Your Guide to Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan

Tulip Time Festival

3 Nights
Holland, MI

Holland is a great place to kick off your Michigan adventure. It’s known for tulips, the dutch village, a lovely farmer’s market, and its proximity to Lake Michigan. Hope College is nearby which gives downtown Holland the youthful energy it deserves. Near Holland lies Grand Rapids, Saugatuck, and Grand Haven which gives you plenty of options to explore should you decide to extend your trip.

So let’s talk about the most well-known reason hundreds and thousands of people flock to Holland each year…

Tulip Time Festival

Tulip Time takes place around the beginning of May and is a time when the streets and parks of Holland are lined with MILLIONS of tulips. When you visit the main sites for tulip time, you’ll also be able to purchase tulips in bloom or bulbs of tulips. Throughout the festival, there is carnival with amusement park rides at the very end of 8th street near the civic center. It can be a fun place to visit in the evening if you are a fan of carnivals.

As a Hope College alum, my end-of-school-year memories are filled with visiting countless food stalls and parks, and dutch dancing! I once decided to try it myself end spent a day learning a traditional dutch folk dance and performing at the festival. I was just grateful the wooden clogs I wore didn't fly off and hit someone in the crowd (which apparently is more common than I thought).

A Few Tips for Your Visit to Holland

• Be mindful of one-way streets. (It is a common mistake for tourists to drive down the wrong way on 9th street and then awkwardly try to turn around)
   
• DO NOT pick any of the tulips you see in the ground. Holland is known for giving out major fines for this.
   
• If you are coming to see the tulips, check to see if they will be in full bloom by the time of the festival. The weather makes it a challenge to accurately predict the bloom of the flowers. You may want to visit a few days before or after the festival to catch them in full bloom.
   
• If you will be staying in a hotel or airbnb, book your lodging AT LEAST 3 months in advance. Hotels tend to book up quickly during this time of year with the combination of Tulip Time occasionally coinciding with graduation, it's a busy time of year for the town of Holland. If lodging is full in Holland, check some of the surrounding cities. Most in the area are near Lake Michigan and still make for great cities to stay in for the festival.
   
• If you want to get photos without hoards of people in the background, visit EARLY in the morning…or work the angles..whichever you prefer.

There are plenty of ways to enjoy the festivities! See below for some of the best places to visit during tulip time and have fun! Check the tulip time website so you don't miss the parade or any other aspects of the festivities.

Windmill Island Gardens

This is one of my favorite places to visit any time of year! There’s a parking lot in front of the ticket booth. After purchasing your tickets, you can stroll along the river, passing by the dutch themed shops and cafes. It truly transports you to the Netherlands (even if for a short time).

There is an exterior path that you can follow around the island or you can cut across straight to the tulips.

One of the first things you’ll notice is the famous 251- year old De Zwaan windmill. The windmill came straight from the Netherlands in 1964 and the mill is still being used to grind grain. You can take pictures of the outside and tour the inside as well. The tour takes you toward the top of the windmill which gives you a great view of the tulips and some interesting history told by the tour guides dressed in full traditional dutch wardrobes.

There are about 150,000 tulips that line the field surrounding the windmill and it is by far my favorite place to visit during tulip time.

If you’re traveling with kids, there is a carousel they can ride and walking trails surrounding the island.

Admission is $12/adults and $6/kids

Nelis’ Dutch Village

This village is bustling with fun activities. It’s essentially a dutch theme park and feels like stepping back into time when entering. There are rides, a petting zoo, educational presentations, and klompen dance performances (and lessons) during tulip time. There’s a restaurant and a bar and different food sampling stations (cheese and fudge). You can also learn how to make your own stroopwafel!

Although many of the rides and activities are geared toward children, the village is still fun to wander. There are some fun spots for photo ops as well (albeit a bit touristy). For example, a photo op in a giant wooden shoe.

If you have kids, this should be a go-to stop! If not, I’d say start with Windmill Island.

Tickets are $15/adult and $14/child

Veldheer’s Tulip Gardens

Veldheer’s Gardens has a robust selection of tulips to view with 6 million bulbs planted each year and 850 different varieties.

Of course, there are other flowers to see depending on the change of seasons but the tulips are the most famous. If you visit between May 6th to May 13th, you will likely be able to see Holland’s only tulip farm in full bloom. The gardens close around 6 pm while the garden store is open until 7 pm during tulip time.

Aside from flowers, you will also be able to see the wooden shoe factory, learn about Dutch pottery and buy some trinkets to take home with you. There is also a bison farm on the property!

Entrance costs: $12/adults and $6/kids

Located just off of Highway 31, slightly north of Nelis’ Dutch Village.

Head to the Parks

There are plenty of parks in Holland that are speckled with brightly colored tulips. Window on the Waterfront (Riverview Park) is one of the most popular parks to see the tulips. There are rows of tulips in the park and it’s free and open to the public.

Centennial Park is right near 8th street and is always full of tulips…and people! It's a smaller park with a gazebo and a tiny pond.

Kollen Park is larger and right on the water. It is lined with tulips and is located right beside Boatwerks Restaurant. During festival times I recommend checking out Tall Ship Dockside Tours at Boatwerks for a fun way to learn about maritime history of the Great Lakes.

You can also drive down tulip lane which takes you through twelve miles of Holland neighborhoods lined with rows of tulips.

Additional Activities:

1. Visit Holland State Park and spend an afternoon at the beach
2. Ride the trolley around town. It costs $25 for an hour long ride down tulip lane and the surrounding areas. You'll learn all about the history of Holland and tulip time.
3. Try the pepperoni pinwheels (always paired well with a cold beer) at New Holland Brewery.
4. Sign up for the Tulip Time run and start your weekend off with some fitness fun!
5. Stop by the Ottawa County Fairgrounds to see additional tulips and a variety of other events.

Grand Rapids:

Just a 45-minute drive from Holland is Michigan’s second-largest city: Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids has its own popular festival called ArtPrize with incredible outdoor and indoor sculptures, art-themed activities, and galleries dispersed around the city. The skyline looks beautiful at night and there is plenty to do downtown. 

If you are seeking out a more "hipster area" Eastown is where its at with incredible restaurants and coffee shops! 

Below are a few things you can do to make the most out of your day trip to Grand Rapids!

Explore Downtown 

• Grand Rapids Downtown Market

This market is a food hall with tons of cuisine and vendors to choose from. They even host a variety of events and cooking classes! The upstairs space is often used for events and weddings because it is so beautiful! 

You'll find all of the restaurants located downstairs with plenty of options from seafood to ice cream and specialty coffees. There is both indoor and outdoor seating 

• Walk the Blue Bridge

What was once a railroad bridge has now been converted to a pedestrian walkway that arches over the Grand River. On one side of the bridge are the Amway Grand Plaza and the Plaza Towers which are two of the tallest buildings in Grand Rapids and on the other side is the Grand Rapids Public Museum. If you are wandering downtown, the Blue Bridge makes for a great way to take in the views of the city.

• Head to Rosa Parks Circle and eat your way through the nearby restaurants

Rosa Parks Circle is a gathering space that hosts different events like swing dancing or ice skating (in the winter). The surrounding blocks are full of fun shops and delicious restaurants such as Tupelo Honey and Little Bird. 

Visit Robinette's Apple Haus and Winery  

Open year round and full of seasonal rotating activities. My favorite time to visit is in the fall because I love corn mazes and fall festivities however if you visit in the spring you walk the nature trails, sign up for wine tasting and try the freshly baked apple cider donuts. 

This is a bit further from downtown but definitely a fun spot to visit!

Check out the Breweries  and Bars

One thing Grand Rapids is known for aside from furniture (it used to be one of the top production companies for furniture) is beer. Grand Rapids has been given the nickname “Beer City” and for good reason. Craft breweries in the city are in abundance with over 80 breweries in the city.

Some notable breweries include:

• Founder’s Brewing Co. (which helped put Grand Rapids on the map as a “Beer City”)
• Brewery Vivant (featuring culturally inspired beer with a fresh and eclectic menu and items such as Duck Nachos and Escargot)
• Speciation Artisan Ales and Native Species Winery (with a unique design and a focus on Michigan-grown ingredients this place is not to miss.)

Spend an afternoon at Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

I easily spent a full six hours wandering this park! There is SO MUCH TO SEE and if you love nature and art, this is the best of both worlds. It is open year-round and has both indoor and outdoor gardens. There are over 200 sculptures on the grounds and a highlight for me was a visit to the Japanese gardens (after spending 2 years living in Japan) and it did not disappoint. There was also a bonsai exhibit near the gardens.

Each garden has a different theme and are spread out across the entirety of the park. It’s a not to miss park for both adults and children.

Tickets cost $18/adults with special discounts for seniors, children, and students.