Winter will be a distant memory before we know it, and there’s never been a better year for RVing to the best flower festivals in the U.S. Mother Nature is preparing for what promises to be the most vibrant and cheerful flower festival season yet. It’s time to seed your road trip itinerary with some ideas from our cross-country RV flower festival tour through the blooming landscapes of Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, Washington and Oregon.
Tulip Festival, Skagit Valley, Washington
April 1-30
Tulip festival near Seattle. Washington. United States.
If you miss the famous daffodil bloom in March, don’t worry. Springtime presents one spectacular wildflower show after another in the fertile aggie lands lining the riverbanks just south of Bellingham. Come and enjoy endless flocks of swans, snow geese and ducks zoom fly across the skies. But keep an eye on the ground too, because local farmers grow more tulip and daffodil bulbs here than anywhere else in the U.S. The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival celebrates the colorful harvest in area-wide events that keep the region hopping between April 1 – 30. Designed as a driving tour through vibrant fields lining the hills between La Conner and Mount Vernon, the month-long festival spotlights local flower farmers and their endless fields of technicolor beauty.
Tourists are welcome to view and photograph their crops as long as Mother Nature cooperates. Meanwhile, local communities celebrate the coming of spring with tulip-themed art shows and family activities including a street fair, barbecues and dinners, a parade and more. Create your home base on the water at La Conner Marina & RV Park, and you’ll be within walking distance of local events, restaurants and outdoor activities that take advantage of the region’s temperate climate and the Pacific Northwest’s prettiest scenery.
Azalea Festival – Wilmington, North Carolina
April 6-10, 2022
Photo: Visit North Carolina
Come for the annual Azalea Festival but plan on staying longer to experience this undiscovered Atlantic Coast gem. There’s so much to see and do in Wilmington during springtime. Start with the annual festival to get a feel for this welcoming community. The Azalea Festival shines a spotlight on the region’s native Azalea plants that bloom each spring. From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the sea, azaleas paint the terrain with a welcome sign that spring has arrived. This is the best time to enjoy cool mornings and nights, with humidity-free days and bright, sunny skies.
Celebrate like a local and when you need a break from the concerts, art fairs and garden tours, spend some quality time at Wilmington area beaches. Cast your line from the oldest fishing pier on the Atlantic, paddle around the Intercoastal waterway and step back in time for amusement park fun on the Carolina Beach boardwalk. Set up base camp at nearby Lanier’s Campground and you’re just a few minutes from all the best springtime fun in Wilmington.
Bluebonnet Festival—Burnet, Texas
April 8-10
Photo: City of Burnet
Park your home on wheels at Sunset Point on Lake LBJ in Marble Falls, and you’ll be just minutes away from the 33rd year of the Bluebonnet Festival in the cute little town of Burnet. Close to Austin but far enough away to feel like a throwback in time, Burnet is the heart of the Lone Star State’s world-famous wildflower season. Each spring a blanket of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, purple coneflower and prairie verbena carpet the lush rolling fields of the Hill Country in every direction. Officially known as “The Wildflower Capital of Texas,” Burnet’s Bluebonnet festival attracts over 30,000 people between April 8 and 10.
Come for the arts and crafts vendors, stay for the flowers, food and legendary concerts. Every event is family-friendly, and many are free to enjoy. All events at the festival are within walking distance of one another too, making it easy to soak up the fun and get to know the locals. Enjoy a biergarten, music, pet parade, demolition derby, and many more small-town activities that will bring you back next year for more.
Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival—Winchester, Virginia
April 22 to May 1
Photo: Virginia Tourism
From Shenandoah National Park to the Chesapeake Bay, springtime in Virginia presents endless choices of things to do for RVers. But if you’re in the state during April, the one must-see event is the annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival. Now in its 95th year, this 10-day celebration of springtime in the Shenandoah Valley honors a longtime tradition that puts the region’s rich agricultural history front and center stage.
Enjoy activities like apple cider and wine tastings, orchard tours, apple pie baking contests, a giant carnival midway and several themed dance parties during the celebration. The festival is highlighted by Miss Apple Blossom, a contest so popular that two different U.S. presidential daughters once competed for the crown.
Stay in the middle of the fun at Winchester’s Candy Hill Campground, a family-run resort with full hookups and Saturday San Francisco-Style trolley tours to show campers the local sites and festivities.
The Portland Rose Festival, Portland, Oregon
May 27-June 26
Photo: Portland Rose Festival Foundation
There’s a good reason why Fodor’s Travel calls the Portland Rose Festival one of the world’s best flower festivals. Over three weekends, this hipster city throws the country’s largest rose-themed party with dozens of events, including the Grand Floral Parade, Starlight Parade, Junior Parade, CityFair and Navy Fleet Week celebration along the waterfront. Nosh on upscale Pacific Northwest rose-themed cuisine, stroll through street fairs, catch live music and wear your favorite costume for a Rose Festival fun run that benefits local charities.
The world-class festival started over 100 years ago and is still going strong, beginning Memorial Day weekend and rolling through two more fun-filled June weekends. Park your home at nearby Jantzen Beach RV Park to be close to the fun and walking distance to shopping and restaurants, but far enough away to enjoy the picturesque Columbia River scenery at your doorstep.
Photo: Portland Rose Festival Foundation
Get Floral
This list of RV itineraries for flower festivals around the U.S. is only the beginning. As more cities in great RV destinations resume their spring celebrations of native flowers, food and art, you have many reasons to celebrate spring RVing from coast to coast.
