Fun fact: Tulips are my favorite flower. They are one of the first brilliantly beautiful flowers to blossom in the spring, here in Rhode Island it happens generally right near my birthday (which is a mere week away!)
I’ve always adored the gorgeous tulip festival pictures, and learned that there are even festivals like that here in the United States. The photographs that people are able to capture at these events are just breathtaking. 
Last week I learned that Rhode Island had it’s very own pick your own tulip farm  – called Wicked Tulips – and I knew I needed to check it out!

Wicked Tulips is a pick your own tulip farm in Johnston, Rhode Island – owned and operated by a husband and wife team, Jeroen and Keriann Koeman. It is located on the historic Snake Den Farm which is a 744-acre Rhode Island State Park. Snake Den is actually home to other farmers as well, including Pranaveda Farm, Cucumber Hill Farm, and Foggy Notion Farm
Wicked Tulips Pick Your Own Tulips Farm is open from late April through May, and covers 2 acres of land. I drove by the tulip farm about a week before they opened, and got incredibly excited. So excited, in fact, that I made it a point to pick some tulips on opening day! 
From what I hear I wasn’t alone! The owners announced that over 1,000 people visited the Wicked Tulips farm on opening day! 
The farm is stunning, and my photos honestly don’t give it justice. I felt like I was walking on a little slice of heaven. Everyone walking around me had ginormous grins on their faces, children were laughing, others were casually strolling through the field soaking in the beauty of the thousands of tulips. 
Not only are their tulips gorgeous, but they are also grown from certified organic bulbs from Holland. They actually sell their bulbs as well, so if you find a variety that you adore while at the tulip farm, you might want to check their website to see if they sell it. From what I saw online, right now are they only certified organic flower bulb company in the US. They truly care about the bees, and are hoping to increase awareness about the dangers of pesticides.  
I’ve been inspired, and hope to plant some of their tulip bulbs later this fall. I’ve never planted them before, and think that they would look gorgeous outside my house! It will be like my own personal tulip festival.
Before visiting the tulip farm, I watched a video on Wicked Tulip’s Facebook site about how to properly pick a tulip. What I learned was that one doesn’t cut a tulip, instead, you pull it out from the very base of the plant. If a bulb comes up with the flower, you break the bulb part off and give it to the owners at the end of your visit so they can replant it for next year’s crop. 
If you’re nearby in Johnston and just want to pick up a bouquet, you’re in luck! They have a limited number of pre-made bouquets at their stand, and you do not need to pay an entrance fee if you’re just purchasing tulips. However, if you do want to tiptoe among the tulips, you will need to pay the fee. 
People are allowed to picnic at Wicked Tulips, and I think I’m going to do this next time I go with my two children. The tulip farm does not have food vendors, so we will be sure to bring our own picnic lunch! Chairs are allowed on weekdays, but not on weekends.
I had also seen on their website to bring my own bucket with some water in it so that the flowers can start drinking water on my drive home. While at the tulip farm, they have buckets and baskets available for carrying your gorgeous tulips. 
After strolling through the tulip farm and picking your own tulips, you take it to the tent and wrap up the gorgeous flowers in the paper and tape provided. If you accidently pulled up a tulip bulb, they have metal bins to collect them so the owners can plant the bulbs again for next year. 
After wrapping up your flowers, you pay one dollar per stem, and are able to leave with a gorgeous bouquet in your arms. I realized that all of our vases have disappeared, so I picked up a beautiful blue one right next to where I paid for my flowers. They have several on display to choose from!
If you want to visit the pick your own tulip farm on a weekend, you’re going to want to purchase your tickets ahead of time online (it’s required). Otherwise, during the week, you can just pay at the door. 

Wicked Tulips FAQs
COST: 
Children 3 and under FREE
4-16 yrs old $2.50
17 yrs old and up – $5.00
HOURS:
Open 7 days a week!
Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am – 6pm
Wednesdays and Fridays 10am – 7:30pm
Saturdays and Sundays 9am – 7:30pm
BATHROOMS & PARKING:
There are portajohns on site, and also handicapped parking spots. 
BABY & TODDLER FRIENDLY:
I did see some families pushing strollers, but would recommend that you babywear instead if at all possible. Wide double strollers might be a bit harder to push in the lanes, and you wouldn’t want to squish any of the flowers.  I also saw a suggestion of toting the kids along in a wagon, which would be sweet. The Wicked Tulips website does state that wagons and strollers are not allowed on the tulip paths during the weekends – because it gets so busy. 
I’m already planning on returning in a week or so with my kiddos, and I’m bringing my tripod so we can take some photos of ourselves. If you’re going with kids by yourself, and you own a DSLR camera – pick up a remote and take some quality photos! (read more tips on how to get mom in the picture here.)
SHARE YOUR PHOTOS:
Remember, if you go to the tulip farm, and snap a photo – to use the hashtag #WickedTulips so others can see your gorgeous flowers! 
You can learn more about Wicked Tulips by visiting their Website | Facebook | Instagam

What other spring activities do you have on your bucket list? Share in the comments below 🙂

Talk soon, friends!

Mary


A photo posted by Mary Larsen (@mary__larsen) on Apr 27, 2016 at 7:11pm PDT