Tulip Time Festival by RV

I listened as friends Sally and Ted sat on a picnic bench and excitedly told about their RVing trip to the Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan. They passed around photographs of blooming tulips, windmills, and Dutch-costumed dancers. A year later, I visited this unique festival and learned for myself why it has grown to be one of the largest flower festivals in the United States, attracting several hundred thousand visitors each year.

The first Tulip Time Festival was held in 1929, a one-day event proposed two years earlier by a local high-school biology teacher. During her speech at the Woman's Literary Club, Miss Lida Rogers suggested that the City of Holland adopt the tulip as its official flower and set aside a day for a festival. Subsequently, the city council bought 100,000 bulbs from the Netherlands for its parks and other areas and encouraged residents to plant tulips in their yards. Eventually, Tulip Time became today's nationally known eight-day festival.

Before attending the festival, contact 800-822-2770; the Tulip Time Festival Web site; e-mail, tulip@tuliptime.org; or Tulip Time Festival, 171 Lincoln Avenue, Holland, Michigan 49423. You will receive a colorful booklet with activity descriptions, schedules, and order forms. With so much to see and do, you will want to plan your visit beforehand and should definitely order tickets in advance. The sooner you order your tickets for any of the events, the better will be your seats. Handicapped seating is available. You can place your ticket order by telephone, at the Web site, or by mail.

Try to schedule the two-hour Tulip Trolley tour of the city early in your visit so that you get a feel for the layout of the city streets and learn the history of Holland, Michigan.

A fascinating activity is any performance by the Klompen (wooden shoe, clog) Dancers. Volunteers, who are authentically costumed in the style of a specific Dutch province and carefully trained, dance in wooden shoes on the streets and in the parks at various times during the festival. (One dancer said that she wears six pairs of woolen socks to protect her feet.)

Visit the Veldheer Tulip Gardens, where you walk (also wheelchair accessible) among 30 acres of blooming tulips in brilliant colors and unusual varieties. Adjacent is the only delftware factory in the nation and the DeKlomp Wooden Shoe Factory. While there, see artists painting delftware and watch craftspeople carve wooden shoes. Make time to visit DeZwaan (the swan) on Windmill Island. Tour this original windmill brought from the Netherlands in 1964.

The Volksparade features townspeople and the governor of Michigan in Dutch attire scrubbing the streets with brooms and pails of water. The Muziekparade, on closing day, features elaborate floats and marching bands. Crowds line the parade route, so you'll want to reserve a grandstand seat.

RVers can park at the Ottawa County Fairgrounds for $15 a night. Each site includes an electric hookup. Water, modern shower facilities, and a dump station are nearby. Make reservations as early as possible. You must mail your campground site request and check for the fairgrounds to the Tulip Time Festival office. A full, nonrefundable payment must be received to reserve a site. You will need transportation from the fairgrounds to the various activities in Holland, a few miles away.

The following two nearby campgrounds offer full hookups:

• Oak Grove Campground Resort, 2011 Ottawa Beach Road, Holland, Michigan 49424, 616-399-9230
• Yogi Bear Jellystone Camp Resort, 10990 U.S. 31 North, Grand Haven, Michigan 49417, 616-842-9395

During your visit to the Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan, you'll realize that you are not only in a tulip paradise but in a milieu of friendliness. Everywhere you go—restaurants, gift shops, bookstores, shows, and museums—you'll receive genuine smiles and kindness. Like Sally and Ted, you'll discover it's a memorable destination.