Dog-Friendly Tulip Festival Near NYC: Info & Tips

SIBE LIFE | Elaine and Gatsby at a tulip festival in Waterdrinker Farm Long Island NY.

Spring is almost in the air! With flowers and trees blooming, I bet you and your pup are ready to leave the cold winter months behind. While Gatsby and I love the winter, I’m excited to take him to festivals and events in the coming warmer months. Every start of spring, I’ll take Gatsby to a tulip festival so that I can get some gorgeous photos of him. If you live in NYC and want to take your pup to a tulip field, Waterdrinker Farm is the only dog-friendly tulip festival near NYC.

Info and tips

Waterdrinker Family Farm is about a 1.5-hour drive from NYC. The tulip festival usually starts in mid-April and lasts through mid-May, and for $15 per person (tickets are purchased at the gates only), you’ll get to enjoy over 750,000 tulips and other spring bulbs in the fields. Your pup must be leashed at all times. Make sure to bring a pair of rain boots and a towel for your dog just in case it’s muddy!

Other things to do at the dog-friendly tulip festival

  • Play some mini-golf
  • Let your dog visit the barnyard animals
  • Enjoy live music and the food trucks (on weekends only)
  • Buy some baked goods and other homemade yummy snacks at the farm’s market 

Tips for taking photos of your pup at the tulip festival

  • Bring lots of high-value treats! You’re going to need it to make your dog sit and stay.
  • Since you’re going to an open field with no shade, it will be blinding on a sunny day. If it’s very bright, try to keep the sun behind you while you snap a photo of your pup. Keep your pup’s face out of the shadows. 
  • Take the photos from several different perspectives. For example, you can have your dog stay while you move around to get different angles. Put your dog in various spots around the tulips.
  • If you’re using your phone to take photos of your pup, stay close and don’t zoom in because it will lower the quality of the photo.
Siberian Husky stands on a wagon at a tulip field

Enjoy a seafood meal after the festival.

Right after our photo session at the tulip festival, we always stop by Bouy One for some seafood. This seafood restaurant is located just 18 minutes away from the farm in Riverhead, NY. It has an outdoor patio in the back where you and your pup can enjoy a meal together. We always get the lobster dinner, while Gatsby gets a plate of some steamed salmon all for himself!

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About Elaine

Hi! I'm a lifestyle and travel blogger/content creator based in NYC, focused on luxury dog-friendly travel. Aside from sharing the best dog-friendly places to visit, I also share helpful fashion tips and wellness hacks, so you can look and feel your best while traveling with your pup.

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