Forget traveling to the Netherlands. I saw millions of colorful tulips without having to leave the US.

Although I was given permission to take this picture by a field manager, please be mindful of signs throughout the tulip fields that advise visitors where they can and cannot take photos.

Bernadette Rankin

• I've always dreamed of traveling to the Netherlands to visit the famous tulip festival.
• Instead, I visited Mount Vernon, Washington, during the height of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.
• I loved being able to see millions of colorful tulips without having to travel abroad.