I usually travel to Pella for tulip photos on the weekend before the festival, but that didn’t happen this year. Instead, I’ll be waiting to visit during the actual festival, which is May 5th thru 7th. Visit https://www.pellahistorical.org/tuliptimeschedule for all the details and schedules.
In the meantime, here’s a collection of some of my favorite tulip shots from Pella, Iowa over the years.
Tulips at Centra Park in Pella, with the small windmill in the background that serves as the tourist booth. Taken in 2019. Tulips in front of Vermeer Windmill, taken in 2019Capturing closeups of tulips at Sunken Gardens in 2018. Tulips at Central Park in Pella, Iowa. Taken in 2021. What I love about the tulip beds in Pella’s Central Park is that some of the beds are extremely large. I think the largest best has 5,000 bulbs in one single bed and they typically have the same exact bulb, which creates scenes like this. Tulips at the Central Park in Pella. In the prior years, I would visit on Sunday afternoon before the festival starts, and you can see that the locals use this time for their last dress rehearsal before the event kicks off. Tulip closeups at Central Park in Pella, Iowa. Taken in 2021Tulips at Central Park in Pella, taken in 2019. The spring of 2021 was extremely warm – allowing the crabapple trees to blossom at the same time as the tulips in Centra Park in Pella, Iowa. Another photo from 2021, when I visited Pella’s tulips extremely early in the morning. Getting more closeups of tulips at Sunken Gardens in Pella, Iowa in 2020
2020 (above) vs 2021 (below)
The two aerial photos of Pella’s Central Park were taken exactly a year apart. The top photo was taken April 30th, 2020, and the bottom photo was taken April 30th, 2021. The 2020 photo shows a more typical or normal spring, where the tulips are near peak bloom, but the tree leaves are not fully developed. The spring of 2021 was just crazy warm (and dry), causing concerns that the tulips might peak too soon. However, that wasn’t the case, they have a variety that set to peak across the entire timeframe.
A sea of red tulps at the Scholte House in Pella, Iowa. Taken in 2020.
Pella isn’t just a spring or tulip time town. It’s just as charming for a winter shopping spree and a short winter walk to check out the holiday decorations. Pella is located just an hour southeast of Des Moines and my wife and I have made many trips to Pella, but mostly during the spring…
You’ve probably seen Pella’s beauty from the ground many times, perhaps when walking the park to explore the tulips or walking the streets to shop in their unique stores. However, if you take to the air, you’ll also find that same beauty from above. These photos and videos were captured in the spring of 2021,…
It’s April and we’re all anxiously awaiting the arrival of warmer temperatures, greener landscapes, and of course, the annual blooming of the tulips in Pella, Iowa. But how do you know when the tulips are in bloom, so you can make sure you’re trip to the Dutch community is well-timed? The most obvious way to…
Several years ago, a few community members from Pella, Iowa went to the Netherlands to experience traditional Dutch Christmas markets and brought the idea back for development in Pella. 2021 was their first year of Kerstmarkt, and the market is back for 2022. Enjoy hot Dutch drinks and food, listen to live music, and wander…
Have you ever wanted the Pella tulips all to yourself? No crowds, no other visitors… just you and the tulips? That’s what I set out to do during the spring of 2021. I’ve been to Pella many times. During the festival, before, as well as after the festival. Weekends. Weekdays. You name it. But this…
Do you like winter walks? Ok, I’m probably in the minority on this one. But I actually like walks and short hikes after a fresh snowfall. Typically, I’ll walk in a location where I’ve been during the summer or fall – and then re-experience it during the winter. I get this from my photography background,…
