Reviews of Windmill Island Gardens (Tourist Attraction)

Solomon Smith

Well manicured grounds, with a lovely walking path around the perimeter. More flower varieties than I knew existed! This is not somewhere to go with a specific goal in mind. Come, relax, and take in the beauty. I'd knock off a star for personal taste, but that's unfairly subjective in my eyes. If you enjoy contemplative time in the park, you'll enjoy this place.

Zachary Frieben

This place is very cool! I came here on Sunday during the Tulip Festival. The island is beautiful, but hands down my favorite moment was the tour inside the windmill. Apparently, it's the only real windmill in America, which is really cool! Also, the detail that's put into a windmill is amazing. Just learning the history of the windmill made the drive and entry fee worth it.

Helenore Kelenore

The most relaxing, quant, place to visit. Worth visiting just to enjoy all the flowers, trees and grass. Take the windmill tour- there is a fee. You get to climb up inside of it.

Anita D

Very beautiful property! Not many people here today. Gift shops have nice goodies. De Zwaan windmill tour is good! Very informative. Beautiful flowers & Friesian horses. It's a very small Park and does not take long to get in and out.

Gary Giacomelli

Lovely gardens. Has an actual, authentic, working Dutch windmill. Tour guide was just terrific and we learned a lot.

Ginger Lanam

Loved it, nice little hidden gem. Would love to come back during tulip season.

Judith Dolanski

Great gardens. Informative ladies talk about the windmill, organ, and old carousel. Nice little shops with Dutch items.

Callie Vaden

Had a great midday visit while on vacation. The tour of the windmill was great. Gift shop was neat. Very pretty landscape.

Santosh Shankergowda

We were for the tulip time. The windmill island park was good. You can see various types of tulips and the windmill itself is magnificent. However if you are going there only for tulip you have to keep your expectations low. There were not many tulips like we expected but still a worth while visit

Judy Little

I'll start by saying we went too late to see the tulips. We wanted to see it for the history anyway. It was enjoyable. A nice little walk with an authentic street organ that plays every half hour, several little buildings to explore, a drawbridge, canal, and the only working Dutch windmill in the us. The history is nice and the hosts are dressed in authentic wear right down to their wooden shoes. We learned some things. It was a nice way to spend a relaxing 1 to 2 hours. It would be better during tulip season.

geet palkhiwala

Amazing place during Tulip festival. You will enjoy the Tulips and the nice little Village. Their gift shop has lot to offer.

Julie Jensen

Beautiful place. Wasn't open yet, but brought back warm childhood memories. Can't wait to go back when the tulips bloom and the place is alight with sounds, good smells, and vibrant colors. Such a lovely place!

Henry Nymann

A delightful place to spend some time. To tour a functioning windmill brought over from Holland is quite remarkable and the beautiful gardens are icing on the cake.

brian salyer

Nice place to walk and relax. Loved the history and tour of the working windmill.

Andrew Smail

Cool area and interesting place to visit. Dog friendly which was a good thing. Would have been nice to go there when the crowds are not there as we weren't able to get into the wind mill. I thought there would have been a giant field of tulips there but unfortunately there were just two small plots.

Mikey Maluchy

I cant justify $10 per person to see a windmill, and gardens that are equally matched by other nearby parks. We spent 30 minutes there to walk the grounds. Save the money and have a nice breakfast.

Maria Elena Cavazos

Windmill Island Gardens. Are sooo beautiful!!! They have a lot of different flowers. And a lady told us, that April and May are the months, where you can see the Tulips. And. I think in the month of may, is when they have the Tulips Parade!!! Really is a beautiful and wonderful place to visit. And to be in contact with Mother nature!!! I highly recommend this place!!!❤❤❤

Franny

The place is nice, I just wouldn't recommend touching it with a ten foot pole during festival season. There was definitely parking available, but it was crazy crowded. Any other non extremely busy times would make it really lovely.

Beau Fleurs

Great stop on our trip to see the nation's oldest and only functioning windmill. However, as we explored the grounds, I was struck by the day that they were not offering as authentic of a Dutch tulip garden experience as I would have thought. The gift shop and grounds seemed to have reduced Dutch tourism and culture to simply tulips, wooden shoes, and windmills, when there is so much more! If you would like to see the windmill, head here, but if you would like a better cultural experience, head over to the Dutch Village... Overall a good stop, just not quite up to expectations.

G T

Very nice. Not quite my thing, but my wife and daughters seemed to enjoy it.

Sam R

Fun place to stop. Not a whole lot to do, but what they had was pretty and interesting. The tour about the windmill was very educational and fun.

Alisa Green

We love it. It was a great history lesson for our kids about holland and ww2 also have a new appreciation about how easy it is to buy flower now after watching the windmill in motion. Our favorite part was the history of the windmill and seeing actual bullet holes from the war.

Akash Kumar

Nice place to spend few hours. It's has variety of tulip plantation, a windmill tour, event areas and rides for kids. They also set a small market to buy wooden stuffs and toys. The garden is comparitevly small given the footfall of people and I expected denser tulip plantation. There would be too many people and you have to work hard to get clear pictures. Overall it's a nice place to spend few hours.

Александра Калиниченко

Super nice place for walking around, going to a guided tour via windmill. Good and hospitality staff there that will tell intro about highlight of the day. It's worth to see. Entrance is only 10 dollars.

Laura Popielski

Very interesting to learn about the windmill and to see it inside. Plus the gardens are beautiful!!

Christopher Hessler

Gonna be really fair. Its a cute park but for the admission price there isn't a lot going on. Realistically- get a picture of the windmill from the road or wait for the kids to go on a school trip there. Its just a good sized chunk of change to get up close and personal with something that mills grain then go buy a pair of wooden shoes.

Anil Punnam

Good place to visit. They did not have too many tulips this time but have enough for us to enjoy. It's good to go there in the morning time so that we will get parking closer to garden. We missed dutch enactment this time but it was good last time. Windmill inside gardens can show us the technology was so eco friendly in those days ....

Nicholas Petouhoff

I have been to Holland many times for business. I had assumed that Windmill Island would be a tourist trap. On this trip, we came to the island for a reception of the Hope College parents council. My wife and I walked the grounds and am so glad we finally visited the gardens. It is a very quaint setting. The grounds are picturesque and the flowers both bountiful and beautiful.

Tom Martin

Don't miss it! Beautiful gardens doesn't even begin to say how awesome they are! The windmill is amazing and the docents are totally in to the tours they give. We even got to meet the Miller! If you get there early on a good day you can also purchase some of the flour that's ground there! Lots of beautiful photo ops and even a playground for the kids. Great value for money and a relaxing spot to enjoy the day.

Francisco Montoya

Beautiful spot! We ended up taking our family photos here instead of our original place we had in mind. Even without the tulips they had so many other beautiful plants and flowers to see. The windmill is really cool to see and hear about its history. Definitely recommend this place of you enjoy beautiful scenery and plants/gardens.

Dai-Trang Thai

I took my out-of-town friends here because we were trying to knock out every tourist thing to do in west Michigan. I think it's $10 per person and you can probably get at least two hours of fun here. The windmill tour was informative and quick. The shop has lots of Dutch items (food, decor, souvenirs). If you love licorice, DEFINITELY come here - there are like 20 different types. The garden is very well manicured. I can see people holding events here because it's so pretty.

Matthew Larson

Was interesting seeing the windmill and gardens. Was super hot when we were there so couldn't spend much time to see it all and the tulips were out of season.

madarampalli Subramanyam

Very good place for all age groups. But for a particular period(during spring season)only. Liked collection of entry fee for munificent activity.

Sri surya shankar Neerukonda

A place where we can see variety of tulips, different colors along with a wind mill and music room. It is a very good place to take few wonderful pics. It’s a kind of tiresome walk around the tulips farms. But a love for nature and flowers will make us immersed in the profound and widespread tulips.

Janet Medina - Fenix

Best educational trip ever! I enjoyed every single minute I was at the Windmill Island Gardens. Awesome tulips! Wonderful place with wonderful people serving. All the best! ❤️❤️❤️

Denny Williams

Awesome! Loved the flowers and the windmill. It was also very educational. Highly recommended.

Matthew Drewes

It's a bit of a tourist trap, but overall I was entertained. Don't need to go back. I'd give it 4.5 stars, but I'm rounding up to 5 since that is not an option.

Jennifer Berks

The mill tour is very informative and the grounds are beautiful. My husband is from the Netherlands and was able to meet the miller and chat with her in Dutch, which he was so excited about. We had a lovely visit and would certainly return again if we're in the area!

Matt Schifeling

The windmill is cool, and so is the carousel and organ. They are all originally from the Netherlands and are well preserved. The admission price seems a bit high for the experience.

Rick L

Another good-weather place to visit. It was nicely landscaped and the Windmill tour was interesting. We bought some flour made from the Windmill and made some tasty waffles. Those that are in wheelchairs can go to the mill but if you are a slow climber (my mother) I don't recommend you do the tour as it covers multiple floors. Numerous flower arrangements will keep the photographer busy.

Remember Alamo

Interesting tour of a working windmill brought from Holland. We had a pleasant walk around the gardens and replicas of historic buildings. June 11 was too late to see tulips. There were some other flowers to enjoy. If you staying in the area visiting the windmill island is not a bad idea.

JODI W

This was a great place to visit. So interesting and pretty. Especially if you have Dutch heritage but lovely regardless. Very good volunteer guides.

Sue

Such a nice place to visit! And the $10 adult entrance fee was worth the experience. If we would have went a few weeks earlier, we would have gotten to see all the tulips in bloom, but the landscaping & the few plants that were in bloom still made it worthwhile

Becca Lynn

This was a gorgeous wedding venue, the event manager Kellie went above and beyond to help.

Susan Murphy

Good price for a park you can see in a few hours. The working windmill itself is unique in that it really is operational. The give a great, educational tour of it. The gardens are meticulously manicured, & many plants are labeled. How well the carousel & organ are restored is amazing.

Ed L

So so beautiful!! All the grounds were landscaped perfectly, the flowers were amazing. To top it off the young girl who did our tour of the windmill was so knowledgeable, she greatly impressed my husband and I, and she was so sweet and friendly!!

Evelyn Grande

Overall nice place for what they charge, I liked the shops, I think the windmill is the biggest one around this area and they allow visitors to go up - stairs ONLY, they have horses and some other entertainment for children, there’s a walking trail around the park, unfortunately we couldn’t walked around it because the day we visited there were several floated areas but I definitely recommend this place to any one visiting Holland.

Phil Steenwyk

We took our kayaks it was a kid free paddle for us. Very relaxing and some great site seeing. Even though i have been a Hollander my entire life it was still things i haven't had the chance to see first hand

Daniel Phillips

Beautiful windmill. Make sure to go in the tour. They have a merry go round and play area for children. Food is sold on site if you need something.

Jaime Alpuche

This is a very interesting place. It features the only Dutch windmill that was transported from Holland and erected on site. It is operational and the only dutch trained and certified female miller operates the windmill. This windmill is certainly worth a visit. There are other lovely attractions on site including gardens, a small replica of a dutch village and a functioningauthentic Dutch Street Organ.

Annette Ealy

Very interesting and informative. The only truly Dutch windmill in operation in the USA.

Michael Nicolalde

What a beautiful and peaceful place to walk and have fun. Children can ride in the carousel and play in the playground while parents can tour in windmill , walk around the property and shop around.

Rik

Beautiful when I visited on the last day of the tulip festival. Reminder to fellow visitors: please respect all of the hard work that goes into making this place so lovely. Stay on designated paths. Don't wade into the sea of flowers for a selfie. Most importantly: DON'T PICK THE FLOWERS.

Tammy McMillan

Had a wonderful time here want to go back and visit the windmill

Sukumar shah

Good Tulip flower show. Though it is not very big but total ambience is great. Lot of people & enjoying the climate & surroundings with Tulips. Do not forget to book your slot at windmill to avoid queue & spend more time. Display of old Dutchland with proper attire & ambience is also great. Tulips are also beautiful & nicely managed. Visit to entire town was more enjoyable

Ron George

Came here the Monday after the Tulip Festival to enjoy the all of tulips without the crowd. The windmill tour itself was also very informative and interesting. Easily spent 3 hours here.

Dean Gill

Did not go during tulip festival. Very interesting, did not know windmill was still in use as a mill. Take the tour of it very interesting.

Laura Scheffler

Loved it! Beautiful weather, small crowd (especially for a Sunday). Some tulips spent while others are yet to emerge. Daffodils are also delightful

Geneva Ely

We visited some years ago when it was new and tulips were in bloom. It has survive the years nicely and the seasonal gardens were beautiful. Very interesting the way they continue to grind flour in the windmill today. Most freindly guides and staff very helpful.

Will Lester

Spent 1 hour there , could have spent 3 hours easily.

Sharlene W

21 years I’ve lived in the area and never visited! Glad I finally did with a friend visiting from out of town. Very pretty and well kept. I bet it's crazy busy in the spring. Windmill tour was interesting and informative. Only four stars because I thought it was rather expensive.

Jon L.

Neat place to see once. A couple of hours will suffice. Some good photo ops.

Joy French

This is definitely a tourist attraction. The windmill itself was very much like windmills I saw when I lived in the Netherlands. The explanation of how the windmill ground the grain was the exact same as in the Netherlands.

Norm C

Great place to take your date or your kids for an afternoon of fun. Tour of the windmill is a must.

Dawn Rose

Great park for the price. The windmill tour was great. Love it

Paul Kim

Cute little attraction. Garden was smaller than expected but well kept. $10 admission is a bit steep but the windmill tour was pretty neat. Spent 1 hour total here. Gift shop available.

Kyra Campbell

Fun place to visit, it was actually closed but you can wander through the gardens and visit the windmill. We saw a beaver and also a turtle laying her eggs in one of the flower beds. The windmill was pretty amazing also

Amy Crawford

They had beautiful flowers! The windmill was an awesome sight! We we're also privileged to go IN the windmill. There are SO MANY intricacies to flower milling! Such an exact science. I learned that to be a "Master Miller", there is quite a bit of higher education to do. America has only one trained "Master Miller". You should visit!

Ruei-Shyuan Chien

The flowers here are maintained really nicely. The windmill tour is quite informative and we learned a lot of the local history and culture. Thank you for the hospitality here. We have a great time!!

Naveen Kokcha

Well this one is a real gem. Tulip festival here is mostly between May 4 - May 12 every year and that is indeed the prime time of coming here. Apart from beauty of tulips you also get to see historical windmill. They do have eating place here along with public restroom. Mind you Michigan is still cold in winter's so come prepared. Parking here is free but during tulip festival out of huge traffic it takes a lot of time to reach the parking place.

Widya Bever

Such a cool place to visit although most of the tulips have died when I came there but there were a few spots that were still blooming. I visited end of May so probably better to visit end of April-beginning of May to see the fields full of beautiful tulips. The ticket to get in for adults is $10 each. I don’t remember how much it is for kids or seniors. You can go up to the windmill and they offer some sort of tour. There are a few stores you can shop Holland goodies from. it doesn’t take too long to go through the fields, depending on how many pictures you’re trying to take lol. Overall, the city is beautiful.

Charles Zhou

Was nice for my kids, good half day distraction. The windmill tour was interesting but not sure if worth the admission for adults

NAFISA NEWAZ

It is a very beautiful and tranquil destination. Highly reccomend if you're in to learn about windmills and get wonderful pictures out of it.

Ed Altounian

Rude tour guide pretty much ruined the experience. Other staff members were discussing some of the visitors when they thought no one was listening, but my wife overheard it all, some of which was about my daughter, who was very well behaved on this day. Then they stated that they hate when kids come through. Sounds like they need to go find a new job. I wouldn't go back and I don't really recommend this place after the way we were treated.

SOMNATH BHAUMICK

Very nice , we enjoyed the trip but No Tulip flowers at present

Marcus Aurelius

Beautiful flowers. Quite interesting to see the windmill. Well worth a visit

Dianne Sherman

This is a lovely place to visit. I got to tour the windmill and see how it worked. They still process flour and corn meal. I got to meet and talk with the only woman in the US who can do the milling. It was a wonderful experience. The gardens are beautiful. The staff there are friendly and helpful. I will go there again. I highly recommend you visit Windmill Island Gardens!

Tony Verchio

I really enjoyed my visit to Windmill Island Gardens. The tour of the windmill is a must and was a great experience. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and answered all kinds of questions from the group. The entire property was well maintained and even though we missed tulip time there were plenty of flowers and large trees. A nice gift shop and the staff throughout the property were very nice. Would visit again.

Omer USA

Ah - beautiful... A must see if you're visiting Holland MI. My girlfriend loved the gardens, windmill, horses and the atmosphere here. Honestly, for some reason, I wanted to live in the windmill :) It has a calming atmosphere for my taste.

Chris Fisher

Great place to visit. Be sure to take the tour of the windmill. Very cool history behind it.

Patrick Chism

Its a great place to walk. We go there after hours to avoid the entrance fee. #savings

Johann Wiebe

Another great place to visit while in Holland MI. This windmill is worth a visit. The tour is very informative and it's great to see the only certified female miller in there. She updates her skills visiting the Netherlands frequently and being part of a Dutch gilde. The park is not huge but lovely with gorgeous flowers and some nice houses to look at. The draaiorgel is proper old school and very old and awesome to listen to.

Danielle Owen

Tour the only original Dutch Windmill in the U.S. Brought here by ocean liner from the Netherlands. Built in 1600s. Still operating to grind flour! Way cool.

Amanda Higbee

Loved the Windmill Island Gardens! I could have spent an entire day just enjoying the beauty! Great place for some beautiful sightseeing and also educational.

Samantha Samuels

Very cool to walk up inside the windmill. Flowers we're gorgeous and lots of fair food n goodies!! We loved it!! We made the mistake of parking far when we could have pulled almost all the way to the entrance. Be prepared to wait in traffic during the festival days!

Kaley Buttars

Visiting the windmill island gardens was recommended to us over and over while visiting Holland, and it was a lovely afternoon. We missed tulip time yet every flower garden was still bursting with blooms, and the grounds were lovely. The street organ was a unique sight and we enjoyed the carousel but the highlight is touring the windmill, De Zwann. Our guide was very knowledgeable and it was fascinating to learn about the windmill's history. I'd recommend the gift shop to at least try on a pair of wooden clogs (they have all sizes laid out for you to try) and if you purchase a pair they'll wood burn a name or date on them for you as well. A great place to spend a couple hours learning and enjoying the grounds.

kv vk

Tulips are excellent. It is a very small garden. There are a lot of people. They probably outnumber the total tulips in the garden.

Michael Sakelarides

Fantastic, the windmill was brought over from the Netherlands and the gardens are amazing, plan to spend a couple of hours there. Also some very nice shops.

RICK ETTERLING

Really good attraction. Enjoyed walking the grounds.

Adam Wood

Great history and scenery. Really enjoyed touring this place with my family.

Anjali Modi

I loved the place. It was the perfect destination to get a break from the daily routine. It was great to learn the history of the dutch windmill and their heritage. Although disappointed with tulips. There were not many tulips but overall had a good time.

Sarah Jackett

Beautiful area. Unfortunately I would not consider it very family friendly. During the festival they had free tours of the windmill. My 2.5 year old was asking/demanding for something during part of tour and rather than give us a few …

Jon Lee

Visiting the Windmill Island Gardens was an awesome expirence! The windmill is extremely large and suprises you when you walk up to it. There is a nice tour and having the ability to walk at the top of the windmill was stunning. Besides the windmill there is also a nice walking area around the island and a nice gift shop. I definitely will be back to spend more time at such a unique place!

Debbie Daily

We visited during summer. Really would have liked to see the tulips.

Darlene Dowler

So interesting. Had allot of fun

Tina Grimes

It is really beautiful here. I wish I'd gone on a day that was less hot, because the heat and humidity made it more difficult to enjoy. But it is still a really beautiful place to visit.

Alaric Coury

$10 admission... not really sure exactly for what. Hardly worth the money

Paul Gonzales

The tour was great! Kids loved it! Very informative

Faraaz M HabeebUddin

Really liked the place. Was suggested from a friend about the location and the events that go throughout the day. Went in morning, got parking a bit far but walkable. Windmill and the flowers were really beautiful plus the dutch dance. Did not get chance to see the parade. But overall its a good, decent getaway for someone in Chicago. Definitely should visit.

WrathOfN8

Probably the high light of our weekend. The gardens are perfect and rich history. Definitely make this one of your destination spots while in Holland.

Linda Wilson-Williams

Very disappointed! This was not worth the money. The lady that gave us the tour of the windmill was rude. One of the horses was hurt and wouldn't stand on he back leg, felt so bad for him. The bugs were terrible! There was not much to see for what they charged!

Rebecca Lyttle

Staff gets a 10 out of 10- not all were in costume but all were helpful - knowledgeable and nice! The windmill is very interesting and having a Dutch certified Miller is very impressive We saw people working in the flowers outside -the tulips & other flowers were gorgeous! Not so great The admission tickets are $10 for adults- no senior discount, the greenhouse was leaking and not as well kept.

Eric Kreckman

A great morning looking at tulips and viewing the windmill. Not enough activities for a while day but a nice 2-3 hr visit. Great staff in character!

Lars

Looks nice but 10 bucks per person I'd a bit on the high side

Mackenzie Jager

Cute, but smaller than I expected. The windmill tour was informative and provides a great view of the island. Nice way to spend a quiet spring or summer afternoon. The flowers are always stunning.

Brett McPherson

The visit here was during the mid summer months. The stores were quiant and the windmill itself was very neat to look at. The grounds though we're nothing special to really look at. Granted we did not visit during the prime tulip season. I personally think the admission of ten dollars to be a bit steep, especially during the off season.

MILINDA BHARATHA

Visited during the tulip festival. So many beautiful flowers. Typically so crowded in weekends during festival. Traditional windmill is situated. Known to be the only windmill outside the netherlands. Traditional dutch people can be seen. …

Matt Frauenhoffer

Kids loved this. Absolutely beautiful. Your of the windmill was a lot of fun too. Wild hearing the organ play.