The Tulips at Hubert Family Farms: 5 Tips to Enhance Your Visit

Explore, Family, Fun, Resources

March 20, 2021

Welcome to the “Away From Here” series, where All Things Madison ventures outside of Madison to explore what other communities – both near and far – have to offer. While we believe that supporting your local community is important, we also believe that getting outside of your normal commute and seeing the world around you is an enriching experience. Join us most weekends as we ‘venture out’ and tell you about somewhere outside of Madison. Come along!

Yesterday we had the awesome privilege of taking a ride out to New Market, Alabama (30-40 minutes from Madison) to get a sneak peek at the Hubert Family Farms tulip fields. My daughters and I squealed with delight when the rows and rows (and rows!) of brightly-colored tulips came into view, and the next hour was a blur as we walked the fields picking flowers and checking out the beautiful views at every turn.

The weather this month has presented some challenges to owners Seth and Kaylee Hubert, who originally intended to open the display to the public two weeks ago. After patiently waiting and letting the tulips do their thing, today is finally the day that the Huberts will open their fields to the public.

Edit for 2022: Opening day is Saturday, March 19th!

To say that they are ecstatic to finally show off their hard work and see visitors enjoy their property and flowers as much as they do is an understatement.

The farm has been in the Hubert family for more than a century, though this is the first year that they’ve taken on planting tulip bulbs. When asked “Why tulips?” to farmer Seth Hubert, he laughed and shared that he knew he wanted to plant something unique.

“Outside-of-the-box thinking had to be a part of it,” he shared. “Necessity breeds ingenuity, and farming has become a little tougher in this area as the city grows.”

When considering what crop he wanted to grow, he says that it had to be unique and that he was willing to invest in something that would possibly be a little more expensive or risky than some other crops.

After significant research, a cross-country visit to an Oregon tulip farm, and finally a substantial purchase from The Netherlands, 212,288 tulip bulbs went into the ground on November 28th, 2020.

All winter long, they’ve waited with expectancy for March, and they’re now thrilled to see their beautiful fields.

“This is something we plan to invest in for the long haul,” shared Seth. “We want to have twice as many fields next year, including a field dedicated just for photography.”

Kaylee and Seth are proud parents to two toddlers and are excited about having their children grow up right along with this new aspect of their business.

Hubert Family Farms | Tulips in North Alabama

The tulip fields at the Hubert Family Farms will be open from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 12 – 5 p.m. on Sundays from now until roughly April 11th. Entrance fees apply plus the purchase of each stem ($2.50).

Here are five tips to consider that will enhance your visit to see the tulips at Hubert Family Farms.

Purchase your tickets online ahead of time.

Though tickets are available for purchase on-site, purchasing them ahead of time will save a ton of time once you arrive. I promise that once you see those tulips, you’ll be ready to hop out of the car and get right over to them.

2. Consider a season pass.

“This isn’t a sales pitch,” joked Seth. “We really do suggest the season pass because each row will bloom on different days. If you come back in a few days or next week, you’ll see so many new rows and colors of tulips.”

For this reason, the Huberts suggest the season pass so that families can come back as often as they’d like to see new blooms and pick different-colored flowers to enjoy in their homes or gift to family and friends.

All Things Madison | The Tulips at Hubert Family Farms: 5 Tips to Enhance Your Visit — Pictured are the different levels of blooming going on, with some that are in full bloom while others will show off in a few days.

3. Wear appropriate shoes.

Seth and Kaylee know that this is a great photo opportunity, but they are upfront that many areas could be muddy.

“We encourage guests to dress up for their photos if they’d like, but please be aware that these are fields and to wear appropriate shoes that you can wash,” shared Kaylee.

(They’re not joking about this. We visited two days after it rained, and our shoes were a bit muddy.)

4. Plan to stay for a while.

Seth and Kaylee have done an incredible job of making a visit to their farm so much more than walking the tulip fields. Guests will find photo ops, a dozen picnic tables, food trucks on the weekend, and occasional visitors such as Anna and Elsa! As aforementioned, the grounds are beautiful, so the Huberts encourage visitors to stay awhile and enjoy their property.

5. Bring a small bucket of water.

After you pull up your tulips, the Hubert family will have them wrapped for you for an easy way to take them home. They suggest bringing a small bucket of water with you (please leave it in your car) to put the stems right into until you get home to keep the flowers healthy and beautiful as long as possible.

Author note: We brought home 19 stems, which filled up four vases! We now have them all over our home and are enjoying them so much. They opened up more fully within just a few hours and definitely add some “happy” to each room that we put them in.