West Michigan Weekend Part IV: De Klomp Factory & Veldheer Tulip Gardens

Holland continued! Part four of the West Michigan saga brings us to the De Klomp Wooden Shoe Factory and Veldheer Tulip Gardens. This mesh of Dutch culture is on my list of Holland travel-musts, especially during tulip season (**note: these photos were taken at the end of May, when the spring flowers were in bloom). If you want to see how modern wooden shoes are made, spend time admiring some of Michigan’s beautiful agriculture, or just pick up some fun souvenirs, this is a great place to visit.

The man who demonstrated shoe-making for us that day was quite a character–he liked joking around, but it was easy to see he enjoyed his handiwork. We got caught up in a conversation that could’ve lasted longer, but were told the Veldheer farm was about to close . . . so we hurried outside to see the tulips.

We hung out on the tulip farm for about an hour, relaxing in the shade and watching buffalo roam (for real!). I had no idea that so many varieties of tulips existed. So many colors, shapes . . . truth be told, I wouldn’t have even guessed that everything I saw that day was a tulip, just because several looked like daffodils, lilies, etc. Regardless, the fields were beautiful and helped make up for the fact that the De Klomp gift store was closed by the time we left the gardens. Ah, well–c’est la vie. I’ll remember to show up a little earlier next time around.