The 65th Annual Azalea and Spring Flower Trail is now officially underway in Tyler, Texas. The event kicked-off on this Friday morning [March 22] with a ribbon cutting ceremony. And tourism officials explain it is difficult to overstate the importance of this annual event, both economically and culturally, for a city also famously known as the Rose Capital of America.
Upwards of 10,000 people are expected to converge on Tyler over 15 days for the Azalea Trails, running through three weekends to Monday, April 8. If that date sounds familiar it is because it coincides with the total solar eclipse, which is expected to attract potentially millions of people to the 117.5 mile wide shadow, known as the path of totality, through large swaths of Texas and Arkansas. There’s even an interactive map of Tyler and several dozen surrounding cities, revealing the time when the eclipse will become total at all those locations. For example, in Tyler people will have 1 minute and 49 seconds of totality beginning at 1:43:31 p.m. and ending at 1:45:23 p.m. on April 8.
Sheridan Smith, the Vice President of Marketing and Communication with the Tyler Convention and Visitors Bureau, referred to as Visit Tyler, describes the attraction. “What people call the Azalea Trail is, you drive or walk through our historic districts on our brick streets. And so many blooms can be found on there. One particular place is the Pyron Garden. It is absolutely stunning. And she [owner Joan Pyron] allows visitors to walk through her garden and experience this colorful wonderland. And it was quite stunning. I was out there yesterday [Wednesday].”
The two Azalea Trails officially begin at Tyler’s Downtown Square and travel south. Markers designate the path which includes the Azalea National Historic District. It comprises about 950 homes built in the first half of the 20th Century. There’s a large concentration of structures from the 1930’s, when the oil boom had a huge economic impact on Tyler.
For all the information on the events surrounding the Azalea & Spring Flower Trail just go to VisitTyler.com.