Just 30 miles south of Portland, you’ll find one of the most stunning day trips to take with your dog this Spring: The Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival features over 40 acres of tulips, local gift vendors, food carts, and the cutest little gift shop!

The festival runs runs March 21st through April 27th 2025 and peak bloom is usually mid-April. While there isn’t as much color in March, we love the early season vibes that bring moody weather and less crowds. Tulips are pretty in the sun, but I think they’re even better under dynamic sky and a rainbow!

Tickets to the festival are available for purchase online directly from Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival and often sell out days in advance. Season passes are a great value; I have been using a season pass for years, which means I can stop by anytime with my pup for a walk among the tulips. It’s a blast even on those early, sometimes stormy spring days!

Tips or visiting Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival with your dog:

• Dogs should remain on leash while at the farm. Bring something comfortable to hold, easy to wash (BioThane is a fav!) and no longer than 6′.
• Check your poop bag roll, still got plenty to go? There’s lots to sniff at the festival and we can’t be leaving any mess behind!
• Bring a couple old towels for the car, or some pet wet-wipes to help with any mess. Spring in Oregon is admittedly unpredictable; the only thing guaranteed is a little bit of mud! Boots are another good option if you’ve got them.
• There’s food carts on site at the festival for humans, so make sure you bring a little snack bag for your pup too. Lest, they guilt you into sharing some of your fresh sugared donut.
• Wooden Shoe is very dog friendly, which means you will certainly encounter plenty of other pets while you’re there! If your dog is reactive, I recommend mornings and weekdays to limit to crowds you’ll be working around.
• Make sure you’ve got a good charge on your phone, you’ll be taking about a million photos! Better yet, join us for one of our Pet Portrait Session Events and we’ll take care of that part for you!

But, what about the adventure cat in your life?

Cats are welcome too! Now, I might not recommend this for a first-timer, but if you’ve got a well established adventure cat who is comfortable on a leash and in a new environment, this is a super fun and photogenic outing! I have taken my cat to the tulips a few times- we do mornings, again, to avoid the larger crowds and overly rambunctious dogs.

• Make sure your cat is *already* comfortable on a harness and leash. This takes time!
• Pack your cat’s favorite snacks, Churus or dried minnows are usually high enough value for out and about!
• If you have a cat backpack or stroller, this makes transport from the car to the fields much easier.

An important note!

Now for the safety notes- because tulips are from the lily family and contain glycosides along with Tuliposide A and Tulipalin A, they are toxic to dogs, cats, and even horses when consumed. These are the same compounds that cause itching or sneezing in some people. In most cases, pets are only accidentally consuming small amounts, which can cause symptoms such as vomiting, depression, excessive drooling, and diarrhea. Consuming larger quantities or the bulbs of a tulip is more dangerous (and less likely).

That being said, it’s important that you’re monitoring your pet closely while at the festival; do not allow them to ingest the flowers. While most pets don’t attempt more than a sniff, sometimes a dog is intrigued and wants to give a little munch. And if your cat has a habit of sampling plants, this may not be the best gig for them.

Want to make the most of your day at the tulips?

If you really want to make the most of your time at the tulips, visit us at www.ellachedester.com/tulip-festival to learn more about our pet portrait sessions. We specialize in photography of dogs, cats, and horses. Plus, with nearly 100 visits to the tulip festival under our belt, we’ve got all the tricks up our sleeves to make this the visit day ever!

To learn more about bringing horses to the tulip festival, check out our other post here: