Swan Island Dahlia Festival: An Accessible Canby Experience

By Guest Author: Lilly Longshore

The fields were easy to travel since they were dry and flat.

For several years, I have wanted to visit the Swan Island Dahlia Festival in Canby. This year, I made it happen. Wow! What a beautiful and fun event! It is wheelchair-friendly and offers free parking, entry and tram rides — so rare these days! On the outskirts of rural Canby, Swan Island Dahlia Farm has been growing gorgeous dahlias of every shape, size and color — over 350 varieties — for nearly a century. Starting in 1927 as a small dahlia garden near Sellwood in Portland, it is now a 50-acre farm hosting a fabulous annual festival attended by thousands of people, including visitors from all over the world. The festival runs from throughout August and September. My husband and I decided to visit on a weekday to avoid big crowds which is always challenging in a wheelchair. We knew we would miss the live music and greater number of food carts and vendors enhancing the weekends, but it turned out to be a good choice for us. There was still so much to see and do.

The pinkish-purple Rebeccah Lynn dahlias are just one of over 350 varieties at the festival. 

We arrived on a beautiful sunny Thursday morning, parked in the paved ADA lot and rolled into the festival. I snagged a tasty latte from Dreams and Vibes Coffee and made my way to the incredible gardens. Wheeling around the dahlia beds was easy in my powerchair since the gardens and fields were dry. It was very level and mostly grass and packed dirt beyond the paved area where the vendors are located. The flowers were stunning — so many colors and shapes and patterns! I was surprised they are all the same species. Signs were posted throughout the gardens identifying the varieties. I liked the ball-shaped dahlias best and selected a pinkish-purple Rebeccah Lynn and a rich yellow Polventon Supreme for my own garden at home. 

After thoroughly enjoying the gardens, we wandered out into the fields where I wheeled past acre after acre of magnificent dahlias. I loved the feeling of being out in the open, surrounded by acres of beauty! The assortment of dahlias was dazzling.

The new tram offers an accessible option to tour more of the fields. 

After meandering through the fields, we came back to the paved area and briefly visited the shop, which is wheelchair accessible but has narrow aisles. We noticed a tractor pulling carts of visitors into the fields. When we found it also is wheelchair-friendly via a slightly steep ramp, I rolled onboard! Under the shade of the tram roof, it was a pleasant ride through the fields. We went farther out and saw more blooms than I could see from my wheelchair. A cool breeze was gently blowing, making it a wonderfully refreshing ride. I especially liked the multi-colored varieties of Santa Claus and Marionberry Milkshake that we passed.

At the end of the tram ride, we stopped by the Tap Trailer for cold drinks. I sipped a nice glass of chardonnay while my husband enjoyed a cold Hazy IPA. That rounded out our truly lovely day at the Swan Island Dahlia Festival. It was time well spent!