Looking to check out something new around the Pacific Northwest area? Whether a long time resident or fresh to the northwest, we may be able to help you experience something new. From beaches, parks, and tulips to food and fun walks, let us guide you through being a tourist in your own hometown!
TULIPS? TULIPS!
If you’ve lived around the Pacific Northwest for long enough, chances are you’ve heard of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Occurring for the entire month of April, the tulip festival is the perfect place to take in the seasonal changes, to stop and smell the roses. This year, the county-wide celebration of spring is spread throughout five tulip farms and/or gardens: Garden Rosalyn, Tulip Town, Skagit Acres, Tulip Valley Farms, and Roozengaarde.
Photograph by Renee Perran
Tulip Town, founded by Dutch immigrants in 1984, was passed on to a new generation of local Skagit Valley farmers in 2019. Encompassing five acres of farmland and hosting over 55 varieties of tulips, Tulip Town is excited to welcome and encourage prospective tulip enjoyers to take a tiptoe through the fields. This year, Tulip Town will also be dog-friendly.
Skagit Acres is the newest tulip farm addition, with this year being their first year participating in the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. A sister farm to Tulip Town, Skagit Acres welcomes guests to experience their 18 varieties of tulips spread throughout three acres of farmland. While at Skagit Acres, consider a stroll through the tulip fields, a quick stop at the garden center or gift shop, and if you get hungry, a stop at their brand-new cafe, featuring fresh seasonal foods. (Read more about Skagit Acres’s new tulip farm on page 18 of our April issue!)
For the best bang for your buck, consider the double bloom admissions, which grant access to both Tulip Town and Skagit Acres for a discounted price.
If you’re looking for a good weekend to check out the tulips, consider the third weekend of April, when Mount Vernon will be hosting the Tulip Festival Street Fair. The fair will bring together local vendors and feature three genre-sprawling days of free music: Folk Funk Friday, Rock Pop Saturday, and Country Blues Sunday.
Photograph by Emily Crook
Those who enjoy taking pictures might consider participating in the annual tulip photo competition in which contestants will have an opportunity to submit photographs for a yet-to-be-released theme. The theme for 2024 was “Colors of Spring: Capturing the Essence of Skagit Valley Tulips.”
Finally, while you’re down in the Mount Vernon area, consider stopping into the Pacific Northwest Artisan Market for their fifth year of operation. With a mission to celebrate the creativity, community, and talent that makes up the region, Dominic and Marisa Papetti use local art to bring the historic Pea-Vinery Building to life. The free-to-enter market consists of art of all mediums, as well as food trucks, Wednesday through Sunday. The market is pet-friendly and will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., March 28 to April 27.
BEACHES
Spring gives rise to many exciting ecological changes; the longer days and increase in sun and rain work to enliven the area. With growth in the air, it’s sometimes hard not to notice the smells. Fresh cut grass, the slight hint of warmth blowing through a grove of trees, the fresh morning dew. But few places are more aromatic than the oceanside, and a spring afternoon may set the perfect scene for a day at the beach.
Photograph by William Morton
If you’re looking for a walk along the beach, consider an afternoon at Little Squalicum Park. Past Eldrich Castle on Eldrich Avenue, just before Locust Beach, Little Squalicum Park serves as a perfect dog-friendly mid-day jaunt spot or, if you’ve got a kayak or floating device, the entry for a fun afternoon float.
Upon arrival at the parking lot, follow the path down for around five minutes and behold… the Pacific Ocean. Your eye may immediately be drawn to the mysterious pier to nowhere, that once operated to deliver processed cement to offshore barges.
If you turn to the right and walk down the coast, you will eventually come across a stranded boat and, past that, a mysterious and spray-paint-covered concrete structure. If you keep on that path, Locust Beach is close ahead.
Photograph by William Morton
Finally, if you’re more in a kayak or cold plunge (does it still count as a cold plunge in spring?) mood, consider a day at Marine Park. Located right before a Great Blue Heron colony, the train track adjacent to the beach serves as a wonderful spot to bird-watch. The unobscured view of the sky may also be a good spot to watch the Pink Moon, the full moon of April, which will occur on April 12.
For an interesting and historically enlightening walk, consider walking to Marine Park through the Fairhaven Historic Markers of Harris Avenue. These slabs are placed in between the sidewalk and the street and commemorate historically impactful moments throughout Bellingham’s history. You can walk past the spot where in 1891, someone named Mathew was cut in half by a passing train car. Or where the city garbage dump “smells like the breath of an elephant,” according to a slab. You can even pass the spot where the twenty-fifth U.S. President, William McKinley, buggied by.
FOOD
The fresh tomatoes of summer, the hearty stews of winter, the pumpkins of fall, but what of spring? April marks the beginning of some notable vegetable harvesting seasons in Washington. Asparagus, Fava Beans, and Fiddleheads all come into season in April.
April also marks the full-time opening of the San Juan Island Farmers Market. The farmers market will be occurring every Saturday, from April to October. Spring in the San Juans means fresh goat cheese, delicate baby greens, and fresh seafood.
Photograph courtesy of the San Juan Island Farmers Market
Looking to get a bit more into cooking yourself? Jump into springtime with the Bellingham Community Food Co-op’s “Springtime Soups & Salads” cooking class, hosted by Karina Davidson. You’ll walk away knowing how to make a Greek Lemon Chicken & Orzo Soup; a Southwest Black Bean & Vegetable Soup; French-inspired Potato Leek Soup; and Mediterranean Quinoa & Garbanzo Salad. The class takes place on April 10 and costs $89.
Finally, April also marks the beginning of the end of the horseradish season. For a good way to say goodbye, consider checking out Old World Deli’s Horseradish Roast Beef Sandwich!
