Unseasonably mild weather has led to early spring flowers across the Lone Star State, prompting the Texas Tulip Fest to kick off ahead of schedule.
The festival at The Robinson Family Farm in Temple, located roughly a two-hour drive south of Dallas, opened last weekend. Initially, owner Helen Robinson planned to hold the festival next weekend. However, the tulips bloomed sooner than expected, allowing visitors to enjoy the myriad of colors sooner.
“We had a lot of warmer than normal temperatures, which the tulips then were like ‘Hey, it’s time to grow, let me get out there,’” Robinson told CBS News.
The festival is anticipated to remain open through next weekend or until all the tulips have been picked. Visitors will also have access to Netherlands-inspired photo ops, a wine & beer garden, food trucks, and over 20 attractions, like axe throwing, corn cannons, and a barrel train. General admission tickets cost $16.95 before fees and taxes and can be purchased on The Robinson Family Farm website.
“And what we’ve all been waiting for, our first ever tulip field! We are so excited for the grand opening of TX Tulip Fest this Saturday! We anticipate tulips to last two weekends. Don’t miss out on seeing them!” read a post on The Robinson Family Farm’s official Instagram page on March 6.
The first season of the festival has not been without challenges. On March 11, the family took to Facebook to ask visitors for patience during this inaugural event.
“Please bare [sic] with us as we were pretty picked over from opening weekend’s demands. We have some rows that we anticipate to bloom this week for picking and bouquets, but not a ton. Farming is not easy. It takes a lot of trial and error, money and time, long days, and relying on Mother Nature. We have learned SO much through this process that is going to make us better for next year’s tulip festival,” said the post.
For flowers closer to home, the Dallas Blooms festival at the Dallas Arboretum is on until April 8. Visitors can expect to see half a million blooming flowers, like azaleas, hyacinths, daffodils, and, of course, tulips.
