Expanded Tyler Rose Festival offers something for everyone

by Daily You Newswire

There will be something for visitors of all ages during our three-week celebration of the outdoors and beginning the fall rose season.

The city of Tyler, TX, is opening its doors to thousands of visitors for the first “Rose Festival Season,” running October 8-24. The expanded festival includes a full and half-marathon on Oct. 10, expected to attract runners from at least four states.

While the Texas Rose Festival dates back to 1933, City leaders in Tyler have teamed up with dozens of organizations to offer events ranging from horticulture workshops to pumpkin patch outings to bird-watching to concerts and grape stomping. During the three-week period, Tyler will also host its annual Texas Rose Festival’s Queen’s Tea, Coronation and Parade on Oct. 14-16.

“Tyler is proud to be home to one of the country’s largest rose gardens with over 32,000 rose bushes and almost 600 varieties of roses,” said City Manager Mark McDaniel. “This year’s expanded festival will give tourists an opportunity to enjoy the town’s unique beauty and enjoy events that reflect our history, culture and hospitality.”

Visitors can tour the city’s eight-acre Goodman Museum that features “EarthKind Roses,” a new breed developed by A&M University. And the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is a test site for the All-America Rose Selections (AARS) organization. The AARS runs the world's most challenging horticultural testing program and encourages the rose industry to improve the disease resistance, ease of care and beauty of roses.

“We’re known for our roses and family-oriented lifestyle,” said McDaniel. “There will be something for visitors of all ages during our three-week celebration of the outdoors and beginning the fall rose season.”

Source: City of Tyler