Gina,
I think we can help answer some of your Tulip Time questions, Linda and I are life long residents of the area. We have a few decent campgrounds that are within 30 miles of all the festival activities.
Our top camping recommendations are:
Holland State Park campground is 10 to 15 minutes away from the action. There are two camping areas here, one is on Lake Michigan, it is blacktop beach camping and no campfires allowed. The other area is off the lake and has wooded campsites allowing campfires.
Grand Haven State Park is about 25 minutes away. This campground is also blacktop beach camping.
About 35 to 45 minutes away we have two more State campgrounds in Muskegon. Hoffmaster State Park is on lake Michigan, it is wooded and quite beautiful. A bit north of Hoffmaster is Muskegon State Park, also on Lake Michigan it is a very nice place to camp.
While we prefer Hoffmaster and Muskegon State Park they are a bit farther away from Tulip Time action.
Have you checked out the tulip time website? www.tuliptime.com
Steve