Azaleas shine in the sunlight Friday afternoon along the Azalea and Spring Flower Trail.

Matthew and Suzanne Carlsen said many of the plants they saw Friday along Tyler’s Azalea and Spring Flower Trail are new to them.

The couple from Carlsbad, New Mexico, said they were visiting Tyler for another reason when they found out about the Azalea and Spring Flower Trail. Suzanne Carlsen said they decided they “needed to see it.”

“The flowers are beautiful, and the weather is perfect,” she said. “We really appreciate this.”

The trail, which is open for three weeks each year, is in its final weekend.

“Pretty much all three weekends have been beautiful weather, and we’ve had so many visitors to Tyler,” said Holli Fourniquet, Visit Tyler senior vice president.

In 2019, data shows event attendance totaled about 54,000 people, about 31,000 of those non-Tyler residents, said Shari Lee, Visit Tyler president. The economic impact was about $1.9 million.

When walking the trails Friday morning, Fourniquet said she did not meet one person from Tyler. While Tyler residents enjoy the trails, many attendees visit from out of town, state and even the country, she said.

“During this time of year, people want to get outside. They want to see something beautiful, and there’s something beautiful here in Tyler that you just don’t get in other cities,” Forniquet said.

Many of the homeowners along the trail put work into the flowers, she said.

“The homeowners have a pride in the trail itself and sharing it with the outside world,” she said. “Since they’re so welcoming and they exude that Tyler hospitality to visitors, I think that’s why people like to come.”

While the trail will officially be closed after this weekend, the azaleas are expected to continue blooming through the next couple of weeks, according to Visit Tyler’s website.

To see the status of the blooms through the end of April, visit visittyler.com/azaleatrail/ . For a trail map, go to bit.ly/3JVZ0s1 .