Late April through mid-May is peak blooming time for tulips in northern Illinois, and the Richardson Family Farm,known for its intricate fall corn maze, now has a tulip festival featuring 600,000 blooms of 49 varieties.
At prime time, determined by Mother Nature, visitors can walk past yellow, red, gold, pink and other hued blooms.
The Richardson family planted bulbs in the fall of 2020. The following spring, the family opened its new tulip gazing farm and started the festival. Nearly 40,000 visitors came during the two or three weeks the flowers were in bloom.
“Hundreds of thousands of pictures were taken,” said George Richardson, who runs the farm with five other family members.
“People were there in their pretty spring dresses taking pictures,” he said. “It was just beautiful.
“Here in Illinois, everybody looks forward to spring, and when those first flowers including tulips come out, it just feels good,” he said.
This season, Richardson said Mother Earth is signaling that the tulips will be at prime viewing time from roughly April 30-May 14.
“But you never know about the weather. It could be a little earlier,” he said. Cool and rainy temperatures help maintain a longer blooming season. Hot sunny, windy days could shorten the season, he said. That’s why he suggests checking the farm website or calling ahead to make sure the tulip farm is open.
For $12-$15, visitors can walk the eight-acres of tulips to their heart’s content. Each guest gets one free tulip. More can be purchased for $1 each. Visitors also can hike around the private lake near the tulip plantings, purchase snacks from a food truck and relax on picnic tables. Free outdoor games include corn hole and bags and a large checkerboard.
“We like to make it so it’s lot of fun to hang around for a couple of hours,” Richardson said.
Saturdays and Sundays also will feature live easy-listening music including a bluegrass band.
The gift shop, two blocks away from the tulip fields, will be open and has indoor restrooms and items for purchase. Face-painting and wine-tasting also may be available.
George Richardson runs the farm with his wife, Wendy, brother Robert Richardson and wife, Carol, and Robert’s son, Ryan Richardson, and his wife, Kristen.
Robert suggested trying a tulip farm when he learned about a woman who opened her farm fields full of blooming bulbs in Washington State in spring.
The same company that designs the Richardson Farm Corn Maze in fall, helped design the tulip farm. The family secured a special tractor bulb planter and ordered 300,000 tulip bulbs of 30 varieties. They considered purchasing 10,000 bulbs, but decided they wanted to go all out just as they do for the corn maze, considered one of the largest in the world.
Tulips were planted in color blocks interspersed with walkways. There’s also a sunburst design of tulips and 70,000 in mixed colors with an adjacent pick-your-own area.
“Our maze guy laid it all out with the GPS so the tulips were straight and in a nice pattern,” Richardson said. “We did worry about whether they’d all come up. Animals do eat them. Squirrels dig up tulip bulbs in suburban yards.
“But it turned out phenomenal. The tulips were absolutely gorgeous. It was one of the most fun businesses we’ve had, because it’s spring and people are just walking through acres and acres of tulips with the biggest smiles on their face.”
Last fall, the family planted another 300,000 bulbs in a field adjacent to the first plantings. They wondered if the bulbs they planted the year previously would come up again.
They did. About April 19, the saw tulips coming up in both fields with roughly 100,000 at the stage where they show leaves.
“We keep watching the weather,” Richardson said. “My wife and I are out there pretty often and looking for that first bloom. Last year we opened up 17 days after the first bloom. We know that everything is highly variable. This year, if the weather changes, it could be 10 days after the first bloom. We’re keeping our eyes open. We could possibly open April 30 but that’s just a guess.
“It is looking like Mother’s Day weekend will be great and the following week, too,” he added.
Tickets can be purchased on line or at the door. Professional photographers are asked to pay a fee and register in advance. Friendly dogs on a leash are welcome.
Richardson Farm Tulip Festival
When: 11 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays when tulips are blooming
Where: Richardson Family Farm, 909 English Prairie Road, Spring Grove
Tickets: Tuesdays-Fridays $12; Saturdays-Sundays $15, ages 3 and under free
Information: 815-675-9729; richardsonadventurefarm.com/TulipFestival/Home
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
