After weeks of rainstorms, San Francisco is finally showing signs of spring, with early blooms popping up throughout the city. Luckily, San Francisco has many beautiful gardens open to the public, and some are starting to come to life with thousands of flowers. Tucked away in the western edge of Golden Gate is the Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden, easily found by the massive, authentic windmill.
Every year, the garden is planted with thousands of tulip bulbs (sometimes even 10,000), typically gifted from the Dutch Flower Bulb Association. The colorful tulips fill the garden, reaching their peak in March. The garden itself is notable for the historic Windmill, which was commissioned in 1902 to pump water to irrigate the park. The historic windmill soon fell into disrepair until it was restored in 1981. Since then, the two windmills remain an iconic part of the park, and the Northern windmill is a fitting addition to the tulip garden.
The garden was named after Queen Wilhelmina, who was the Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until 1948. The tulip garden was designed in 1962 and named after the queen who passed away that same year. Tulips are an iconic part of Dutch culture, making it fitting that San Francisco’s tulip garden is named after the late queen.
Now is the perfect time to visit the garden, as the thousands of tulips will be at their peak in March. The garden is located at the North West corner of the park, and is just a short walk from Ocean Beach. You can also take a stroll on the new waterfront park, Sunset Dunes, to enjoy the beach views. If you want to plant some tulips of your own, check out Flower Bulb Day, which features 80,000 free tulips in Union Square.
