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The Cherry Blossoms (Washington, D.C.)

In 1912, the wife of the Japanese Ambassador and the first lady (Mrs. Taft) planted the first Japanese Cherry Blossoms on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C..  For the rest of the decade, trees continued to be planted.  The first Cherry Blossom Festival was held in 1934.  Today the Cherry Blossom Festival is an enormous tourist attraction for the District and is a the unofficial kick-off to the main tourist season in D.C.

The children had never seen the Cherry Blossoms (due to the always huge crowds), so we though this year should be the year.  Our plan was to arrive about 7:30 (just after sunrise) and hope the crowds would be sparse.  The crowds were, in fact, smaller as we expected and it was nice to be able to move around so easily.  If you are planning a visit and want to know when to expect “peak bloom”, check out this website.  As always in the District, parking is hard to find so you might want to consider an app that lets you pay for parking ahead of time.

While the Tidal Basin (in front of the Jefferson Memorial) is the most spectacular display, you will find Cherry Blossoms all over the general area of the Tidal Basin beginning at the Washington Monument.  You should plan to take your time and wander among the trees.  There are multiple restrooms and vendors to take care of food and drinks.  The weather this time of year (unfortunately) can range from warm to cold and wet to dry, so come prepared with appropriate clothing.  And yes, there are cherry trees other places but these are really spectacular.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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