Nothing says spring more than a sea of colourful tulips. So this year, instead of picking just one to go to, you can take the newly minted Abbotsford Tulip Trail and visit all three stops in a day like we did.
The city of Abbotsford has three farms that have created storytelling tulip moments. This is in the order that we visited them, and what sets each apart.
Our first stop is Lakeland Flowers, they have the largest fields of the three that span the furthest. This is the most impressive for sheer volume and length of the fields. The property is large enough that it doesn’t feel like there are a lot of people with you. And as a result, you can get some pretty decent solo shots, without people in your backdrop.
Alongside tulips, Lakeland also has wildflowers woven in between their fields. The rows are roped off in order to protect the tulips, as they are a functioning farm and do sell their blooms as well. Some of which you can purchase in their gift shop on your way out. Of which includes living bouquets, potted plants, and dried flowers. This is the only property of the three where you can purchase flowers to take home.
For the most expressive photos you can take advantage of their staged props like canoes and paddles for a literal sea of flowers. There are platforms for a heightened view, and swings for a more playful photo shoot.
If you are looking to make a day of it they also have food trucks parked on location and an outdoor picnic space with covered seats and beach chairs for lounging in. During our visit there were 8 different trucks, each with their own cuisine types to choose from. We had a couple of Donairs and seasoned corn on the cob as a snack.
This is also the only property with porto-potties. However they have so many and in two different areas that there is minimal wait and they do remain cleaner than expected.
As a whole Lakeland Farms feels more adult and couples centred, and most photographically driven.
Our next stop was Maan Farms. Their theme is “Storybook” with large scale displays that include tulips. Like a giant tea pot with tulips in the cup and a watering can pouring out tulips.
They are home to Canada’s first tulip forest experience, having converted their seasonal space from pumpkins in fall to tulips for spring. There are plenty of photo ops from giant trees to fairytale houses, whimsical signs and a tree hung swing. However all this is more about the backdrop than it is the tulips, with only scattered patches adding pops of colours in the background.
Maan’s Farm as a whole is definitely more family driven, with plenty for everyone of all ages to enjoy. Starting with their market place that sells seasonally driven goods and gifts. They also make their own fruit wines so you can have a tasting. This season their newest edition is a tulip wine, which I thought was original.
To make this a full day with meals, look to their South Asian cafeteria with menu items like butter chicken and samosas for something savoury and filling.
For this season’s sweet treats, look to their bard yard concession. There, you can get lemon flavoured mini donuts for a zesty fresh snack. The mini eggs cheesecake samosa was a creative take. Folding cheesecake into their samosa wrappers, then deep frying it for a melty centre and crispy shell. Topped with sweet frosting and crunchy chocolate egg bits. This was little on the sweet side, so I found it best to share. However, if you can only pick one of their spring desserts, let it be their magical tree sundae. This is soft serve apple flavoured ice cream with and a trunk of solid chocolate planted into. This is topped with a large tuft of sour apple flavoured cotton candy, making it as fun to look at as it is to eat.
And after all this sugar intake, there is plenty of activities to help kids burn off some energy. Jumping pillows, a bubble blowing hut, paintball, a climbing fort, zip line; and petting farm with donkeys, mini horses, and highland cows.
Maan Farms is definitely geared more towards activities for the kids and as a spot for all day play.
If looking for the best Tulip photos, (in my opinion), head to Taves Farms’ Magic of Spring and their new Magical Tulip Garden.
They have the most condensed patches of tulips. And with buzzing bees and fluttering butterflies, this garden feels the most organic and natural in its sectioned off private space. It also felt the least engineered, where the tulips were scattered like wildflowers and were all growing healthy and lush. Plus being planted on a slope meant you get the most depth in your tulip photos. All this touches felt well orchestrated and meaningful.
When I visited it was towards the end of the season, so not all their attractions were open like the extended play area, market place, and farm concession. But I still got to pet and feed the goats from within their cidery.
Taves makes their own cider from the fruits they grow on the farm. The selection includes variations on the classic apple as well gooseberry and black currant, to name a few. Here you can purchase a case to take home or enjoy a pint in their backyard patio. They also have flights available, should you want to try more than one flavour, and you can even get their cider in cocktails.
In the spirit of the season we tried their Magic of Spring Cocktail Flight. Like their cider tasters, this gave you four 2oz tries before you commit to a full glass. This collection included The Blissful Blossom that was gin based with guava, soft cider, and Nanny’s Nicest. The Twilight Tranquility is a Mia Amata, dark rum, grape juice, Demerara Syrup, and their Ram’s Black Currant. Mystical Morning was St. Germain, vodka, apple cider, elderflower syrup, and Gander Gooseberry cider. And Golden Glade was vodka based with mango juice, lime, triple see, and Billy’s Best Apple Cider.
We took our time sipping and enjoying this in one of their cabanas alongside light snacks, also from their spring menu. Tortilla Chips and Trio Dip was a colourful collection of red, green, and yellow tortilla chips served with guacamole, red salsa, and sour cream for dipping into. I liked the Pretzel Bites and Chipotle cheese dip with air fried crispy rounds of dough to dip in zesty and melty cheese. We also got a side of spicy red jelly to balance and inject some sweetness into the pretzel cheese bites.
Not necessarily spring-like, but a fun one to get because they have outdoor charcoal heating wok with an open flame, is their s’more. The set up is perfect for roasting marshmallows over and then making sandwiches out of them with chocolate and graham cracker.
And best of all, you can linger and enjoy the space with table games and access to the adjacent baby goats and llamas pens.
Taves is ideal for the fullest tulip photos and a quieter space to enjoy time in the county within. Not to mention, they are the only one with alcoholic beverages.
Aside the above three spots, the Abbotsford’s Tulip Trail also includes a curated list of tulip experiences. This includes nearby places to visit, eat, drink, and stay at; so you can make this your spring getaway, like we did. The guide gave us directions to can’t-miss blooms, handy links to local eateries and craft beverages, family-friendly attractions, and special hotel offers to extend our stay.
We stayed at the Clarion Hotel, central to Abbotsford and notably next to Castle Fun Park. Our suite didn’t have much of a view, but came with enjoyable amenities to make our one night stay most comfortable and carefree.
Each person got their own bed between a king and a pull out couch queen. There was a work desk and fireplace for function. A mini fridge for my leftovers, a microwave to heat them up in the next day, and a coffee pod machine for a morning beverage. However, for the latter, it was easier to walk downstairs and grab a coffee or tea from the self serve bar located in the hotel’s lobby.
As for the washroom, it was pretty standard with bolted on to the wall toiletries, a travel hair dryer, and a good amount of wall pressure for the shower.
Best of all, the hotel was within walking distance to a neighbouring outdoor shopping plaza. Its tenants included a grocery store, gym, cafe, and a selection of restaurants to choose from.
We would have dinner at Ministere of Seafood, a French and Italian restaurant and the only spot for seafood this fresh in the area. We enjoyed everything and found the restaurant overall a nice addition to the area. Full review of our visit and what we had in a separate post to come.
For breakfast the next day we went back to the plaza to Hugs in a Mug. The cafe serves as a great local hub for caffeinated beverages like matcha lattes, served cozy in one of their branded mugs. Fresh baked pastries and desserts like the double chocolatey brownie we snacked on. Plus breakfast sandwiches like the The Pablo Sandwich we ate hungrily. This was prepared with their own house made sourdough sandwiching 2 fluffy eggs, savoury ham, melted cheddar cheese, juicy tomato, creamy mayo, and a hint of salt and pepper. This was tasty and easy to eat in 4-5 bites.
In short, this is how we maximized our visit to Abbotsford, following their new Tulip Trail, and you can too. You have at least one weekend to capture the sun and colours of Abbotsford brightest season.
