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I went to the annual tulip festival in a small Michigan city surrounded by Dutch culture and traditions. Here's what it was like.https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/i-went-to-the-annual-tulip-festival-in-a-small-michigan-city-surrounded-by-dutch-culture-and-traditions-hereaposs-what-it-was-like-/slidelist/91770305.cms2022-05-24T19:34:55+05:30

I went to the annual tulip festival in a small Michigan city surrounded by Dutch culture and traditions. Here's what it was like.

Gabi StevensonMay 24, 2022, 19:34 IST

I recently toured the tulip festival in Holland, Michigan, which celebrates the flower and the city's Dutch origins. This year's festival ran from May 7 to May 15.

According to the Holland Area Visitors Bureau, the city was founded by Dutch settlers in 1847.

Insider previously named Holland one of the most beautiful vacation spots in the Midwest.

I decided to start at the large De Zwaan Windmill in Windmill Island Gardens.

One thing I didn't expect to find among the rows of flowers were these dark purple tulips. Because of the sun's glare, I almost thought they were black.

I was able to attend the festival when the tulips were at peak bloom.

After walking past the windmill, I stopped over at the small row of gift shops, which are open from mid-April to mid-October. There was also a smaller windmill and an antique Dutch carousel nearby.

The gift shops had lots of cool details, like this authentic Dutch mailbox and this punny sign for a cheese tasting.

I had to go inside and try some of the locally made cheese, conveniently offered in little bowls.

After leaving the gift shops, I drove over to the country fairgrounds to see the Tulip Immersion Garden. The Tulip Time official website said it was designed by Dutch horticulturist Ibo Gülsen.

The exhibit features informational signs about the history of the tulip and more than 50,000 tulips, according to the Tulip Time official website.

After admiring all the tulips, I stopped by the Tulip Time quilt show.

A fun surprise at the quilt show were these large, wooden clogs that decorated the room. This pair was my favorite, painted with tulips and pianos.

After stopping at the church, I went into downtown Holland to see what the city was like.

One of my favorite stores was the Holland Clock Company, which carries tons of German cuckoo clocks, Dutch souvenirs, and beer steins.

The last place I visited before I left was The Tin Ceiling, a gift shop that sells homewares, accessories, and Scandinavian snacks.

I ended up going home and trying Norwegian candy by Laban. The packaging was entirely in Norwegian, so it definitely felt like a new experience.

Overall, I had a fantastic time at my first Tulip Time festival.

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