What better way to celebrate spring than visiting one of America’s top 10 flower festivals?

In Southern California, thanks to this winter’s abundant rain and snow, we’re looking forward to explosive colors as wildflowers begin to spread across our desert, coastline, and foothills. Other parts of the country, from grassland prairies to alpine meadows, are also anticipating nature’s colorful display of flowers, guaranteeing us delightfully longer, warmer days.

With that in mind, I’m sharing my list of top 10 flower festivals from different parts of the country.

If you get a chance, don’t miss an opportunity to enjoy nature’s wonders at a festival near you!

DALLAS BLOOMS

Where: Dallas, Texas

Held each spring, the largest floral festival in the Southwest features 66 acres of gardens at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. Enjoy every spring color imaginable as 600,000 tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, Dutch irises, poppies, and other flowers bloom in a spectacular way.

From mid-February through mid-April, the landscape evolves week by week, with tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, cherry blossoms, and azaleas taking turns in the spotlight

What makes it especially appealing (and perfect for us seasoned wanderers) is that it’s not just about flowers. The festival layers in:

• Easy walking paths with plenty of places to sit and take it all in
• Seasonal food and wine events
• Live music and art displays
• Classes like gardening, cooking, and even watercolor painting

Click here for more information, a list of events, and to purchase tickets.

EPCOT INTERNATIONAL FLOWER & GARDEN FESTIVAL

Where: Orlando, Florida

If you have children or grandchildren, this is just the ticket for some whimsical fun. At Epcot, you can enjoy more than 70 Disney-themed topiaries from every era brought to life through flower sculptures and manicured trees.

Flower towers, wildlife habitats, and vibrant gardens add to the beauty. Exhibits, seminars, and how-to demonstrations, outdoor kitchens with pint-sized plates, and outdoor concerts add to the fun.

Disney horticulturists are onsite each weekend to help those interested in learning more about gardening. Admission to Epcot is required.

For more information, click here.

NATIONAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

Where: Washington, D.C.

One day I’m going to see this famous flourish of pink blooms in the nation’s capital, an entire city transformed into a soft pink dream.

Centered around the Tidal Basin, thousands of cherry trees burst into bloom, surrounding monuments with delicate shades of pink and white.

At the heart of it all is peak bloom, that brief window when about 70% of the blossoms are open. It only lasts a few days, which makes it feel a little like catching lightning in a bottle.

But even if you miss peak bloom, there’s plenty to experience:

• The famous Cherry Blossom Parade with floats and marching bands
• The whimsical Blossom Kite Festival
• Cultural performances celebrating Japanese and American traditions
• Waterfront events, food pop-ups, and evening celebrations

More than 700,000 visitors come each year, all drawn by the same fleeting beauty, so expect crowds and go early in the morning if you can.

For more information, blooming updates, and/or tickets, click here.

DAFFODIL FESTIVAL AND PARADE 

Where: Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, and Orting, Washington State

Maybe this festival is not quite as famous as the ones I’ve listed above, but it’s one of my sentimental favorites, so it made my list of top 10 flower festivals.

When I lived in Puyallup, Washington about 20 years ago and worked as a newspaper reporter, I covered this heartwarming traditional, family- and community-oriented parade.

This event features floats decorated with thousands of fresh-cut daffodils as well as high school marching bands in celebration of daffodil flowers that have grown in the Puyallup Valley for the past 80 years. Come on, who doesn’t love cheerful daffodils and parades!

For more information, check out their website.

TULIP TIME

Where: Holland, Michigan

When Holland residents brag about tulip time, they’re not kidding! Nearly 5 million tulips are planted throughout the town which awakens in the spring with bright spectacular bursts of color.

Since traditional Dutch dancing is popular in this old-world town, the festival hosts dancing events practically non-stop throughout the weekend. Be sure and take in one of the three parades, where participants brave the pavement with wooden clogs and traditional Dutch outfits.

If Dallas Blooms is grand and the Cherry Blossom Festival is fleeting, Tulip Time is warm, welcoming, and wonderfully down-to-earth, the kind of place where you don’t just look at the flowers… you feel part of them.

You can say the same thing, by the way, about The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Skagit Valley in Washington state that stretches across vast farmland, where endless rows of vibrant tulips meet snow-capped mountains in one of the most breathtaking spring displays in the country. I’ve visited this festival a few times, and it’s one of my favorites!

For blooming updates, events, and tickets for Tulip Time in Michigan, click here. For information about Tulip Time in Washington state, click here.

DOGWOOD-AZALEA FESTIVAL

Where: Charleston, Missouri

Take a stroll along the six-mile Dogwood-Azalea Trail when Charleston glimmers with stunning dogwoods and azaleas at their peak blooms.

You can celebrate the floral spring beauty and enjoy the wholesome hospitality of this community with a candlelight tour, arts and crafts bazaar, one of the area’s largest parades, an old-fashioned ice cream social, art show, piano concerts, and an old-fashioned carriage ride.

For more information, see their website.

THE WILDFLOWER FESTIVAL

Where: Crested Butte, Colorado

Surround yourself in the symphony of wildflowers in Crested Butte, dubbed as the wildflower capital of Colorado.

The mountains and valleys brim with explosive colors in the late spring and summer as magnificent blue columbines, Red Indian paintbrushes, sunflowers, delphiniums, lupines, and other flowers bloom in full glory.

The week long festival offers over 200 events including hikes, art workshops, jeep tours, and photography classes.

For more information, click here.

PORTLAND ROSE FESTIVAL

Where: Portland, Oregon

Portland hosts the largest rose show in the nation, overflowing with more than 4,000 blooms in all their glory and rich fragrances.

Enjoy one of three starlight parades with twinkling floats throughout its three weekends, thrilling rides, fireworks, live music, tasty treats, and much more.

For more information, click here.

INTERNATIONAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

Where: Macon, Georgia

Dubbed “the pinkest party on earth,” The International Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, Georgia celebrates all things pink, including the town’s impressive collection of hundreds of Yoshino cherry trees.

Festival highlights include a bed race, nightly live concerts, fashion shows, a street party, as well as the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade.

For tickets and more information, click here.

THE FLOWER FIELDS AT CARLSBAD RANCH

Where: Carlsbad, California

This festival is another one of my personal favorites since it’s in my neck of the woods. Every spring, 50 acres of rolling hills overlooking the striking coastline are transformed into a dazzling display of blooms from early March through early May.

Wagon rides, live music, dinner tours, arts and crafts shows, exotic plant sale, and photography classes are available throughout the festival dates.

For a schedule or to buy tickets, check out their website.

Images, in order of appearance, courtesy of twobee, pazham, criminalatt, and nuttakit at FreeDigitalPhotos.net