Nothing says spring quite like Dallas Blooms at my beloved Dallas Arboretum and this is extra special because its the forty year anniversary of Dallas Blooms, the largest floral festival in the south!

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The Arboretum is a sea of color in the springtime with half a million tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, and pansies as well as azaleas, roses, and cherry blossoms. My friend Sofia and I had the loveliest afternoon strolling through the garden, even with only 20% of the tulips blooming!

Tulips are already blooming as of opening day and the garden will only get more spectacular as spring approaches and everything starts to bloom. There’s even a handy bloom tracker on the website so you know what to expect!

Outside the Ordinary

This year’s theme is Outside the Ordinary and features charming, exceptionally life-like bronze sculptures throughout the garden by artist Seward Johnson including one enormous 20-foot tall sculpture called Crossing Paths. If you love art and flowers, you’ll love this year’s whimsical exhibit!

Lunch at Restaurant DeGolyer

After working up an appetite strolling the garden, we headed to Restaurant DeGolyer for lunch. If you aren’t enjoying lunch or tea at Restaurant DeGolyer during your trip to the Arboretum, you’re missing out! The restaurant is in the middle of the Arboretum (with patio seating if you’re so inclined) and it’s utterly delightful.

We opted for lunch al fresco, savoring peekaboo lake views, rosé, sunshine, and 65 degree temperatures. Sofia got one of my favorite dishes, the seafood stuffed avocados, and I got the salmon niçoise salad. We also split the lemon shortcake for dessert, which was extremely moist and bursting with happy citrus flavor.

Dallas Blooms includes not only a wonderful array of blooms but also the annual spring concert series, the Food and Wine Festival (one of my favorite events of the year!), cooking classes, and more. The garden truly looks different every week thanks to staggered blooming times so it’s worth it to go several times throughout the spring.

Dallas Blooms is presented by Amegy Bank and runs through April 13. Admission ranges from $10-$22. Learn more information about Dallas Blooms here. I hope to see you all at the Food and Wine Festival next month!