I’d had enough of looking at the breathtaking pictures of tulips that popped onto my phone and laptop screens year after year, showcasing Holland’s annual bountiful crop of colorful showstoppers.
From fringy to smooth to ombre, in shades that range from violet-midnight to peach sorbet, each supported by lovely lanky stems and silky wraparound leaves, Holland’s tulips and the Tulip Time festival had tempted me for decades.
The festival, which started in 1929, was inspired by a biology teacher who suggested planting tulips could be a way to celebrate the city’s Dutch heritage. So, the city bought 100,000 bulbs from the Netherlands, and that led to the creation of the festival.
Last year, I was determined to see the display in person. But what was the best way to view them? My husband and I signed up for a seven-hour guided VIP Tour, and we weren’t disappointed. In fact, if you’ve never been, this is truly the best way to go. You get to skip the crowds, enjoy seamless travel, learn from a local guide who spends the day with you, enjoy lunch at a blueberry farm, meet tulip gurus, and ask questions.
We felt like royalty as we stepped off our motorcoach at each stop. There were no parking hassles; we were dropped smack-dab in front of brilliant blooms at every stop. En route to various attractions, we ogled rows upon rows of tulips in front of tidy homes and along streets and medians in quaint Holland neighborhoods. Click, click, click went my camera as I listened on a noise-free audio headset to the information and stories our guide shared with us.
The highlights included exploring Windmill Island Gardens, where you can climb inside a 250-year-old Dutch windmill that’s surrounded by what seemed like billions of tulips and Dutch architecture. If you love specific tulips at some of the attractions like this one, chances are you can order the variety, have the bulbs delivered to your door, and plant them in your own yard. Several of the spots offer this service.
We worked up an appetite before stopping at Bowerman Blueberry Farm Market in Park Township, where we learned about blueberry farming and harvesting, and then enjoyed a nice lunch just steps from the groves of blueberry plants. Blueberry pie, of course, capped off the occasion!
I did quite a bit of shopping in the farm’s neat gift shop, and found loads of birthday and holiday gifts. There’s also a freezer full of frozen blueberries available for purchase. If anything, you must take home a jar of the blueberry jam.
At Pillar Church and the beautiful Hope College church, speakers provided insights on the first tulips in Holland and the beginning of the festival, and discussed the interesting religious history of Holland.
A stop at Holland State Park allowed us to take in stunning Lake Michigan views on Ottawa Beach, with the Big Red lighthouse as the centerpiece. (Walking off the pie was a welcome respite!)
What truly raised my rating of this tour from 10 to over-the-top was the opportunity to meet Dutch artist Ibo Gulsen, who created a stunning display of tulips that appeared to be multileveled. His Tulip Immersion Garden Private Tour allowed us to ask questions like, Where does a bulb come from? And, yes, he plans to be here this year, as well.
More must-dos: Sit or stand along the streets later in the day and watch the costumed Klompen dancers stomp, clap, turn, clog, skip, and twirl in their wooden shoes along Central Avenue. There are hundreds of dancers of all ages and we talked with many of them. (Travel tip: pack a couple of lawn chairs; they come in very handy for the streetside show.)
We also strolled downtown and took in Eighth Street’s shop windows and the town décor that honors the tulip. Be sure to visit the Holland Area Arts Council, as it features finalists’ artworks for the Tulip Time poster.
We enjoyed drinks and appetizers at Butch’s Dry Dock, and we made our way over to a fascinating quilt show on Pine Avenue. Even if you’re not a quilter, you’ll love seeing such creative stitchers’ works.
On the way out of town, we stopped at the glorious Veldheer Tulip Gardens. There, we enjoyed watching an artist decorate wooden shoes in her workshop.
Once our getaway in Holland was over, it was hard to leave the swathes of magenta, lemon, tangerine, blush, and snowy white blooms in hundreds of varieties.
We stayed at the luxe Wickwood Inn (see the fall 2025 issue of Michigan Blue for a detailed Book It story on this charming retreat) in nearby Saugatuck (about 10 miles or so from downtown Holland) so we could add even more fun to the trip, and spent some time shopping Saugatuck’s galleries, and walking to restaurants and the nearby Kalamazoo River and Lake Michigan.
If you do stay there and you do plan to enjoy the VIP Tulip Time tour, you’ll want to try the inn’s delicious homemade breakfasts — but you’ll need to ask the night before if you can take the food to go, as we did. The VIP motorcoach leaves from a Holland meeting spot at around 8 a.m.
Seven hours later, and you’ll have enough colorful memories to last until the next time. 
Plan It!
Tulip Time
tuliptime.com for festival details and VIP tour tickets.
Holland
holland.org
Saugatuck
saugatuck.com
