Spring Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point

Pleasantly Surprised

We had often heard about the Tulip Festival that has been held every Spring at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah. I have been to the Dinosaur Museum and other educational venues at this non-profit farm and garden. They feature several events throughout the year that attract local families and tourists. Life gets so busy, but I really wanted to see the tulips this year, so we made it. The entrance to the festival is just a hint of what was inside. I was blown away by the colorful, well manicured flower beds leading up to the main building.

Educational and Good Exercise

At the entrance of the Garden Visitor Center, you are given a map of the Tulip Festival. I had no idea that the gardens were so expansive. From the building you see an attractive vista all the way to the back of the gardens. They are separated into attractive theme gardens, and pathways weave back and forth throughout. You can rent a cart if you don't want to walk the whole way. It took us about two hours to walk the whole way, and we went later in the day. I'm glad we went when it was not too hot. My husband has an app on his iphone and tracked our steps. We walked over 4000 steps, so it was a good workout besides being very educational.

Along the way there were signs giving facts about tulips in general and names of groups of tulips. Some of the fun facts we learned were:

• The tulip is the national flower of Turkey and Afghanistan
• Tulips grow from bulbs, and being native to mountainous areas, the tulip needs a period of cold dormancy (Utah has four seasons).
• Tulips are part of the lily family.
• Nearly 3 billion tulips are produced in the Netherlands each year.

We took off to the left pathway first which led to some waterfalls.

Every year they plant a quarter of a million new tulips at the Thanksgiving Point Gardens.

The range of colors and variety of tulips was amazing.

My breath was taken away by the mixture of contrasting varieties and shades of tulips. I don't remember a garden that has impressed me as much as this one did.

Theme Gardens

So you can get a better idea of the variety, here are the names of the different garden themes:

• Grand Allée
• Shepherd's Hill
• Creek Garden
• Monet Lake
• Rose Garden
• Koi View Pier
• Vista Mound
• Fragrance Garden
• Secret Garden
• Italian Garden
• Light of the World Exhibit
• Butterfly Garden
• Parterre Garden
• Waterfall Amphitheatre
• Mountain Garden

It is a great place to take your mother for Mother's Day. It was quite a walk for little children under three, but I saw many families on the motorized carts. They seat five people comfortably and can go along the paths just fine.

Picture taking is welcome, in fact, they have a photo contest at thanksgivingpoint.org/photocontest where you can post your own photos. They choose the top photos to be on the Thanksgiving Point Facebook page to be voted on by everyone. The prize is an annual family membership to Thanksgiving Point!

Ongoing activities include a Tulip Tot Playland, which is open Friday and Staurday from 10 am - 8 pm and Monday evenings from 4 - 8 pm. They offer crafts, activities, games, bounce houses and much more.If you stay late on Friday nights, it is perfect for a date with music and lights. Celebrating Spring at the Tulip Festival is something I will always remember and look forward to again.

Worthwhile Attraction

I feel ashamed that I have visited Utah so many times, but have never taken the opportunity to view the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah. It beats other botanical gardens I've been too.

Let me know if you have been to a bigger or better one. Cheerio!