FAQ's

2012 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Tour Info

Just like all our tours, we "Focus" on getting you to the most picturesque locations and helping you become a better travel photographer. Shutter tours is rated a "Top 5" tour by those who rate us on Tripadvisor.com, so you know we are a trusted and respected company.

Our tour begins in our comfortable 14 passenger shuttle bus in the small Scandinavian town of Stanwood, Washington. We journey through scenic farmlands and across the Skagit River with Mount Baker as a backdrop. Our first destination will be the tulip fields in Mt. Vernon Washington. Here we will spend time at pre-selected vantage points to help you get the best photo based on the current light and colors of the tulip and daffodil fields.

We then visit the beautiful flower gardens at Roozen Gaarde, owned by the Roozen family – bulb growers in Holland and the United States since the early 1700s. Growing in their display Garden you will have the opportunity to photograph 90+ tulip varieties in addition to many more varieties of daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, iris, & specialty flowers. Planted just behind the garden is a 15-acre tulip field filled with seemingly endless rows of color. Don't forget to pick up their free catalog where you can buy over 140 varieties of bulbs. Shutter Tours includes the admission fee to this garden as part of your tour price.

Avoiding the large, mid-day crowds at the gardens we then set out to historic waterfront village of La Conner, Washington. This picturesque town was voted both the "Most Romantic Getaway" and "The best town to capture the Northwest spirit". Here you will have time to shop at many of the interesting stores including a glass blowing studio, The Woodworking Merchant, and enjoy a meal at one of the many award wining restaurants.

Deception Pass, a popular bridge for Photographers, is our next vantage point. Here you will have time to explore the trails around the bridge to get your best photo spot and spend time at a favorite artist spot, the picturesque Rosario beach .

Of course a photo tour is not complete until one has tasted the wine at Tulip Valley Winery. With a nice art gallery and wonderful wines to taste, this stop is sure to be a favorite.

Snowgoose Produce in Mt. Vernon, Washington

Working our way back through the tulip fields, our last stop is Snowgoose Produce, famous for their "Immodest Ice Cream Cones" along with jams, produce and flowers.

Along the way we might have the opportunity to stop and see the Snow Geese as they make their way back towards Canada for the summer. This is a sight in itself and we'll be sure to scout ahead of time to see where the geese might be. (On a side note, we will be working with the Snowgoose Festival to provide tours in February 2012)

Frequently Asked Questions on the Tulip Festival Tour

Dates for Tour?

Currently we are scheduling advanced reservations for our Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Tours for April 1-15th, 2012.

What is the costs?

Advanced booking is $109.00 per person with a discount for Seniors ($99) and those under 12 ($79). A 50% deposit is required to hold your spot.

Is the deposit refundable?

Yes, you can get a full refund on your deposit until March 15th, 2012. After this there is no refund.

Do you offer any group discounts on this tour?

Yes, when you book your tour and enter in a quantity of four or more participants, the system will automatically give a 20% discount (subject to change)

Pickup/Departure

The tour bus will pick up participants at the Swamp Creek Park and Ride located at 3101 164th St SW, Lynnwood, WA 98037 between 8:00-8:15 AM each day of the tour. Please call and let us know if you will need a pickup at this location

For those of you coming from downtown Seattle via train, we will be picking up at the Amtrak train station in Stanwood at 9:05 AM.

There will be no downtown pickups for this tour, please use the following schedule planning websites for transportation to each of the above locations.

For bus transportation to the Swamp Creek Park and Ride via Community Transit

Stanwood Train Station via Amtrak