•LA CONNER DAFFODIL FESTIVAL•

Fields of Gold: A Beautiful Daffodil Festival

04•13•2022

The La Conner daffodil festival is a first sign of spring in the Skagit Valley in Washington State. Every March, there are fields of gold as acres of daffodils begin to bloom, set against the surrounding snow-capped mountains. If you’re looking for a bright and cheery spring activity, throw on your rain boots and head to see the daffodils!

•THE FESTIVAL•

This weekend we visited Skagit Valley to see the daffodil fields. Growing up, my parents always had daffodils in their yard, and it’s still one of my favorite flowers today. Seeing the flowers now fills me with nostalgia thinking of the many daffodils we would pick from the yard. Now that I live here in Washington State, standing in these expansive fields with acres of daffodils is something that I never thought I would experience. It’s an amazing, beautiful sight to see, especially with surrounding mountains as a backdrop.

You may have heard of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, which takes place every year in April. Well, you can think of the La Conner Daffodil Festival as the lesser-known, quieter sister of the tulip festival. When we go to see the daffodils, we rarely see others in the fields. This year, we had the fields to ourselves the entire time that we were at Roozengaarde. Admission at Roozengaarde is free and parking is plentiful, which definitely isn’t the case for the tulip festival (although the tulips are amazing, don’t get me wrong!).

•when and where to go•

Skagit Valley is 60 miles north of Seattle, right off I-5. Without traffic, expect this to be about an hour drive, although you will often run into traffic in various spots from Seattle to Everett. Since it’s so close to the city, you can either make this a day trip, or stay and explore the area for a long weekend. We have done it both ways and you really can’t go wrong.

The daffodils bloom in March, normally starting relatively early in the month. To help you plan your visit, check out the bloom map online to see the location of the fields and whether they are currently in bloom. All of the fields that we drove past except Roozengaarde seemed to be private property and/or had no trespassing signs. At Roozengaarde we were able to check out their gift shop and confirmed that we were allowed to walk out to the fields. They do sell some cute local merchandise in the shop, as well as fresh-picked daffodil stems. If you bring them home and put them in water, they will bloom within a couple of days! Note that you should not pick the daffodils from the fields.

It is a bit of a hike out to the fields, but totally worth it! This area receives a lot of rain in the winter and spring, so be sure to bring proper shoes and be prepared with rain gear in case you need it. Once you get out there, they have a few types of daffodils blooming in different sections of the field. To the east, you have the backdrop of Mount Baker and the Cascades on a clear day, and to the west the Olympics. It provides a beautiful backdrop for the daffodils, and for photographs!

•other things to do in skagit valley•

While you are there, be sure to stop at Snow Goose Produce! Not only does it have a cool name, but it has a ton of delicious ice cream flavors in freshly made waffle cones. They also sell local produce, planted flowers, and various locally made foods and crafts. Note that the ice cream is cash only, so plan ahead! The line can get quite long on busy weekends, but we didn’t have any trouble during the daffodil season.

Close to the shop, you can also see the real snow geese! We got lucky and saw them flying around as we were leaving Snow Goose Produce, so we headed in their direction. There are thousands of snow geese that make the Skagit Valley their home during the winter until April, and they are pretty neat to see, especially when they all get stirred up and fly around in a big cloud of geese!

•RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONs•

Besides eating your heart out on ice cream from Snow Goose, there are a few good restaurants in the area that we like:

Anthony’s– This Anacortes location of the Seattle Anthony’s chain has great seafood options.
Bob’s Chowder Bar– They have some delicious seafood options including fish and chips and rock crab tater tots.
Vagabond Station– Here you’ll find hearty sandwiches including something called the Yard Bird with fried chicken on a homemade biscuit with Tillamook cheddar, and chicken and waffles, a personal favorite.
Donut House – This local donut shop sells Big Foot donuts that are huge and delicious! Plus, they have lots of other options too for the whole family to choose from.
Taste of Thai by Wipa – My family loves Thai food, and this place was really good! We love the Mussaman and Panang curry dishes with a side of Roti. It’s located in Burlington, right by I-5. Plus, they have online ordering!
Calico Cupboard – There are a few Calico Cupboard locations in the area, and we visited the Mount Vernon location before our very first visit to the daffodils. If you like comfort food, this is the place for you! They have a large menu including some all-day breakfast items, they offer espresso drinks, and there are drool-worthy bakery items that you can swoon over before you are seated. My personal fave is the peanut butter pie.

•WHERE TO STAY•

When we do stay in the area, we have stayed at the Swinomish Lodge and Casino on all of our past overnight visits. It’s located in Anacortes, about 15 minutes from Roozengaarde, with views of the bay and surrounding islands. They have a few onsite restaurants, a coffee shop, and the casino of course. The only thing it’s missing is a pool, according to my kids… It’s a nice location if you are interested in visiting other area attractions. Look for separate posts about things to do in the area including Deception Pass State Park, whale watching trips from Anacortes, and North Cascades National Park!

If you’re looking for a fun way to ring in Spring, a family-friendly day trip or weekend getaway from the city, or a great location for photography, all of these things can be found in Skagit Valley at the La Conner Daffodil Festival! Pack your rain boots and your camera (plus some cash for that ice cream), and check out the area!

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