As winter breaks and spring temperatures rise, Iowans look forward to landscapes turning green and flowers starting to bloom. That includes the thousands of tulips in Pella, Iowa that blossom every spring near the end of April / start of May.
Here’s a collection of some of my favorite tulip shots from Pella, Iowa over the years.
Tulips at Central 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 2019. Vermeer Windmill is the tallest working Dutch windmill in the United States. It’s open for tours during spring, summer, and fall. Capturing closeups of tulips at Sunken Gardens in 2018. Sunken Gardens is just a few blocks from the town square and contains yet another windmill, thousands of tulips, and a small pond in the shape of a Dutch wooden shoe. 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 Central Park in Pella, Iowa. Another photo from 2021, when I visited Pella’s tulips extremely early in the morning. Here are some additional photos of when I had the Pella Tulips all to myself. 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 on April 30th, 2020, and the bottom photo was taken on 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 is set to peak across the entire timeframe.
A sea of red tulps at the Scholte House in Pella, Iowa. Taken in 2020.Another early morning visit during 2023 when I had the tulips to myself. It’s a long exposure of 30 seconds, which shows the windmill in motion.
Most evening-lighted parades in Iowa happen during the month of December – but if you’re looking for a lighted parade during warmer weather, be sure to check out the nightly evening parades during the annual Tulip Festival. During the Tulip Festival, they hold two parades each day: an afternoon 2:30 pm parade and an evening…
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,…
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. Enjoy hot Dutch drinks and food, listen to live music, and wander through the various artisan’s booths, all inspired by the outdoor markets in the Netherlands….
Have you ever wanted the Pella tulips all to yourself? No crowds, no other visitors… just you and the tulips? I’ve been to Pella many times. During the festival, before, as well as after the festival. Weekends. Weekdays. You name it. But this time, I’m going to have them to myself. So I set the…
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…
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,…
