Holland, Michigan Tulip Time Festival

          Have you heard of the Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan? Maybe a tulip fest isn’t the first thing you think of when you think of Michigan but it’s very popular.  In the springtime every year the city hosts this flowery festival. My husband and I stopped by this year because I am a huge fan of flowers.  This is my second time going.  The last time was several years ago.  This year it was held May 6th through the 14th.  I’m not sure if it’s at the same time every year but you can check the website.  It has gotten super popular over the years and I have a few tips to share if you are wanting to check it out next year.  

Tips

1.  Try to go on a weekday, if possible.  I will be much less crowded.  If not, go right when it opens in the morning.  We went right when it opens and were able to park in the lot.  The parking lot fills up quickly and you may have to walk from town.  
2. If there is a sign that says “lot full” you can still drive in and try anyway.  People are leaving and they don’t take the sign down. There are people directing traffic so it wasn’t too bad.  
3. Don’t buy souvenirs at the gift shop inside the festival.  There is another location of the exact same store in the downtown area.  It’s right here. You won’t have to wait in a crazy long line.  They have the same merchandise.  
4. Be sure to check the weather before you go.  Obviously, photos will turn out better if it’s not raining.  
5. If you want to eat at any of the restaurants in town on a weekend, you need to make a reservation in advance.  This may be the case for weekdays as well.  Just make one if you want to eat at a specific place.  We tried to eat at three different places and all of them had several hour wait times.  
6. Don’t skip the windmill.  You can go inside the windmill and see how it works and the history.  It’s the only functioning authentic Dutch windmill in the United States.

 

Those are all of the tips that I have for now.  Hopefully you found this a bit useful.