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If you can’t travel to the Netherlands to see the colorful rows of tulips in spring, you CAN take a day trip to Holland, Michigan to see them. It’s pretty much the same, right?
I don’t know if that is enough to convince someone to travel to Holland, Michigan over the Netherlands if given the opportunity, but it did convince my sister and her husband to enjoy a day trip to Holland with us. It’s my sisters dream to travel to the Netherlands to see the tulips. Unfortunately, her dream trip is still a few years out due to welcoming a baby this past year. To make up for this, I filled this day trip with as many Dutch themed attractions as I could! So if you’re also craving tiptoeing through the Dutch tulips, read on to find out how you can “getaway” to Holland… Michigan. 🙂
~ Background of Tulip Time~
Holland’s first official Tulip Time was in May 1929.
Before that, the idea of planting tulips throughout Holland to beautify the city and connect it with the Netherlands came about in 1927 at a Women’s Literary Club meeting. A year later, Holland purchased 100,000 tulip bulbs from the Netherlands to plant in the parks and sell to residents. The goal was to have a ‘Tulip Day’ the next spring, but this event idea transformed into a week long event. The first Tulip Time was such a success that it became an annual event.
In 1933, an office dedicated to Tulip Time was set up and festival functions incorporated under the local Chamber of Commerce. It was around this era when Dutch dance performances, costumes, and wooden shoes were introduced.
Due to World War Two, Tulip Time was suspended. The year 2020 was the only other time Tulip Time was canceled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. From 1946 on, Tulip Time resumed as a four day festival.
After 1991, Tulip Time extended from 4 days to 10 days to accommodate the growing crowds. During Tulip Time, you can expect parades, street performances, tours, arts & crafts, a marketplace, carnival, and the opportunity to learn about the area’s Dutch culture and heritage.
Overall, there are seven official area’s across Holland to check out the Tulips – Veldheer Tulip Gardens, Windmill Island Gardens, Nelis Dutch Village, Downtown Holland, Centennial Park, the Tulip Lanes, and Window on the Waterfront. New as of 2022 are the Immersion Gardens at Beechwood Church.
Downtown Holland, Centennial Park, Window on the Waterfront, and the Tulip Lanes along Washington Ave & 12th Street are fantastic options to see tulips for free!
Read on to discover the attractions you can experience during a day trip to Holland during Tulip Time!
~ Day Trip to Holland Map ~
~ Day Trip to Holland Summary ~
When: Saturday, the weekend before Tulip Time officially kicked off. Note, if you plan to visit the Tulip Immersion Gardens, that attraction only happens during Tulip Time. My family and I came back to visit those gardens during Tulip Time.
Why: The Netherlands is my sister’s favorite country, and one day, she hopes to see their tulip fields. So, she agreed to come with me on a day trip to Holland to see the tulips and Dutch inspired attractions here.
Time Traveled (one way): 30 minutes from Grand Rapids, 1 hour from Kalamazoo, 1 hour 30 minutes from Lansing, 2 hours 30 minutes from Chicago, 3 hours from Detroit, Traverse City, and Toledo
Time Spent at Destination: 5 hours
Budget: $$ – Entrance to Veldheer’s, Dutch Village, & Windmill Island, lunch at Dutch Village, admission to the Immersion Gardens
What we did during our Day Trip to Holland
We started out at Veldheer Tulip Gardens right when they opened at 10am. After admiring the rows of tulips, windmills, and bison herd, we checked out the Delftware and wooden shoes they manufacture on site.
Our second stop was to Nelis’ Dutch Village where we grabbed some lunch, watched a cheese making demonstration and the Dutch dancers’ performance. Then we walked around admiring the buildings, photo spots, and sculptures depicting Dutch tall tales. Finally, we took Winston on his first carousel ride and enjoyed the farm animals.
The final stop was to Windmill Island Garden primarily to tour De Zwaan, the United States’ only authentic, working Dutch windmill. After touring the windmill, we admired the tulips around the island, miniature village, gift shop and botanical garden.
Other Things to Explore in Holland
I put together ten of my favorite free things to do in Holland. This list contains details on sites like beautiful beaches, gorgeous trails, unique public exhibits, hidden gems and more! Many of these locations are nearby downtown Holland and are perfect to add on to your trip.
Also consider checking out my Guide to Holland! This guide contains everything you need to know about Holland – from kayak launches to restaurants, and from shopping to beaches, it’s the perfect resource to check out to plan your trip. It also details all the Dutch heritage sights and restaurants in town.
Turn the Day Trip into a Getaway
Holland is a great place to stay for a weekend getaway or vacation. There is a lot to do, and you’re only a short drive away from Grand Haven and Saugatuck if you want to explore other charming beach towns nearby.
If you’re looking for a place to stay in downtown Holland, there are a number of great options such as the Downtown Courtyard, Tulyp, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, and newly renovated Haworth Hotel.
Outside of downtown Holland, the Holiday Inn Express Holland and the Hampton Inn Holland are highly ranked quality, affordable stays with pools and a number of amenities.
Finally, if you’re looking for a more unique, homey atmosphere, consider booking a local Vrbo!
~ Day Trip to Holland Details ~
Veldheer Tulip Gardens
Our first stop of the day was to the Veldheer Tulip Gardens in northern Holland, just off highway 31. This garden was founded by Vern Veldheer in 1950 originally as a hobby garden. Over 800 varieties of tulips grow here, with 6 million total tulips growing. Veldheer’s is open from 10am-4pm regularly, and from 8am to 7pm during Tulip Time. It costs $15 per person to enter age 14 and up. For kids 3 to 13, admission is $8. To reach the flower gardens, you must pay and pass through the garden center.
The tulips bloom a couple weeks before Tulip Time and finish a couple weeks after Tulip Time. Then after tulip season, the farm plants a variety of other flowers in the gardens from June to October.
When we visited the Saturday before Tulip Time, we arrived right when it opened and it wasn’t busy at all. We highly enjoyed our time walking among the tulips and admiring the three windmills, dikes, and flower garden with benches and gazebos. We felt like we took the most pictures among the tulips here.
There are also some exciting perks to visiting Veldheer’s. There is a wooden shoe and delftware factory on site. In fact, it is the only delftware manufacturer in North America, with a selection of over 400 types for sale. The wooden shoes are hand made and customizable by a cobbler who learned the art of wooden shoe making in the Netherlands. The cobbler also uses authentic Dutch machinery and tools to make them. If you visit during a weekday, you can watch the delftware and shoes as they’re made.
Then, on the farm there is a herd of bison you can see from afar. And finally, there is a garden center selling tulip and flower bulbs, garden supplies and ornaments.
Nelis’ Dutch Village
Stop number two was to Dutch Village. We arrived around lunchtime so we could indulge in Dutch food at the Hungry Dutchman Café.
An important tip to save money is to buy your tickets online ahead of time. This saves you $2 per person (they increased the savings this past year!), otherwise tickets cost $16 per person age 3 and up. Another cool thing about booking tickets online is you don’t need to specify which day you’re coming. The tickets are good for the entire season, which lasts from late April through end of September.
Food & Drink Options
We arrived at Dutch Village as a cheese making demonstration started. So we learned how gouda is made. Since we were hungry after that, we headed straight to lunch at the Hungry Dutchman Café. However, if you stop by the cheese shop at any other time, they have an amazing selection of cheese sampling platters.
At the Hungry Dutchman, they serve five different Dutch meal specials as well as typical American fare like cheeseburgers. I ordered the Saucijzebroodjes, which are pigs in a blanket. This is served with a side of pea soup and Dutch Apple Pie. Keeping it Dutch, I ordered a Heineken to drink. My sister ordered the same as me, while her fianc̩ ordered the Kroketten Рa pork & beef roll. This is served with a cucumber salad on the side. There are also kids meals with the typical kids meal fare Рchicken nuggets and hot dogs.
Just next door is The Thirsty Dutchman. They serve a variety of local craft beer, and if you order a flight, they serve four samples in a wooden shoe carrier!
Also connected to the restaurant and pub is a shop to buy fresh made fudge and stroopwafels. Closer to all the rides within Dutch Village is an ice cream shop should you develop a sweet tooth later on.
Attractions
After lunch, we walked around checking out what else there is to do. Many of the attractions are perfect for kids around 5-10. The first thing we noticed was an historic peddle pusher car ride. Here kids hop in and push the handle to steer themselves along a track. This historic ride was saved by Dutch Village after Chicago’s Kiddieland closed down. Other rides include a giant swing ride, Ferris wheel, and carousel.
There are several open buildings with demonstrations ongoing throughout the day. When you arrive at Dutch Village, a schedule is provided to you so you know when and where each demonstration goes on.
The workers are another unique attraction. They are dressed in traditional Dutch attire, but each person is dressed to depict a different region and era of the Netherlands’ history. Feel free to go up to them to ask who they are and where they come from. It’s another neat way to learn about Dutch history and culture! Don’t miss watching the regular dance performances that take place regularly in the middle of the village!
On the far end of Dutch Village is a barn with animals such as goats, pigs, sheep, and rabbits to pet and feed. For $1, buy an ice cream cone full of food to feed to the animals. On the other side of the barn is a petting zoo, where you can go inside the pen to play with the livestock.
Finally, we also enjoyed checking out the sculptures and signs throughout the Village. They depict Dutch tall tales and elements connected to the history and culture of the Netherlands.
Windmill Island Gardens
Our final stop of the day was to Windmill Island Gardens. The most notable feature at this location is the authentic Dutch windmill known as De Zwaan, or ‘the swan’. This windmill was originally built in 1761 in Zaandam, the Netherlands and brought over to Holland in 1964. Behind the windmill there is an old windmill blade on display that has bullet holes in it. Those bullet holes are from World War Two when the windmills were used for target practice.
It’s also possible to tour the windmill, view the grounds from atop, and purchase flour ground by the windmill at the gift shop.
Windmill Island Gardens is open from mid April through early October. It is open daily from 9:30 am – 6pm, and costs $12 for adults and $6 for kids age 3-15. Parking is free.
Besides the windmill, there is a gift shop, botanical gardens, restored Dutch carousel, playground, canals, bridges, and a paved walking path around the entire island. There is also a miniature historic Dutch village on display, and restored street organ donated by the city of Amsterdam to Holland.
Outside of Tulip Time, we enjoy visiting Windmill Island in late July and early August. Many other flowers are planted on the island besides tulips. During late July/early August is when most of the flowers are in bloom at the same time.
~ Other Tulip Time Attractions Not to Miss ~
While the above Tulip Time day trip itinerary is possible to enjoy anytime outside of Tulip Time, there is something special about attending during the festival. Each year, we try to visit some of the other attractions and events during Tulip Time. Here are my recommendations on what not to miss!
Immersion Gardens
The Tulip Immersion Gardens at Beechwood Church are Tulip Time’s newest addition, added in 2022. It’s an incredible experience and one I recommend for people looking to capture their best “Instagrammable” Tulip Time photos. The tulip gardens here are on different tiers and levels, allowing you to feel as if you are among the flowers. In total, 65,000 tulips are on display and the design was t together by a Master Dutch horticulturalist. It’s also an informative piece with signs explaining the history of the tulip.
And if you always liked the idea of attending tulip time, but not the crowds and traffic, this is the event for you! Beechwood Church is on the northern side of town and a drive from the other attractions so parking is a breeze. There are timed tickets so the event doesn’t get too crowded. This allows you and your family plenty of time to appreciate the flowers. Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate.
For families looking to visit the Immersion Gardens, here are my tips and findings for you! The most photogenic set ups are by the entrance. And there are volunteers available to help you take pictures so you don’t have to worry about mom or dad missing from the family photos! Nearby the garden is a playground for kids to wiggle around at. And if anyone get’s hungry and you forgot to pack the snacks, a food truck is set up and there is a souvenir shop on site that also sells food.
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Have you visited any Dutch heritage sites in Holland before?
from Michigan with Love,
Jackie
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