HOLLAND, MI -- Although famous for its springtime tulips, Holland’s de Zwaan windmill is becoming a four-season destination.
The historic windmill nearly broke another visitor record this season as it “welkomed” more than 130,000 guests since April.
Its the fourth time in the windmill’s 60-year tenure that visitor traffic has been so high. To meet demand, the park will remain open on weekends into mid-October and bring back special events this fall and winter.
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The Windmill Island Gardens are an iconic stop in Holland and the de Zwaan windmill is the centerpiece.
The 36-acre park is filled with 152,000 tulips in the spring. In the fall, the park is blooming with annuals and perennials.
The fall also offers more space to roam as the crowds are significantly less than the nearly 75,000 visitors that come during the Tulip Time Festival.
But the secret is out, General Manager Matt Helmus said. Each month this year, with the exception of May, the island has been busier than last year.
To keep the momentum building, the park will re-open for weekends through Oct. 20 at a reduced admission of $5.
Guests may catch sight of the park’s staff planting over 168,000 tulip bulbs for next spring’s festival.
Holland’s Tulip Time Festival typically brings in half a million visitors and generates $48 million in economic impact in the small town.
This year, Tulip Time crowds wilted a bit early due to whiplash weather disturbing the bloom of nearly six million tulips throughout Holland.
For that reason, the 2024 season will be just shy of breaking the all-time record from last year of 150,000 visitors, Helmus said.
The uptick in visitors in the fall is boosting Holland’s four-season plan, as the Lake Michigan beach town continues to brand itself as a year-round destination.
The popular Magic at the Mill will return this December after 10,000 guests sold out the experience last year. Expect 1,000 LED tulips and Dutch traditions, like Sinterklaas, to return for the holiday event this year.
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Seeing a snapshot of an authentic Netherlands experience has drawn visitors from around the globe, said David Blauw, a greeter at Windmill Island Gardens.
Blauw told the West Michigan Tourist Association he makes a practice of noting the countries of the park’s international guests.
Since April, his list includes visitors from 95 nations. Some highlights include Luxembourg, Yemen, Guinea-Bissau and Czech Republic.
“We are blown away by the amount of people choosing Holland as a vacation destination, many of whom make the trek to visit us,” Helmus said in a statement.
The De Zwaan windmill came to Holland by way of Vinkel, Netherlands in 1964. It was the last windmill to leave the Netherlands before the country implemented the Heritage Act to keep historical, cultural pieces on its homeland.
Visitors can climb the stairs to the windmill’s observation deck to see out over the island or kayak down the Macatawa River for a waterfront vantage point.
Plan your visit at holland.org.
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