Each May Holland hosts an annual Tulip Time Festival.
A year ago we learned about the tulips festival in Holland, Michigan. we attempted a road trip last minutes, which was a total failure. We have learned from that experience that if we want to get anything done in life we have to plan well. A road trip to Michigan was super fun we beat Chicago traffic too, in the morning ,”call us well travelers” yeah!!!! and a toddler fell asleep on the way, woot!
Going on this trip the plan was to see the tulips I had no clue that we will get and opportunity to learn so much about the Dutch’s, we didn’t just see the tulips ,we expose Armani to the Dutch Heritage, which was super amazing, we travel to learn different cultures and explore, and Holland, Michigan didn’t disappoint. the Tulip Time Festival in May and various Dutch-themed attractions augment the nearby Lake Michigan shoreline in attracting thousands of tourists annually. While we were busy strolling downtown Friday afternoon, I went online and realized that Holland’s downtown is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Wow!
This has to be our favorite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Holland_Brewing_Company eating and drinking spot in downtown, check it out next time you’re in town, good food, garden bar, whisky tasting room and beer tasting the waitress go around with a tray.
Statues in Downtown Holland
The statues in Downtown Holland serve as a representation of everything about Holland, people, spirit and history.
In the afternoon we headed out to the Holland state park, which was 20 min away. To watch the sunset and explore the red lighthouse. For a great view of Big Red, visit Holland State Park, and walk along the boardwalk to the north pier (wheelchair accessible).My daughter loves the lighthouse after this trip, she point them on magazine and TV, We have a portrait of the lighthouse on our hallway but she only noticed it after Holland, Michigan, she needed to see a real lighthouse,this was not a first lighthouse since she was born but she is growing and learning new things.
Saturday the morning of the tulip festival, we decided to take the tour bus and make sure we don’t miss anything important. So basically the tour is $34 per person, the bus will take you to the Cappon House Museum, ,around downtown to see the settles houses, it was pretty amazing to here that the tulips are replanted every year along the street line, with the help of the volunteers. There is a tour guide in the bus and you have option to get off the bus or continue with the trip, We continued with the bus until gardens windmill island.
Wind your way through the historic camp filled with colonial merchants and re-enactors. Learn what Dutch trade items were sought after 200 years ago and shop for your own piece of the past to take home!
Re-enactors representing a variety of different cultures show how trade helped create the multiculturalism of colonial society.
We spend around an hour around the miniature Little Netherlands Village display made by the early settlers, before we crossed to the tulip garden, Kids will love the antique Dutch Carousel, featuring hand-carved and painted wooden horses and Playground & Children’s gardens.
Centennial Park is a 5.6 acre park located at 10th Street and River Avenue in the heart of downtown Holland.
We enjoyed the time we spend at this park, read more on the link
https://www.cityofholland.com/parksandcemeteries/centennial-park
We drove to another farm in town ,Veldheer Tulip Garden is a truly authentic Dutch experience. The fields of tulips are a sight to see and one you will only experience at Veldheer.
Thousands upon Thousands of beautiful Tulips. The entire place is fun from the Tulips to the wooden shoe factory.
They plant over 10,000 new tulips around Holland, MI, every year so that there are always an abundance of them for the Festival in May.
They also have bulbs available for purchase
The variety of tulips are outstanding.
If its a bulb and grown in the ground I would say they have it. You can learn a lot about the cultivating of the bulbs which is very interesting.
I highly recommend this farm to all the families, our daughter had a blast running through the gardens, and posing in front of the three mini windmills and a bonus there is a ranch, she was super excited to see the big buffalo’s. This has been a truly amazing trip to Michigan, well planned and we went with the flow once we got there. We pay $10 per adult to walk in the garden, don’t try to steal the tulips, you will be fined.
To learn more about the farm click the link below
“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls.” – Anais Nin.
