By Danielle Devota

Springtime in Michigan can only mean one thing—it’s officially Tulip Time in Holland. This festival happens every year between April and May. While I was certainly all-in for the flowers—with over 5 million tulip bulbs, it’s hard to avoid the colorful scene—you don’t have to be a flower lover to enjoy Tulip Time.

I started my Tulip Time adventure by checking into the charming Haworth Hotel at Hope College. This hotel is located right in downtown Holland, and I appreciated the walking proximity to some of my favorite local spots.

I didn’t have to go far to find the tulips—they literally line the streets and fill the parks of Holland. But my favorite place to see a field of tulips is Windmill Island. Here, the gardens feature an operating windmill that’s over 250 years old! Along with the gardens, there are several replica structures, including a wayside inn and fisherman’s house. There’s also an antique carousel and historic Little Netherlands display, showing what life was like when Holland was founded in the 1840s.

After a peaceful morning and afternoon enjoying the tulips, I wanted to liven things up a bit. I headed back toward the hotel and managed to catch a performance of Dutch dancing. These performances happen throughout the entire Tulip Time festival, featuring hundreds of dancers of all ages in full costume, including the wooden shoes.    

By this point, I was pretty hungry, so I decided to check out Tanglewood Winery, which hosts a variety of local food trucks and live music from spring through fall. The day I visited, El Jalapeno Food Truck was serving some amazing Mexican fare. I paired my huaraches with Tanglewood’s Sweet Summer Sangria at the suggestion of the winery staff. Enjoying this while listening to the live music and looking out over the vineyard would have made the perfect end to a great day, but I had one more card up my sleeve.

I decided to top my day off with some ice cream from Captain Sundae, which offers mini golf as well, at their Douglas Avenue location. While this was tempting, I decided to take my cone to go and drive out to Holland State Park to savor it while I watched the sun set.