Growing up, each summer my parents would take me to pick strawberries and blueberries and we would stock the freezer with berries for smoothies, pies, and pancake toppings. Last summer we expanded this by picking cherries, and most recently, tulips!
I discovered that there was a tulip farm nearby last year. Unfortunately, they had a bad growing season in 2018 and never opened to the public. As soon as it started warming up this spring, I began to actively stalk their Facebook page for growing updates.
The farm I visited is Burnside Farm in Nokesville, VA. It’s approximately an hour drive from Washington, DC. We bought tickets ahead of time at $15 per person. You can also buy them at the door if it’s not a holiday.
We arrived right when they opened at 11AM and there was already a line to get in! It was the day before Easter, but I still recommend going early. We also brought our own basket. If you have one, do that too. They ran out they were so busy!
The farm had planted over 1 million tulips. It was a tulip wonderland! There was every color tulip you could possibly think of. They had several of the ones in this tulip guide and much more!
The best part; you could pick your favorites! We walked from row to row and grabbed our favorite shade of yellow, red, pink, orange, white, purple, and multicolored! The Flaming Purissima was my favorite! To pick, you grabbed the stem at its base and pulled straight up. If you were careful (and wanted it), you could pull up the bulbs to take home and plant. I thought this was a really cool idea! That meant you were literally picking the exact color flower that would come up in your garden next year!
After picking our tulips and taking a few pictures, we wrapped the flowers for their ride home and checked out. The flowers were $1 per stem, and an additional $1 for each bulb you brought home. I ended up filling my apartment with fresh flowers and planting a few in pots on my balcony.
Tulips grow in most states, and the growing season runs from March to May. You can also see tulips abroad. The tulips in the Netherlands are supposed to be stunning!
Even if you do not have a tulip field or farm near you, I bet there are other flower farms! Do a quick search for what’s nearby and plan a fun and colorful day surrounded by flowers! Another one of my favorite nearby flower sites is the McKee-Besher Wildlife Management Area where the state of Maryland grows sunflowers. I would also love to visit Fields of Flowers in Virginia soon!
I hope everyone enjoys the rest of spring!
XOXO, Kaitlyn
This is awesome and the tulips look beautiful!