The mid-Atlantic provides a perfect climate for tulips, which hit peak bloom in mid-April. Here are some of the best tulip fields in the DMV for frolicking, picking, and picnicking, from closest to farthest.
The Floral Library: Located at the northeast corner of the Tidal Basin, this plot has over 100 varieties of tulips. The best part is you don’t even have to leave the district.
Dumbarton Oaks: A day ticket to Dumbarton Oaks is $7 and well worth it this time of year. The tulips are mostly in and around the fountain terrace area.
Brookside Gardens: Brookside Gardens in Montgomery County is free and makes you feel like you’re in the Netherlands. The impressively arranged plantings make it my personal favorite spring picnic spot.
Burnside Farms: This farm an hour south of D.C. holds a spring festival every year, with millions of bulbs imported from Holland planted in color-coordinated stripes. Weekend tickets are $21, and you get to take five stems home ($1 per each extra stem).
Sherwood Garden: This small six-acre farm outside Baltimore is an hour drive from D.C., but they plant over 80,000 tulip bulbs every year.
