These Tulip Fields and Festivals Across the South Deliver a Burst of Springtime Color

Alison Miksch

You don't have to go all the way to Holland to find acres and acres of blooming tulips. We've discovered a few places much closer to home where you can see the splendor of this springtime favorite. Whether you're eager for the perfect picture with a pop of color or simply want a fun way to welcome spring, these rows of petals are sure to deliver. You may even be to plant your own tulips at home for next year. It's pretty simple, but you've got to plan in the fall for fresh spring blooms. Whether you plan to head to one of these u-pick tulip fields or meander through one of the gardens and town squares' tulip festivals, prepare for a brilliant burst of springtime color across the South.

Alabama: Hubert Family Farms, New Market

Hubert Family Farms continues a legacy of farming and cultivates corn, cotton, wheat, and soybeans, with tulips as a recent addition. Visitors can come pick their own tulips beginning in mid-March. Admission is $8 per day or $25 for the season, and tulips are $2.50 per stem. See their Facebook page and website for more information as the season approaches.

Hubert Family Farms

Delaware: Lewes in Bloom, Lewes

From April 1 to 17, visitors can enjoy the 24,000 tulips planted around the city, including the public parks and commercial district. There will be tulips for sale, a Dutch pottery exhibit at the Zwaanendael Museum, a historical architecture walking tour, and more activities. Keep tabs on the event page for more information as the date nears.

Georgia: Gibbs Gardens, Ball Ground

Just an hour north of Atlanta is Gibbs Gardens, where, come spring, you can see an upwards of 30,000 tulips explode with color. The 40 varieties generally bloom starting in March and last until early May. Tickets are $20 per person and $10 for children. The last entry is at 4 p.m. See hours and more information on the website.

Gibbs Gardens

North Carolina: Dewberry Farm, Kernersville

At their fifth annual tulip festival, the farm will have 105,000 tulips for the picking, along with other spring flowers. Plan to visit in late March, but don't dawdle, as the season lasts only a few weeks. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for children over two years old. Tulips are $1.25 per stem, but if you're an avid gardener and wish to take the bulb home, too, it's $1.75 for both. You must reserve a ticket online.

South Carolina: Sassafrass Flower Farm, Easley

Mark your calendar for late May at Sassafrass Flower Farm. To kick off the season, food trucks, wine and beer trucks, and a band descend as the public comes to pick their own flowers on select Thursdays from May to October. The ticketed event takes place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is $15 and flowers are $80 per five-gallon bucket (that's 60 to 80 stems). If you can't make a Thursday, the farm is otherwise open for picking by private reservation only. Call to book a two-hour time slot. Check their event calendar for more details.

Tennessee: Liberty Grace Farm, Columbia

Come celebrate the farm's fifth annual u-pick tulip festival, which will open in mid-March. Over the course of four weeks, visitors can harvest their own tulips from 60,000 planted on the farm. The farm will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the entrance fee is $10 per person, with children two years old and under free. The entrance fee includes three free tulip stems, and any additional flowers are $1 per stem. Additional information is available on their website.

Texas-Tulips

Texas: Texas Tulip, Pilot Point

Pieter Koeman, the son of Dutch tulip farmers, runs this tulip farm with his wife. Located 50 miles north of Dallas, Pieter grows nearly 100 varieties of tulips and the picking typically begins in mid or end of February and goes through early April. The fields are open everyday of the week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. It's $5 per person and $2.50 per stem. Check their website for the latest information.

Virginia: Burnside Farms, Nokesville

Burnside Farms is a mother-son operation in Northern Virginia. They've been running their Festival of Spring since 2012, offering up over 200 tulip varieties. Check out their website and Facebook page for prime picking time—the window generally lasts only three weeks and can be mercurial, as it's heavily influenced by the weather. You pay $1 per tulip and they provide the baskets.