I had this past Tuesday off, and somehow we weren’t sick of driving yet, so Rigby and I finally got to visit the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival! This is a tulip farm out in Woodburn that opens to the public for a few weeks every spring. You can wander around 40 acres of colorful tulip fields, watch a shoemaker demonstration, and do a wine tasting, all for $5 a person. And best of all, leashed dogs are welcome!

Not surprisingly, this event gets pretty packed on the weekends. It was fairly busy even on a Tuesday, but I didn’t have to wait in a traffic jam or struggle to find parking, so if you can manage a weekday outing, I definitely recommend it.

To make things even more picturesque, Mt. Hood in the distance!

So over it.

Tips:

• If it’s a hot day, there isn’t much shade, so bring some water for your pup! There’s also a large water bowl near the picnic area, if you forget like I did.
• Be careful not to let your dog eat any tulips, especially the bulbs — they’re pretty, but toxic!

This weekend is “Dog Days” at the festival, so there will be some fun dog-specific activities:

Sat, April 28: Muddy Paws Fun Run 3K/5K. $35 includes a (human) shirt, and you can add on a dog bib or bandana for an additional $10. All proceeds go to Wigglin’ Home Boxer Rescue.

Sat & Sun, April 28-29: Fuzzy Butt Pet Photos will be doing photoshoots for $40, which includes a 5×7 print. A portion of the proceeds benefit Oregon Dog Rescue.

If your dog is itching to get off-leash after you’ve subjected them to dozens of tulip photos, head to Wilsonville Memorial Dog Park on your way back to Portland. This is a great off-leash area in the middle of a huge park with disc golf and walking trails. It’s fully-fenced, grassy and wide open — perfect for sprinting!

Have you been to the Tulip Festival with your dog? I’d love to see photos — share in the comments below!