If you’re interested in viewing masses of tulips the Tulip Festival in La Conner, Washington is a great place to go.

Some fields charge admission – typically $5 or $6 for parking, but some don’t.

Free!

Our first stop was a ‘free’ field with a tulip guard. 
The free fields tend to have mostly red, yellow and purple tulips, with less variety of tulips than the ones that charge admission.
A photographer in a red tulip field.
My turn!

Roozengaarde.

If you’re going willing to pay admission, Roozengaarde is one of the best to go for. In one area, the tulips are laid out in a park-like setting with different plantings.
A red, white and blue display of bulbs.
One section has all the different tulips labelled so you can see what they look like, and take pictures of the ones you want.
Close up of one the ‘parrot’ tulips (my faves).
We visited this place in 2015, a year that spring came six weeks early, and as they noted on the ‘Tulip’ message board in the middle of March: ‘Hello warm weather! The Daffodils started blooming early, and we are expecting the tulips to be at their peak during the Daffodil Festival and into the first two weeks of April!’  So even if the bulk of the tulips have finished blooming, Roozengarde also maintains some fields in bloom next to their garden. In 2016 April looks like a great time to visit.

Tulip Town.

While I was in the ‘free’ field I overheard a woman saying that Tulip Town had the best display. The parking was free but there was a $6 admission to get into the display area. The feel is more carnival like than Roozengaarde and probably more fun for children.
Tulip Town labels the tulips in the fields with small sticks at the beginning of the rows. 
White tulips catching a few rays…
Red tulips reflected in a pool.
Beautiful red tulips with yellow edging.
Pale pink tulips with pale yellow edging.
The inner heart of a tulip.
Bulbs for sale.
The Tulip Town order form where I made notes of which ones I wanted. I didn’t actually buy any as I wasn’t sure if I could take them back across the border into Canada but at least I now know which ones I want. There is an online map showing which tulips (and daffodils) were in bloom and where. However, it was put out by Roozengaarde and Tulip Town wasn’t on it. I have adjusted the map to show the free fields at the bottom, Roozengaarde and Tulip Town.
 The online map is great though, for letting you know what to expect, and when: http://www.lovelaconner.com/laconner-blog/skagit-valley-tulip-festival/plan-your-trip/

More about road trips through the US and Canada.