Provo, UT

If Holland is just a bit too far to travel for an afternoon, you can discover the beauty of tulips in full bloom a little closer to home. At the third annual Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point Gardens in Lehi, UT, you can see 250,000 bulbs in glorious bloom over 55 stunning acres of estate gardens. Running from April 11-28, the Tulip Festival also offers live entertainment, gardening demonstrations, a photography contest, arts and crafts vendors…and unmatched beauty.

Actually, the 2008 Tulip Festival has officially ended…but the tulips are finally in full bloom! This year, due to colder-than-normal temperatures, the tulips were, well, late bloomers! So you still have a chance to visit Thanksgiving Point Gardens and enjoy the blooms before the bulbs are dug up to be sold at the annual tulip sale in June. Although tulip bulbs can bloom for years, Thanksgiving Point Gardens replaces the bulbs each year to ensure maximum beauty. Different varieties of tulips bloom at different times, so throughout tulip season there will always be something worth seeing.

After visiting last year’s Tulip Festival, my family and I agreed this was once again the perfect way to welcome spring. We spent the better part of the afternoon strolling among the blooms to the sounds of bagpipes drifting in the distance. Walking paths are wheelchair- and stroller-friendly, and there are benches, drinking fountains, and restrooms along the way.

Among my favorites of the ten themed gardens: Monet’s Garden, inspired by his Impressionist masterpieces and complete with a replica of his famous Japanese bridge; the Italian Garden, a Renaissance-inspired water garden with cascading basins (which instantly brought me back to Italy, where I lived for several years); and my daughter’s favorite, The Secret Garden, inspired by the classic children’s story, and nestled behind arched wooden doors and a wild tangle of overgrown vines.

Also not to be missed: the Parterre Garden’s carousel with topiary horses; the gorgeous temple in the English Fragrance Garden; the spectacular, thundering Waterfall Garden, which is the largest man-made waterfall in the Western Hemisphere; and finally, the sweeping vista of the Grand Allee, where kids–and adults–can end the day with a roll down the hill.

For more information about the Tulip Festival, the annual bulb sale in June, or Thanksgiving Point in general:
www.thanksgivingpoint.com
801-768-2300