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There are two seasons that I absolutely love. First one is definitely Fall and the next one is Spring. When the trees get out of hibernation and start to bloom, it is such a gorgeous sight, don’t you think?
In April 2021, we made a fun trip to Washington DC for a friend’s groom party. Yes, a very different kind of celebration for a groom party, the one with nature. Fortunately, during our visit, the cherry blossoms were at the peak bloom stage. In a span of 24 hours, we spotted a lot of cherry blossoms, some in the most iconic spot of the city and then in a lesser-known neighborhood. Are you also planning for a quick weekend trip to check out Cherry Blossoms in DC? This post might help you build an itinerary for your Spring trip.
When is the right time to visit?
The flowers look the most beautiful during the peak bloom stage, but it is not always possible to align your trip to that exact window. I believe that a week before and a week after the predicted peak bloom window are also good times to visit. If you do not find peak bloom at one place, you will definitely find at another. That being said, National Park service has made a few tracker cams available that can help you pick the right time to visit. Historically, the peak bloom season has fallen between the last week of March and the first week of April.
Tracker cams:
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/cherryblossom/cherry-blossom-cam.htm
You could find the forecast trends for the current year and previous years here:
National Cherry Blossom Festival
Celebrating the spring blooming of cherry trees has been a tradition in Japan since many centuries. So, how did that travel all the way to Washington DC?
In 1885, after returning from her first visit to Japan, Mrs. Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, a world traveler, writer and diplomat approached the U.S. Army Superintendent of the Office of Public Building and Grounds with a proposal of planting Japanese cherry trees along the reclaimed Potomac waterfront. Over the next twenty-four years, Mrs. Scidmore approached every new superintendent to propose the idea of Japanese cherry trees in Washington DC. In 1909, she decided to raise the money needed to plant the cherry trees and sent the details of her plan to the First Lady at that time, Helen Herron Taft. Mrs. Taft came up with the idea of lining up cherry trees along an avenue. Eventually, in 1912, 3020 cherry trees were shipped from Yokohama. In March of 1912, Mrs. Taft and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese Ambassador planted two trees along the Northern bank of the Tidal Basin. This simple ceremony later grew into the renowned National Cherry Blossom Festival.
For approximately 3 weeks, many events happen as part of the cherry blossom festival. A few of them include family activities, fireworks, cultural performances. Unfortunately, when we visited in 2021, the festival was called off due to COVID-19.
Visiting the Tidal Basin
The 2.1 mile long Tidal Basin Loop trail that traverses the Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the FDR Memorial, the George Mason Memorial, the John Paul Jones Memorial, the Floral Library, the Japanese Pagoda, and the Japanese Lantern and site of the First Cherry Tree Planting turns into a visual wonder during the blooming season. But because it is so popular, it gets extremely crowded during the peak bloom weekends. The roads are blocked for pedestrian traffic, so forget about getting there in a car. We parked our car in a garage a mile away and used electric scooters to reach the tidal basin area. Because it is the National Mall area, you will find a good amount of bicycle rental stations. If you want to explore the area in peace, I recommend going early in the day. When we visited in April 2021, the peak bloom had passed already and the vibrancy of the flowers wasn’t as expected. My friends were slightly disappointed, so I started looking for locations that still had peak bloom. That is when I bumped into Kenwood.
Kenwood neighborhood in Maryland
The blossoms in Kenwood, Bethesda, Maryland bloom a week later than the ones in the Tidal Basin area. We arrived in this neighborhood on a cloudy spring morning and loved it from the moment we stepped out of the car. We parked our car on the street half a mile away and started walking along the cherry tree lined streets. I was in awe of the beauty and jumped around in joy. There is enough green space for everyone to sit and enjoy the fragrance that engulfed the entire neighborhood. This a residential area, so please be mindful of their space.
Timing the peak bloom is definitely not an easy task. Not all cherry trees are made the same, you will always find some that give you joy. The best part about visiting Washington DC for bloom watch is that you don’t have to limit yourself to just this one activity. DC is an amazing city to explore history, food and it is home to some of the best museums in the country.