Springtime Flower Festivals and Botanically Inspired Road Trips

Springtime is all about the flowers, and they are popping all over the country! It’s the perfect time to hit the road for a flower-inspired RV road trip. There are a host of beautiful destinations and fun activities to plan your trip around with flowers blooming from coast to coast.

Whether you want to wander a field of blooms independently (maybe putting those photography skills to work with abundant pic opportunities) or want to participate in a fun festival atmosphere, we’ve got a bunch of suggestions for you. Read on to see what strikes your fancy. (Check event websites for the most up-to-date information and any day-of updates)

• Did you know you’ll find a sea of 100,000 tulips just a few hours outside of New York City? Every year, Albany hosts the Tulip Festival on Mother’s Day weekend, where you’ll find more than 150 varieties of tulips. If you attend the free event in May, you can check out fun events like the Royal Tulip Ball and the coronation of the Tulip Queen. New York’s Dutch heritage plays a big role in this festival that everyone in the family will enjoy.
  
  
• Head to North Carolina and you’ll encounter a host of beautiful spring blossoms. The Southern Appalachian Mountains are home to japonicas, lady slippers, mountain laurels, primroses and dozens of other native species. Within the city of Asheville, visit the Biltmore mansion, where the Biltmore Blooms runs during the springtime. Almost three miles of grounds feature nearly 100,000 tulips, plus azaleas, dogwoods and redbuds.
  
  
• If it’s roses you love, then head for Portland, Oregon, one of the most beautiful springtime destinations in the country. The Portland Rose Festival events kick off in May and are scattered throughout the month of June, so there’s plenty of time to plan your trip. There are more than 400 varieties of flowers here, including thousands of roses to view in a variety of colors.
  
  
• California loves to celebrate its state flower, the poppy, and visitors can enjoy beautiful spreads of them anytime in spring. If you’re looking for festivities, plan for the California Poppy Festival in the early spring. Located north of Los Angeles in Lancaster, you’ll find the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve that boasts eight miles of vivid blooms. Depending on the rain season, blooms can peak as early as March or as late as May, but experts suggest you head to the park in the early morning hours to watch the poppies slowly bloom in the early morning sunlight.
  
  
• For something a little later on the calendar, head to the western slope of Colorado and catch the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival. The small town of Crested Butte is a popular skiing and snowboarding destination, but it’s also home to beautiful wildflower displays. Alpine wildflowers next to breathtaking mountain views make for one-of-a-kind photo ops and hiking opportunities. The Wildflower Festival features more than 200 workshops in wildflower expertise, from painting to pollination, culinary arts to hiking.
  
  

Springtime Allergens

 

Perhaps the only drawback to the splendor of springtime flowers is for those who suffer from seasonal or flower specific allergies. For them, the spring can be rife with allergy-attack inducing beauty. When readying your RV for a road trip in the springtime make sure to change all filters, especially any in your ventilation or HVAC systems, to make your home on wheels as clean and allergy-friendly as possible.

 

Merv6 Replacement Air Filters from Coleman-Mach have an advanced woven material that is better at filtering out pollen, pet dander, and mold spores than traditional air filters. Merv6 Filters are part of the Coleman-Mach Climate Control Accessory line that also includes the iWave-M Ionic Air Purifier. This add-on upgrade fits into existing Coleman-Mach AC units and uses innovative particle ionization to break down pathogens, allergens and unwanted particles for cleaner air inside your RV.

 

Another key to keeping air inside RV interiors fresh and the atmosphere comfortable is good ventilation. The Maxxfan Deluxe is ideal for spring travel because it’s the only fan on the market with a built in rain-shield, so you can use the system no matter what the volatile seasonal weather brings – rain or shine!

 

No matter your part of the country, or the part you want to visit, you’re sure to find somewhere beautiful blossoming this spring.