Richardson Farm's 2023 Tulip Fest still popping through Mother's Day
SPRING GROVE - The third annual Richardson Adventure Farm Tulip Festival will remain open through Mother's Day, May 14.
George Richardson, who co-owns the Spring Grove farm along with other family members, said this week that he anticipates the first 300,000 tulips that bloomed may be wilted by late this weekend, May 7, but that several hundred thousand have just opened and another 80,000 remain pre-bloom. So the display is expected to remain gorgeous through May 14.
"It's always a good idea to visit our website, richardsonfarm.com, before making the trip. We update it regularly with our latest field conditions," George Richardson said. "But walking our tulip fields today, I estimate that at least 80,000 tulips have not even begun to show color. Another 400,000 to 500,000 have just opened."
George and Wendy Richardson, along with George's brother, Robert, Robert's wife, Carol, George's son, Ryan, and Ryan's wife, Kristen, all co-own and coordinate the various activities at the farm, which include the "World's Largest" corn maze, the adventure farm and a sunflower fest in the fall as well as cut-your-own Christmas trees in the winter.
The spring tulip fest has been an enthusiastically received addition since its 2021 debut at the farm, located at 909 English Prairie Road, Spring Grove.
"This year has been going really well," Wendy Richardson said, noting that the look on visitors' faces after they've taken in the view is as beautiful as the tulips themselves. "They come into the gift shop after being out in the flower fields and their faces just glow with this glorious feeling of spring renewal."
With 900,000 bulbs planted over the last three years, and with the first batch now sprouting offshoots, it was expected that nearly 1 million tulips would bloom over the course of this year's fest. Some varieties bloom earlier and some later. The display includes reds, pinks, corals, deep purples, crisp whites, blazing yellows and more.
"Thousands of people have given us positive comments about how spectacular the fields look and how fun it is to walk right through the tulips," George Richardson said.
This year's tulip fest opened April 27. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, closed Mondays. Live music and food trucks are featured on weekends. Beer and wine are available. A picnic area is set up along Richardson Lake near the tulip fields. And outdoor games such as Giant Jenga and Giant Connect Four add to the family fun.
The gift shop - featuring modern restroom facilities, hand-painted crafts, fresh doughnuts, a wine-tasting bar and more - remains open until 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays for the duration of the fest. Pricing, tickets and other details are available at richardsonfarm.com.