Advance daily tickets go on sale at noon Friday for the Festival of Spring at Burnside Farms in Nokesville, where you can see more than 150 varieties of tulips and more than 30 varieties of daffodils.
The three-week festival runs from April 4 to about April 26. The farm’s fields — 15 acres for tulips and 5 acres for daffodils — will be awash in color, and you will be able to pick flowers.
“Our tulips AND daffodils are quickly starting to show a lot of color and we’re on track to see a LOT MORE color by opening day,” Burnside said on its Facebook page, adding that with warm temperatures expected next week, the fields will quickly get very colorful. The exact end date of the festival is hard to predict, the farm said.
“If April is a cool month, we will have a longer season,” Burnside said. For every 80-degree day, the farm loses three days of its season.
Each day the farm provides a field report so you can see what the millions of flowers look like. For the tulips, Burnside plants them in beds that contain 6,500 or more bulbs.
Tickets will be released one week at a time. The first available dates will include Easter weekend through Tuesday, April 11. The timed-entry tickets are required for anyone ages 6 and older. Burnside Farms will not have tickets available at the the gate. But new this year, it will have a limited number of day-of tickets, available at midnight each day.
Weekday tickets cost $19, while weekend tickets cost $21. Early bird and sunset admission tickets run $23 on weekdays and $25 on weekends. When you get to the farm, you get a basket to collect your flowers. Five flowers are included with your admission ticket. Additional flowers are $1 per tulip stem and $1 for two daffodils. If the bulb comes up, you can keep it for another $1.
If you plan to go, Burnside Farms offers these tips:
- Dress appropriately for the weather. You may need to dress in layers for chilly mornings.
- Wear appropriate shoes. Burnside suggests “farm worthy footwear” since the fields take a while to dry out after rains.
- Be ready to walk.
- Make sure you bring water.
The farm has picnic tables, so you can pack a lunch, but leave the dog at home.
And, of course, don’t forget your camera to get some gorgeous pictures of your family, the tulips, and the daffodils. 1008 Kettle Run Rd., Nokesville
Feature image courtesy Burnside Farms
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