2020: Azalea Trail to continue but many events have been canceled

Published 12:23 pm Monday, March 16, 2020

The Azalea & Spring Flower Trail will continue as planned but some events that traditionally take place during the trail have been canceled.

Susan Travis, vice president of tourism for Visit Tyler, said Monday that she is telling people who are planning to come to Tyler to see the blooming azaleas not to change their plans.

“We are encouraging everyone to still come,” she said. “We want people to come.”

Because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, some people are choosing to stay home as much as possible and as a way to limit their exposure to others. Health authorities have advised people to avoid groups.

The trail runs from Friday through April 5 and coincides with the peak blooming of the colorful azaleas and other flowers that are in many yards of Tyler residents.

Travis said area residents and visitors can drive along the trail and still practice social distancing.

“You can come and stay in your car and be perfectly safe,” she said. “For those who are tired of being cooped-up in their house, this would be a great thing to do.”

The trail is made up of two driving routes of about 10 miles each that meander through and near the Azalea District. The trails are marked by signs that are already in place.

Each year tens of thousands of people come to Tyler to see the flowers. They pump money into the economy by staying at hotels and eating at restaurants.

Travis said many of the visitors traditionally are part of bus tours that originate from the Dallas and Houston areas.

“A few of the bus groups have canceled,” Travis said. “I just heard from one that was canceling. We are expecting more to do so.”

Some homeowners along the trail, who in previous years opened their backyard gardens to visitors might not be doing that this year. Visitors are being encouraged to stay on sidewalks and not to venture into yards.

“We need to respect the privacy of the homeowners,” Travis said.

A ceremony marking the start of the trail that was set for Friday morning has been canceled.

Visit Tyler will not have Azalea Belles positioned along the trail each weekend as it has in years past. Azalea Belles are high school age young women dressed in antebellum dresses who often pose for photos with trail visitors.

Azalea Trail events that have been canceled or postponed include:

• Azalea Arts & Crafts Fair, Saturday and Sunday in Bergfeld Park
• Tyler Azalea 10k, 5k & Kid’s Race, Saturday morning in Bergfeld Park
• Mingling in the Garden, March 27, at Goodman Museum
• Historic Tyler on Tour, March 28-29
• Spirits of Oakwood tours at Oakwood Cemetery, March 28
• Tyler Quilt Show, March 27-28 at Harvey Convention Center
• Bienniel Needleart Show, March 27-28 at Rose Garden Center

Travis said the number of visitors to the trail likely will drop this year but that it is too early to tell how many or what the economic impact of having fewer visitors will be.

Visit Tyler continues to post information on its website, visittyler.com, about the trail and the progress of the blooms.

“Some azaleas are in full bloom and some are not,” reads information on the website. “We are expecting lots of azalea blooms just in time for the grand opening of the the trail March 20.”