We visited here on Wednesday May 08 during Holland's 2024 Tulip Time Festival Week, May 04 through May 12 this year.  This year, due to warm weather, the tulips bloomed a bit early so we missed the most colorful period.  It was still a delightful day trip for us on a delightful weather day.  For a modest $12 adult admission, you could enjoy a pleasant walk around the grounds, climb through the 3 story authentic Dutch windmill which was relocated from the Netherlands, mill about the shops, enjoy a Dutch street organ demonstration, watch a short video about the gardens and the windmill, and enjoy what tulip colors still remained.

At mid-day, their parking lot was filled, and traffic was diverted towards downtown Holland.  You could either park and walk about a mile across the causeway to the island, or just kill some time and wait for the lot to re-open once enough cars have left.  We waited just 15 minutes and got in on a nice close parking spot.  We've never bothered over the years with visiting Holland to see the tulips, and stopping by here made for a nice day trip indeed.  We deliberately avoided Thursday and Saturday as those are the parade days, and the town and the various tulip venues get very over-crowded apparently on parade days and the weekends.  So the pro-tip is to make the trip during a weekday if at all possible, set the bar right for your expectations, and if the weather is beautiful, expect an appropriately bigger crowd.  You can have a 5 star experience here or a 1 star experience (as many reviewers have), so pick the timing of your visit carefully!

This McDonald's is modern and clean. Being at a natural stopping point on a drive out of Chicagoland, I'm sure I've stopped here in years past. I honestly don't remember this particular store which has been remodeled but I do remember the Bridgman exit off of I-94. The best aspect, besides being clean, is that it's located right at the exit and entrance ramps and there's no extra driving and searching around for it.

Kate S - the coffee is fine as usual here. I like their hazelnut. You just happened to pick a bad day, and too bad.

I attended my high school's 50th reunion at this venue (it was for Mendel Catholic High School's class of 1973 but this alumni association currently does class reunions only every 2 years). Gaelic Park turned out to be a solid venue for a family style dinner for some 270 folks. Our event was held in their Emerald Room but the site also houses a standalone restaurant called The Carraig Pub. The beef, chicken, and pasta dinner was quite decent and the open bar manned by 3 bar tenders handled the crowd pretty efficiently. Parking was convenient and plentiful. Overall, I can see why this is a popular south suburban venue for the alumni association. After 50 years (actually 51), I'm glad name tags and photos were provided, as I would have only recognized a couple of my former classmates, myself included, lol! Go Monarchs, you Men of Mendel!