Burnside Farms Tulip Fields

Although the weather doesn’t always seem to agree, spring is here in the DMV. We’ve had several weeks of beautiful blue sky days with highs above 70, and then suddenly rain, cold, and near-freezing temperatures. Just before this latest cold snap, we took a trip down to Nokesville, Virginia to explore Burnside Farms tulip fields.

Burnside Farms has been welcoming visitors to their tulip fields since 2012. They boast one of the largest selection of tulip varieties in the United States. Currently, the numbers sit at 200 tulip varieties and over 30 types of daffodils. I think it’s safe to say this is the closest you can get to Holland in the DC area. With the unpredictability of spring, their season for tulips only lasts about three weeks. This year, the spring festival happened to fall over Easter weekend, and we got lucky with a gorgeous cloud-free day to explore the fields.

Tickets for this festival are not exactly cheap, but to me, the cost was worth it. For the 2021 season, they were $14-$19 on weekdays and $16-$21 on weekends. Children under three are free. There were also season passes and special sunrise/sunset tickets available as well. Included in admission are five stems per person (three per child), and each additional stem/bulb cost $1. When you purchase tickets, you have to choose an entry time and then have two hours after that to enter the farm (i.e. 11:00 am tickets mean you have from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm to enter). Once you’re in, you can stay as long as you’d like.

We spent about 1.5 hours strolling through the fields, casually picking a flower here and there, and simply soaking in a beautiful day. I hope to make this an annual tradition with our little family for years to come.

Tips and Tricks:

• Snag tickets quickly. The spring season is extremely unpredictable. They can never guarantee exact dates or times in advance (kind of like the cherry blossoms), and tickets are sold on a rolling basis. Be sure to follow them on our Facebook or Instagram for updates.
• Bring water. There is absolutely no shade in the tulip and daffodil fields. Also plan on bringing sunscreen – something I forgot this year.
• Plan to carry your little ones. The fields are not super stroller friendly. If you happen to have one with heavy-duty wheels that might be ok, but our little one was no match.
• Bring some sort of container/vase for transport. I personally packed a cooler with mason jars and water. We had our tulips in a hot car for about two hours after leaving the farm and most of them still looked perfect when we arrived home.
• Make a day of it. Outside food is allowed at the farm, so bring a picnic if you’d like. We also found a great spot about 10 minutes away with several restaurants, breweries, and wineries all in one location. If you search for The Cold War Museum in Warrenton, VA the GPS will take you right to this area.