia’s prettiest times of year. I made it pretty clear in my last blog post that hunting for seasonal flowers is one of my favorite springtime activities. I adore tulips, and some day I hope to make it to the Netherlands for their annual tulip festival. For now, I am more than happy to settle for the next best thing: the Festival of Spring at Burnside Farms.

Located in Nokesville, Virginia, Burnside Farms opens its gates for roughly three weeks every spring so visitors can walk among its glorious blooms. I have been taking Daughter #1 there for years for the spectacular photo opportunities and fresh flower picking. We have watched this event grow from a small patch of flowers to an expansive field full of millions of tulips.

Last year we were even fortunate enough to book a spot with a photographer who was holding mini sessions in the tulip fields as a charity fundraiser.

This year our original attempt to visit unfortunately got rained out, but we were able to reschedule for Easter Sunday. I was excited for Daughter #2’s first trip to see the tulips, though she was a little less enthusiastic about the sudden wind chill. She spent most of our visit anger-nursing in protest, so we didn’t quite get as many photos as usual.

On the other hand, Daughter #1 was in her glory.

In addition to picking some magnificent blooms, she had a blast zooming down the giant inflatable slide and hopping across the huge jumping pillow.

Kids will also delight in trying on wooden clogs (a nod to this festival’s Dutch counterparts), seeing some baby animals, and playing on additional structures like the tire circle or the old caboose. There are picnic tables where you can enjoy a packed meal, or you can take advantage of the yummy barbecue stand on the weekend.

Have I peaked your interest yet? Here are the details:

Burnside Farms is located in Nokesville, Virginia. Entering its street address into your GPS should take you right to their parking lot. Their last day of the season is this Sunday, April 24th, but sadly tickets for the 23rd and 24th are already sold out. There are still a limited number of tickets available for April 19th-22nd. Tickets are $19 for adults and $14 for children ages 3-12, plus a $1.50 processing fee. The adult tickets include five tulips and the child tickets include three tulips. Additional tulips cost $1 per stem. For an extra $1 per tulip, you can also keep the bulb, but this is totally optional. For more information, you can visit Burnside’s website, or their Instagram, Facebook, or Youtube pages.

Didn’t buy tickets in time? Fear not! Burnside Farms also puts together a magical sunflower festival each summer, complete with a sunflower maze and what appear to be gorgeous sunsets. We have yet to make it to this event, but it is on our agenda for this summer, so stay tuned!

Did you get to enjoy the tulip festival this year? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!