First-Ever Tulip Fest Coming To Richardson Farm

SPRING GROVE — George and Wendy Richardson, owners of Richardson Farm in Spring Grove, have been working hard to get 300,000 tulip bulbs planted in a five-acre former hay field on their property. Soon, the snow will melt and make way for 30 different varieties of tulips.

It will also mean the farm, located at 909 English Prairie Road, will welcome the public to its first-ever Tulip Festival. The festival is expected to run from mid-April to mid-May and is dependent on when the tulips are in bloom, according to a news release from Visit McHenry County.

The fest will be open daily and will include a pick-your-own area; food trucks; soft drinks, beer and wine; live music on weekends; free games like giant checkers, giant Jenga and cornhole; a picnic area and a walking trail along a 36-acre lake, according to the news release.

The idea to bring the Tulip Festival to the farm came from Wendy Richardson's brother-in-law. He broached the idea a couple years ago after sunflower fields became popular in the area.

“Robert and (his wife) Carol traveled to Washington state, where they grow a lot of tulips, and did some sightseeing and research,” she said.

The Richardsons — now including sixth-generation Ryan and his wife, Kristen, in the business — have been adding reasons to visit their rural Spring Grove farm for decades. They began offering cut-your-own Christmas trees in 1986, and this fall will mark the 21st year for the renowned Richardson Corn Maze, according to the press release.

Jaki Berggren, executive director of Visit McHenry County, said the Richardson Tulip Festival is an exciting addition to the area’s outdoor spring activities available to residents and visitors alike.

“The Richardsons are, once again, investing in wholesome, fun-on-the-farm offerings that everyone can enjoy,” she said. “We couldn’t be more pleased to partner with them in spreading the word.”

George Richardson said the tulips were planted in November, with about 30,000 in a sunburst design that should make for a great photo backdrop, 70,000 of mixed colors in a pick-your-own area, and 200,000 in color blocks with walkways between.

Tulip Festival hours will be 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. seven days a week. The farm’s roughly 3,800-square-foot gift shop — featuring a wine-tasting area, jams and salsas, donuts, kettle corn, T-shirts, trinkets and indoor restrooms — will be open until 8 p.m., with Covid precautions in place.

Admission to the Tulip Fest will be $15 a person on weekends and $12 on week days; free for children 3 and younger. Admission includes one tulip of choice. Additional flowers will be available in the pick-your-own area for $1 each.

More information will be available on the Richardson Farm Facebook page.