#518TulipTracker is a collaboration between The City of Albany's Office of Cultural Affairs, Discover Albany, KeyBank and The City of Albany Department of General Services. Follow along on social media to celebrate tulip season in Albany.

Track the tulips! Embark on a self-guided driving tour to admire tulips, spring flowers, gardens and other signs of Spring in Albany County and beyond. Share your photos of the cheerful blooms and tulip tracking adventures on social media with #518TulipTracker. 

Special thanks to The City of Albany Office of Cultural Affairs and The City of Albany Department of General Services for helping us put this self-guided driving tour together! 

Historic & Heritage Sites

Crailo State Historic Site: 9 1/2 Riverside Ave, Rensselaer, NY 12144
Tulips and daffodils can be spotted on the grounds.

Historic Cherry Hill: 523 1/2 S Pearl St., Albany, NY 12202
Visit the grounds to spot spring blooms in the gardens.

Pruyn House: 207 Old Niskayuna Rd, Latham, NY 12110
The gardens on the grounds are filled with signs of Spring such as daffodils. 

Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site: 32 Catherine St., Albany, New York 12202
See a variety of beautiful blooms (including a few tulips) on the mansion's grounds.

Shaker Heritage Society: 25 Meeting House Rd, Albany, New York 12211
View flowers blooming in the Shaker Herb Garden and wildflowers across the grounds. 

The Stephen & Harriet Myers Residence: 194 Livingston Ave, Albany, NY 12210
See tulips at the Abram Johnson Garden at the Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence. 

Ten Broeck Mansion: 9 Ten Broeck Pl, Albany, NY 12210
The Ten Broeck gardens are filled with tulips and other Spring blooms. 

Attractions

Albany Pine Bush Preserve: 195 New Karner Road, Albany, NY 12205
Search for small blooms and additional signs of Spring. 

Albany Rural Cemetery: Cemetery Ave, Albany, NY 12204
Tulip carvings on a tombstone across from the Cornings and Palmer Angel.  

Empire State Plaza
Tulips are located in the planters on the Empire State Plaza and around the grounds. 

New York State Capitol
Tulips located near the General Philip Sheridan Memorial. 

New York State Museum: Near the Outdoor Memorials at Madison Ave, Albany, NY 12210
View tulips along the side of the road near the NYS Korean War Veterans Memorial & NYS Women Veterans Memorial. 

Pine Hollow Arboretum: 34 Pine Hollow Rd, Slingerlands, NY 12159
Many spring blossoms and blooms are located throughout the arboretum grounds. 

Parks

Academy Park: Academy Park, Albany, NY 12207
Spot the blooms and other signs of Spring in the park. 

*Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Statue in Lincoln Park: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Albany, NY 12202
As you drive by this charming shade covered garden, you will notice an impressive large monument honoring the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In front of this monument there are bushes, summer perennials that are still resting for their debut in June and tulips. On each side of the monument are planters with fluffy creamy yellow tulips. The tulip in front are shades of yellow, red, purple, pink and white. Just the right amount of color to brighten up this area. 

Tulip Sculpture at Wallenburg Park: 119 N Pearl St, Albany, NY 12207
View the "Night Fire" tulip sculpture at Wallenburg Park​. 

Tricentennial Park: Tricentennial Park, Albany, NY 12207
Enjoy tulips of yellow, white, pink and purple at the City Seal Monument.

City of Albany Drive-By Tulip Beds

*The 9W Road Median: McCarty Ave & Route 9W, Albany, NY 12209
A raised bed with a wonderful weeping tree in the center, framed with a mid-late blooming blend of red, orange and pink that just brightens up this section of road. The 3 points of the triangle have remarkable tulips that bloom very early, named Oracle, resembling orange flames.

*The Bridge Garden: 300 Broadway, Albany, NY 12207
A large road median with 10,000 bulbs and other perennials with a multitude of color, heights, varieties and bloom times.  In this garden, one can plan on seeing the typical tulip to some exotic varieties, but what makes this a bit different is the garden crew knows the typical car riding by cannot stop and peruse the planting, so we use large groupings of at least 250 bulbs or more per section of color.

*The Clinton D Bed Garden: Clinton Ave & Broadway, Albany, NY 12207
A road median in the shape of the letter D at the end of a long lily bed median. In the center of this bed blend of red, yellow and purple. In that blend is one of our favorites, Red Emperor, one of the first tulips that blooms for Alban., Surrounding the center is a tulip blend called Super Collider.

*The Engine One Firehouse Garden: Western Ave & Washington Ave Point, Albany, NY 12203
A raised triangle garden in a median outside the front of the firehouse. Look for Fly Away, a lily-shaped tulip that is red with yellow edges. Banja Luka, a yellow petal feathered with bright red. Lastly, Unique de France, a glowing vibrant red with glossy petals.

*The Engine Eleven Firehouse Gardens: 441 New Scotland Ave, Albany, NY 12208
Two small triangle gardens located on each corner of the firehouse lawn. You will find red, white, and purple tulips. As well as Crown Imperials, nicknamed the “pineapple plant” or the “upside down tulip plant.”

*The Manning Island Garden: Manning Blvd & New Scotland Ave, Albany, NY 12208
A large summer perennial gardenlocated in median next to CVS and across from St. Peter’s Hospital, with sedum, ornamental grasses, day lilies and cranesbill geranium, to name a few. In the spring, take in a range of bulbs spread throughout the garden in small sections between the perennials. A fun little specialty bulb lives here called Snake’s Head Fritillaria. They are delicate bell-shaped flowers with a tiny pattern of white checkers on maroon petals. It is an absolute extraordinary sight to see. You must look it up if you did not catch a glimpse of it while stopped at the red light.

*The Point Island Gardens​: Madison Ave & Western Ave, Albany, NY 12208
This is the largest of the city’s gardens. There are 13,000 bulbs planted in large sections to make it easier on the eye while driving by. An extensive mix of colors, 65 varieties of bulbs ranging in shapes and heights to fascinate all passerby. You will also notice many perennial plants, mostly in their prime growing stage in the summer.

*The State Street Island Gardens: Between 144 State St. & 80 State St. Albany, NY 12207
Starting at the top, State Street and Eagle Street, in the center of the roadway, tulip bulbs border the garden beds. There are 5 long beds and 3 small “D” shaped beds. Some of these beds have some construction work over the winter and you will find few bulbs still rising to show off their beauty. This very location holds the annual street scrubbing, a Dutch tradition of cleaning the streets before a big festivity.

*The South End Island: Green St & Vine St, Albany, NY 12202
The garden in the road median with the Welcome to Albany’s South End sign features a lovely tall yellow tulip named La Coutine. Early blooming tulips are on the edge with a blazing glow of bright red and yellow.

*The Van Rensselaer Garden:  Van Rensselaer Blvd & Northern Blvd, Albany, NY 12204
Enjoy in the center of Avignon, a tulip that has petals of red, raspberry-fuschia and flamed edges of apricot. Surrounding them is a blend of Apples to Oranges, Red Purissima and American Dream. Apples to Oranges might lack height standing less than 10” tall, but the blooms are red and orange and as big as my fist. Red Purissima and American Dream stand much taller and catch your eyes with cherry-red petals and glowing golden petals that intensify as they mature.

*The Washington Square Garden: Washington Ave & West St., Albany, NY 12203
This garden, in a road median surrounded by Washington Avenue, West Street and Robin Street, has decorative rocks and beautiful ornamental grasses in the summer. Two benches on either side of the garden to take in some lovely sunshine and beautiful garden views. Enjoy a fetching variety of tulips and even some allium later in the season.

Tulip Beds in Washington Park

*The Henry Johnson Memorial Statue: Washington Park Rd & Henry Johnson Blvd, Albany, NY 12210
Entering Washington Park from Madison Avenue and Willett Street, take the left of the fork onto Washington Park Road (also known as Albany Plan of Union Avenue). To your left you will see a statue monument dedicated to Albany native, Sergeant William Henry Johnson, a World War I soldier. In front, you can’t miss the tall yellow tulip from Japan, Akebono, that translates to dawn. Bordering the center is Boston, yellow with dark pink edges and Finola, a fluffy white and pink double tulip.

*The Birdhouse Garden: Washington Park Rd & Hudson Ave, Albany, NY 12208
When you approach this garden, you must look up! In the center of this bed, up high on a pole are hand carved wooden birdhouses by the late Albany artist William Schade. It is a sight to see! Below this masterpiece is a whimsical garden with 6 varieties of tulips and a blend of color spring bulbs including daffodils, hyacinths, allium, crown imperials and more.

*The Lancaster Garden: Washington Park Rd & Lancaster St, Albany, NY 12210
This garden was a focal point of the Floriade Gardens and existed before and now, after the Floriade Gardens. It is just the right size to catch the eye of passing by cars at this intersection. Here you will find color-shifting white to fuchsia-red petals. Inside of those are crisp white petals, vibrant red brushed with yellow, orange and pink with green flames. If you’re tall enough you might make out the shape of a snow globe.

*The Henry Johnson and State Gardens: State St & Henry Johnson Blvd, Albany, NY 12203
There are gardens on each side of the road giving a bright colorful welcoming entrance and exit of the park. Enjoy fluffy peach, red, purple and yellow peony-shaped tulips, along with orange and purple, lily-shaped tulips. These gardens have monumental backdrop as well. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument honors approximately 8,000 Albany men that served in the Civil War.

*The Englewood Garden: State St & Englewood Pl, Albany, NY 12203
This area was designed by Albany’s Beautification Committee in the late 80s. It was the first restored area in this park other than formal gardens in Moses area. The weeping cherry trees make the most quintessential backdrop for this garden. Set in front of these trees, you will find a newly shaped garden bed with two levels and an array of tulips in a large round garden bed.

*The Washington Park Moses Gardens: Washington Park Rd, Albany, NY 12203
The King Memorial Fountain is in the center with Moses striking the rock for water and surrounded by the four stages of life: infancy, youth, adulthood and old age. Each quadrant mirroring formal garden shapes and sizes of the others. Here you can enjoy breathtaking views of over 101,000 spring bulbs. An array of shapes and sizes, early, mid to late blooms and colors of the rainbow

*The 75th Garden: Washington Park Rd, Albany, NY 12203
In the Moses Statue area, between Moses and the lake house, search for the American flag pole. Feast your eyes on a ginormous 7 and 5 made out of tulips. This year we celebrate our 75th annual Tulip Festival. That’s 75 years of Albany tradition, memories and of course, tulips!

*Description provided by the City Gardener Jena Commerford of The City of Albany Department of General Services