It’s been a long winter, but spring is at hand, and that means spring flowers. The Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival near Woodburn, Oregon is a great way for the whole family to get out, get some sun, and enjoy the riot of color that the spring flowers bring to our lives. 
Each year Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm opens their property to the public from late March through early May for their annual Tulip Festival. The 2020 festival was cancelled due to the pandemic, but the event is back for 2021. This year’s festival runs from runs from March 19 through May 2. The photos here are from the 2018 festival.
Festival hours are 9:00-6:00 Mon-Fri and 8:00-7:00 Sat & Sun. Individual adult admission ranges from $10 for a weekday senior pass to $20 for a weekend day pass. Children 12 and under are free. Family car passes that allow entry to everyone in a single vehicle are $35 for weekdays and $50 on weekends. Individual season passes are $60. Photographers and early risers can purchase sunrise passes for $25 that allows entry to the farm at 5:00 am. All tickets must be purchased online this year. Tickets can be purchased through the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm website. 
Tickets include parking, and transportation from the parking lot to the fields is available for those with mobility issues. And there are tram and hay wagon rides that run from the main building through the fields. There is also a tulip tour train ($10 per person) that runs from the main building around the fields, with photo stops, that runs from noon to 5:00 daily. 
There are several food vendors and a coffee cart at the festival each day, and there is a Wooden Shoe Vineyards tasting room on site, with beer and cider also available. Picnic tables are available and festival goers are encouraged to bring their own food if they so desire.
There are a variety of daily festival activities. Weekend events include wooden shoe making demonstrations, steam tractor demonstrations, a craft marketplace, and wine wagon tours that include estate grown wine tastings and a tour of the farm and tulip fields. Kids activities include a play area. Check the Wooden Shoe webpage for details, as some activities from previous years have been eliminated or modified due to Covid protocols.
Cut flowers and potted bulbs are available for purchase at the farm, and flower bulbs can be ordered for fall delivery. 
This is just a great event, fun for the whole family. In previous years it has been a very popular event. There will be a limited number of tickets available each day this year due to Covid protocols, so it may be less crowded. But having to purchase tickets in advance means that you have to take your chances with the weather, and weekend tickets may sell out quickly. But even so, this is a really worthwhile outing, especially if you’re a photographer or just a flower lover. And who doesn’t love flowers?
If you’re in the Seattle area, or visiting, check out the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Mount Vernon. It runs through the end of April.
Posted by Alan K. Lee, March 14, 2021
All photos by and property of the author