After a big rain fell this spring, Chicago is hosting its own tulip festival at Richardson’s Farm hundreds of thousands of tulips await visitors in the Spring Grove.
The second annual Richardson Farm Tulip Festival is expected to begin on Saturday, April 23, and continue until Mother’s Day. So if you don’t know what to surprise your mom with this year, you can take her to see the tulips. Buying gifts for mom can be difficult. You want to express how much you love and appreciate her, but you don’t want to break the bank. It’s hard, and we know it. If it is not outdoors or not in the best shape, you can always choose anything from the best gifts that will really impress mom from the list we compiled. But first check if she is participating in the Tulip Festival, because it can be a treat for the whole family, an opportunity to make priceless memories together.
Flowers planted in 2020 and last year are waiting to become the stars of the show
“We think we have half a million tulips in bloom,” said George Richardson of Richardson Farms. “We planted 300,000 bulbs in the fall of 2020 and another 300,000 in November 2021. It really should be a spectacle. “
The weather determines the flowering dates of the tulips, but they were expected to be in full or near full color sometime between mid-April to mid-May, which means there’s still time to go and look at them. Tulips were planted near a private lake of 36 acres, for an absolutely beautiful setting. A souvenir shop on the surrounding Adventure Farm is open for gifts, wine tastings, fresh donuts, popcorn, teapot corn and indoor toilets. It is about ½ miles of walking, or you can drive, from the tulip field parking.
Almost 40,000 people visited tulip festival in 2021. This year they have almost doubled the number of tulips, and if this year COVID-19 is smaller, Richardson Farms expects a huge turnout.
Thirty varieties of tulip bulbs have been planted and they promise many opportunities for photos
Thirty varieties of tulip bulbs have been planted this year, according to a press release from the farm – Apeldoorn’s Elite, Border Buddies Blend, Banja Luka, Jaap Groot and Snowboard – just to name a few.
What you can see and do:
- 600,000 new bulbs planted this year – 30 different varieties of PLUS are last year’s bulbs!
- 500,000 are housed in colorful blocks with a central design for photos
- 100,000 are mixed colors in the area you choose
- Beautiful private place by the lake
- Trucks with food, beer and wine, as well as free use of picnic tables near the lake promenade
- Extensive free parking
- Hiking trail along the lake
- Free games – giant checkers, jenga, cornhall, etc.
- Live music on Saturday and Sunday afternoons
- Friendly dogs on a leash are welcome
Cost and affordability
Admission to the Tulip Festival costs $ 15 per person on weekends and $ 12 on weekdays. Children under 3 and younger are free. Reservations are not required. The entrance includes one tulip of your choice. Additional flowers will be available in the selection area for $ 1 each. Richardson Farm has been in the family since 1840.
Accessibility for wheelchair users: tulips are planted on hayfields, so the land is a farm field with some lumps and lumps. Mostly the tracks are a mixture of grass and weeds, but still with bumps and bumps. When it has recently rained, the ground becomes a little mushy. The parking area is coarse grass. From the tulip fields the land descends to the festival area with trucks, picnic tables, music on weekends, etc. The slopes are in line with ADA recommendations. Because of the uneven ground, some people may need help to climb the hill in a wheelchair. We have made every effort to make these deep fields as comfortable as possible for wheelchair users, but you need to decide on the capabilities of yourself or the person you are visiting.
Head east on 173 from Rockford. Go through Harvard, Woodstock and Hebron. Just before you reach Antioch, about a 90-minute drive away, you will encounter Richardson’s farms, where this massive tulip festival takes place. You can take your dog with you when she is on a leash and playing well with others.
If you miss tulips, you can always visit the Chicago Botanic Gardens
If you’re a flower lover but can’t look at tulips, you can try another green spot in Chicago.
The Chicago Botanic Garden (1000 Lake-Cook Rd, Glencoe IL 60022) is a very favorite place for city dwellers, but also for those who live in suburban areas.
The garden offers so many different attractions that it’s hard not to find what you enjoy and what it will cost the entrance fee is payable from February. From a simple walk through dozens of different landscapes, including areas dedicated to aquatic flowers, fruits and vegetables, roses, prairie plants and forest vegetation, to the actual study of more than 2.6 million perennials planted on nearly 285 acres. There is something to do here, including admiring the bonsai collection, the water garden, the evening island and more.
