PHOTO BY ANDY PORTER
mount vernon. Stop and smell the flowers
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BACK IN THE 1800S, MOUNT VERNON WAS KNOWN AS A TRANSPORTATION AND TRADING CENTER for the logging industry. Now, the booming blooming city is known throughout Washington as the land of tulips, tulips and more tulips. Mount Vernon remains a welcoming agricultural hub, attracting visitors from near and far to enjoy Skagit Valley’s bucolic landscapes, locally sourced food and diverse wildlife. Make sure to look up every so often, because Mount Vernon boasts some of the best skies for birdwatching. Keep an eye out for bald eagles, swans and visiting snow geese. With the coming of spring, lilies, dahlias, marigolds, snapdragons and, of course, tulips grace the surrounding farms. Spring isn’t official until the first tulip blooms, and as April bleeds into May, fragrant flowers paint the fields of Mount Vernon an array of startling colors. Witness the beauty of endless rows of tulips at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, where multiple farms open their property for visitors to wander the fields and purchase bulbs to take home to their own gardens. WATERSIDENW.COM
