Dutch Connection 2026

Find respite from Rochester’s chilly winter with a warm favorite, Dutch Connection. Drawing thousands of visitors to the museum, this annual floral display serves as a sweet reminder that spring is on its way. 

George Eastman ordered tens of thousands of bulbs from Holland every year between 1905 and 1932. The orders were mostly for tulips, narcissus, and hyacinths for his gardens, and some for indoor forcing (tricking bulbs to bloom out of season). Eastman’s bulb orders were inspired by the flower fields he saw while bicycling through the countryside during a trip to Holland in 1895. 

A nod to those original orders, the annual display features thousands of colorful tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, amaryllis, and spring annuals, throughout the historic mansion. Tropical orchids, courtesy of the Genesee Regional Orchid Society, are displayed as well. 

Take a piece of Dutch Connection home by purchasing a plant at the Lipson Welcome Center. The sale runs throughout the show.

Visit Open Face during Dutch Connection, which will feature floral teas and baked goods, along with the usual favorites.

Organ music will be performed on weekends throughout the run of the show.

Dutch Connection is on display during regular museum hours Friday, Feb. 6–Sunday, Feb. 22.

The event is included with museum admission. Free to members.

HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES

Create, Draw, and Learn
Throughout Dutch Connection, read books about bulb flowers and draw your own, view the root system of bulb flowers, and discover animation-related activities for the whole family in the Donna Fielding Discovery Room.

Free Bulb Kits for Kids
Available for children, free with museum admission. Kits include a pot, soil, and a forced bulb to take home, plant, and watch grow and flower. While supplies last.

Generously supported by Karen Kral in memory of Gerald “Jerry” Kral. In-kind support provided by Monroe County Parks Department and Pike’s Greenhouse, Avon, NY.