Post Overview: Helpful Guide to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival (the Famous Tulip Festival in Oregon).
If you dream of frolicking through never-ending fields of tulips, I’m about to show you why you can’t afford to miss the ultimate tulip festival in Oregon — the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn.
The Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival is a beloved tradition for locals and out-of-town visitors alike. Every year, like clockwork, I take a scenic 45-minute drive from Portland and arrive at the doorstep of this beautiful farm, bursting with anticipation.
I’ve visited this famous tulip farm in Oregon 5+ times, and thought it’d be helpful to roundup some tips for visiting the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival this year (because some of the rules/guidelines have changed). Let’s get to it!
Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival Admission
How much does it cost to visit the tulip field in Oregon? Tickets to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival MUST be purchased online in advance. As of 2023, tickets are not sold at the farm.
Admission packages listed below:
- Full Season Pass ($65 + $5 processing fee). Unlimited visits for the duration of the festival, may arrive one hour before sunrise and one hour after sunset. This pass works well for professional photographers that want to get photos of the festival during the best light of day and without the crowds.
- Drone upgrade available for an additional fee.
- Day Pass (Per Person) ($15 weekdays/$20 weekends). One day access for an individual, tickets required for anyone older than 12 years.
- Note: You cannot arrive an hour before sunrise with this ticket, therefore you cannot take sunrise photos.
- Wine Tour ($70 per person). Enjoy the Wooden Shoe Vineyards farm tour alongside an estate wine tasting with food pairings. Available only for ages 21+.
Photographer’s Tip: If you plan to visit the tulip fields for sunrise or sunset, you must purchase the Full Season Pass, as the day pass doesn’t admit folks until after sunrise.
Best time to visit the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival
To make the most of your visit, try to visit the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival during peak bloom. Exact peak times vary from year to year, but, generally speaking – the mid-April seems to be a safe bet.
According to the official festival website for 2023: Due to the cold winter, our tulips are behind in blooming. We expect the best time to visit to be the last two weeks of April. Visit our bloom status for current pictures of our tulips.
Best time of day to visit Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival: Early Morning is by far the best time for visiting the Wooden Shoe tulip farm in Oregon before the crowds swarm in from Portland and the surrounding areas.
Local’s Tip: The Wooden Shoe website has a helpful tool called a field report that provides real-time status updates of the tulips. Click here for the field report.
History of the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm
The Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm was opened in 1950 by Ross and Dorothy Iverson who began expanding the farm as a means to get their six kids through college.
They started growing tulips in 1974 and officially started the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival (as it is known today) in 1983. As of today, the farm boasts 40 acres of indulgent tulips for visitors to enjoy.
Things to know before visiting the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Oregon
Bring rain boots! The tulip festival is open rain or shine, so bring your boots because the fields get muddy! I love these.
To avoid crowds, go early in the day. By midday, the tulip fields are flooded with visitors. If you want some reprieve from crowds, sunrise is a great time to come. It’s mostly photographers at that time.
During peak bloom the Wooden ShoeTulipFestival gets busy. So busy, in fact, that the line leading to the parking lot was 3 miles long last year.
I urge you to arrive as close to sunrise as possible, and to turn a blind eye to the extra activities offered and head straight to the tulip fields after parking your car. This will ensure you have some time to yourself because these tulip fields get busy!
The fields start to fill around 8am and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a corner to yourself because this farm is lovely and everyone wants to enjoy it. The early bird gets the worm indeed!
Pick up a souvenir on your way out.Tulipbulbs and fresh cut flowers are available for sale from theTulipMarket located in the middle of the main blue building.
If you take photos during your visit, the Wooden ShoeTulipFarm would love to see them. Make sure to tag them online @woodenshoefarm.
Hot Air Balloons at the Oregon Tulip Farm
There’s no guarantee that hot air balloons will be out while you’re visiting the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festivalbecause they are weather-dependent. The farm will confirm if hot air balloons will be out on a specific day by posting information on their Facebook page.
And if you’re wondering – yes, the hot air balloons at the tulip festival most definitely live up to the hype. Seeing them is always a highlight for us.
If you’d like to fly in a hot air balloon while visiting the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Oregon, you can contact that Hot Air Balloon Hotline at 503-877-4693.
Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival FAQs
Does this Oregon tulip farm close when it rains?
- No, the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm is open rain or shine. Some weather dependent activities (kid’s events) may close if it rains, but the tulip fields will remain open.
- Don’t forget to bring your cute rain boots (here’s my favorite).
Are dogs allowed?
- Yes, dogs are allowed in thetulipfields. Just be mindful that other families might bring their pups as well.
Can I show up for sunrise/sunset?
- If you want to visit the Wooden ShoeTulipFarm for sunrise, you must purchase the Season Pass because it allows entry one hour before sunrise and one hour after sunset.
Can I buy food at the festival?
- Food vendors are out every day, but the weekends offer more vendors/food options. Here’s the lineup for 2023.
- Deliciosa Donuts: Daily
- Gimme Some Sugar: Daily
- The Feedshack: Thursday-Monday
- Fat Schlag’s: Daily
- Hotshot Bar-B-Q: Daily
- Smith Rock Coffee: Friday-Tuesday
Is it okay to bring your own food to this Oregon tulip farm?
- Yes, guests are welcome to bring food to the tulip festival and picnic tables are provided.
Things to do at the famous tulip farm in Oregon
Daily activities
- For kids: take the cow train ($3/person) around thetulipfields – weather dependent.
- TulipTour Train ($5/person) around thetulipfield – weather dependent.
- Enjoy a glass of wine at Wooden Shoe Vineyards Tasting Room.
Weekend activities
- Wooden Shoe Making Demonstration
- Steam Tractor Demonstration – weather dependent
- Local Balloon Artist
- Carnival rides for kids (max 80 lbs.) range between $3-$7, but are weather dependent.
Note: Wine Tours information from the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival page.
Reserve your seat by purchasing your ticket online here. Weekend wine tours have been so well received that we have added the Estate Wine Tour to Fridays and Mondays in April. Please enter the date followed by the time ofthe wine tour you would like and then select the number of tickets to purchase.For questions please email[emailprotected]
Visiting the Famous Tulip Festival in Oregon (Post Overview)
We eagerly await this famous Oregon tulip farm festival every year. There’s no better way to kick off the (often long awaited) sunnier season than by frolicking through never-ending fields of tulips!
Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm is downright lovely and such a great way to spend half a day with family and friends. It’s also fun to check out the Woodburn Outlet Mall just a few miles away.
In sum, here’s a quick roundup of the things to remember when visiting in the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Oregon.
I hope you enjoy your time at the lovely tulip fields in Oregon! I hear that Amsterdam is known for their tulip fields as well. How lovely would that be. Meet you there next year?
Map of the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival
Until next time,
Antonina
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