Lifestyle & More

When Can You See Tulips in Chicago?

Did you ever see a picture of a futuristic city in a book or in an article? Strangely enough, we always imagine that humans will eventually succeed at marrying nature and technology together. It’s safe to say that we are pretty far from there in 2022. That being said, many big cities do invest considerable amounts of money to bring mother nature between their buildings. Chicago is certainly one of them, since, between mid-April to mid-May of every year, you can witness the beauty of tulips by the thousands.

Where do Chicago Tulips come from?

Believe it or not, each year, the Chicago Department of Transportation imports over 100,000 tulip bulbs from the Netherlands. For each and single one of the tulips beds, at least 1000 tulip bulbs are planted between October and November. The earliest bulbs will normally start to bloom around the end of March, while the late bloomers will show themselves at the end of April, and sometimes in the first two weeks of May.

What type of tulips are found in Chicago?

There are 4 main categories of tulips that you can find in the city and in the Chicago Botanic Garden between the end of March and mid-May:

EARLY FLOWERING (EARLY APRIL)

  • Single early tulips
  • Double early tulips
  • Kaufmanniana
  • Fosteriana tulips
  • Greigii tulips

VARIABLE BLOOM TIME (MID-APRIL THROUGH MAY)

  • Rembrandt tulips
  • Species tulips
  • Multi-flowering tulips

MID-SEASON FLOWERING (MID-APRIL TO EARLY MAY)

  • Triumph tulips
  • Darwin hybrid tulips

LATE-SEASON FLOWERING (MAY)

  • Single late tulips
  • Lily-flowering tulips
  • Fringed tulips
  • Viridiflora tulips
  • Parrot tulips
  • Double late tulips

Is the Chicago Botanic Garden Free?

We are happy to report that the Chicago Botanic Garden entry is completely free of charge all year round. In other words, you can go there at any time of the year on foot or via public transportation, and you will be able to enjoy the beautiful garden. Moreover, if you have the chance to be there between April and May, you’ll see a magnificent spectacle of tulips of all colors.

Does Michigan Avenue have a lot of tulip flowers in Chicago?

Yes, if you happen to be walking along Michigan Avenue during the spring season, you will witness thousands of tulips of all colors. It’s really an amazing thing to see, the impressive display of flowers spans from Roosevelt Road all the way to the south end of Grant Park.

Is State Street a good spot to see tulip flowers in Chicago?

If you happen to be in the Loop district of Chicago city, know that there are a lot of tulips over there as well. Not as many as Michigan Avenue’s tulips, but you will mostly notice them in a bunch in front of the famous Chicago Theatre. Additionally, you will find some more tulips between W Wacker Drive and Monroe streets.

Does Cantigny Park have any tulips?

This grand 500-acre park is home to thousands of tulips during the spring season. That said, this one is located outside of Chicago city, but is worth the road trip if you want to see something beautiful outside of the Windy City.

How many tulips are found on the Magnificent Mile of Chicago?

As you may already know, the Magnificent Mile is one of the best places to see tulips in Chicago. Each year, there are not thousands, but hundreds of thousands of tulips blooming across this popular Chicago street.

Are there any other Chicago parks with tulips?

As a matter of fact, there are many other parks that you can visit to see some more tulips and other interesting monuments in Chicago. Here are the main ones:

  • Lincoln Park Conservatory, located near the shore of Lake Michigan, is where you will find an old and grandiose greenhouse dating back from the Victorian era. Of course, you’ll find many flowers here, including hundreds of tulips species.
  • Garfield Park Conservatory, located near the intersection of North Central Park Ave. and Lake Street, is one of the largest botanical conservatories in the United States. If you are lucky to be walking in there during the tulip season, you will be amazed by what you will see.
  • Jackson Park, located in the Hyde Park neighborhood, this park was once the epicenter of the 1893 World’s Fair. Since then, the park became a beautiful home for flowers, trees, and lagoons. That said, it is just recently that we started seeing some tulips blooming in Jackson Park.
  • Ping Tom Memorial Park, located in Chicago’s China Town, is an old rail yard that has been transformed into a natural beauty of a place. During springtime, it is home to many beautiful tulips.
  • Columbus Park, located in the Austin neighborhood, you will find some historic buildings with many tulip flowers and quiet lagoons.
  • Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, located inside Lincoln Park, is considered the hidden oasis of the park and will make you feel relaxed and happy.

Richardson Adventure Farm Tulip Festival

First, if you are wondering how far is the Richardson Adventure Farm Tulip Festival from Chicago, it takes about 1 hour of driving in the north direction from there. It is well worth the adventure, as this festival has over 300,000 tulip bulbs each year. This festival is located in Spring Grove, and the cost for the entry ticket is between $12 and $15 per person.

Holland Tulip Festival

About 150 miles from Chicago, this festival lasts for 8 days between May 7th to May 15th in Downtown Holland. In 2022, an amazing assemblage of 50 000 tulips will be shown during the whole week and was designed by renowned horticulturist Ibo Gülsen. The entrance to the festival itself is free, but the tulip event will cost you between $15 and $20.

Pella Tulip Festival

Finally, this one last festival is pretty far from Chicago, as it takes about 4 hours of driving to the West in order to get there. That said, it’s a straight line between Chicago and Pella, Iowa. The Pella Festival has been running for 85 years and on top of the enormous amount of tulips, you will find many Dutch Bakeries. It is a good day with the whole family guaranteed.