Due to the warm weather coming a bit early this year, the tulip bulbs shot up early, and now there are thousands of beautiful tulips in bloom in Albany's Washington Park.Though they're a bit early for the Tulip Fest, they are every bit as magnificent. My husband and I took our 2-year-old daughter to see them over the weekend, and she was so excited. She caught glimpse of them as we approached and then took off, eager to see the vibrant blossoms and stick her nose into each one.
It seems my family wasn't the only one with the idea to see the tulips this weekend, though. The park was buzzing with families and groups of friends out enjoying the tulips. Almost every group had one thing in common -- a camera in hand!
There is no question the tulips make beautiful photo backdrops! Actually, a couple years ago, I snapped a few engagement photos for my brother and his wife (see one of them below), and the tulips made such lovely shots.
But perhaps the biggest question on everyone's mind is... will there still be tulips around for the annual Tulip Festival in three weeks?
And the answer is... hopefully! The City of Albany plans ahead each year to ensure there are tulips blooming for weeks at a time. What they couldn't have planned for, however, was such an early burst of warm weather to put the tulips so far ahead of schedule this year!
Regardless of the early blooms, I have a hunch there will still be many tulips hanging around for Tulip Fest this year. The peak viewing, however, is right now.
If you're looking to get the best photos and take in the most impressive blooms all at once, I would advise going this week. If you're looking to have a good time, enjoy a day of free concerts and activities with your family... aaannd see some pretty flowers at the same time, I'd say you'll be fine waiting for Tulip Fest.
So onto the photos.... As mentioned earlier, this was one of the engagement photos I took for my brother and his wife among the Washington Park tulips back in 2010.
The rest of the photos below are from this past weekend. You can see how they have truly reached peak already.
Regardless of the early blooms, I have a hunch there will still be many tulips hanging around for Tulip Fest this year. The peak viewing, however, is right now.
If you're looking to get the best photos and take in the most impressive blooms all at once, I would advise going this week. If you're looking to have a good time, enjoy a day of free concerts and activities with your family... aaannd see some pretty flowers at the same time, I'd say you'll be fine waiting for Tulip Fest.
So onto the photos.... As mentioned earlier, this was one of the engagement photos I took for my brother and his wife among the Washington Park tulips back in 2010.
The rest of the photos below are from this past weekend. You can see how they have truly reached peak already.
The 2012 Albany Tulip Festival is May 12 - 13 at Washington Park in Albany.
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