Exceptional Experience: Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C.

Planning to attend this year’s Washington, D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival from March 20 – April 14, 2024? Make the most of your visit with our insider tips and must-do recommendations.

Edd:  You had been wanting to visit Washington D.C., for as long as I can remember.

Cynthia:  I know, but the timing just never seemed to be right. And you hadn’t been there since the seventh grade. This year the stars aligned and we finally planned a trip.

E:  To make it extra special, we decided to go during the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival. We’d seen photos of the beautiful flowering trees there during springtime, but nothing beats experiencing a spectacular display like that in person.

C:  The peak blooming season varies from year to year. Because the Festival is so popular, we booked accommodations far in advance and crossed our fingers.

E:  Thankfully, the weather gods smiled on us. The beginning of peak blooming happened the day after our arrival! Since there are almost limitless things to do in Washington, we decided to stay for eight days. To keep within our budget, we found a private room through Airbnb that was about a 15-minute Metro ride from all the museums and other attractions.

C:  It turned out great. Large, well-equipped space with lots of windows. Private bathroom. Quiet neighborhood. Lovely hosts. And only a few minutes to a grocery store and Metro station.

E:  I’m really glad we went to the trouble to get Senior SmarTrip cards our first day. Our fares riding all over town were only about $1.00 each time. As much as we took advantage of the public transportation system, over the course of a week we saved a ton of money.

C:  One of the advantages of getting older. 😀 Still, we walked so much every day. You had done some advance research into dining options, but by evening a Google search of “restaurants near me” was all we could manage.

E:  On Day 1, after getting those Metro cards, we headed straight for the Tidal Basin. For those of you who haven’t been there, it’s a man-made reservoir next to the Potomac River rimmed with many of the best-known monuments and thousands of those glorious cherry trees.

C:  We should mention why all the trees are there in the first place. They were a gift of friendship from Japan in 1912, and the original festival happened in 1935. Japan has donated thousands of additional Yoshino cherry trees to Washington, D.C., over the years.

E:  The path around the Tidal Basin is two miles long. We started in the southeastern section, and our first stop was the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. As impressive as the building is up close and inside, I think it looks even better from a distance framed with the blossoms.

C:  Next was the FDR Memorial. I liked how it was designed sort of with an “open floor plan” spread among the trees instead of being housed in one large structure.

E:  The same idea carried over to the MLK Memorial. And from wherever you were standing, the Washington Monument towered over the landscape. We joked that it was the Eiffel Tower of DC!

C:  Coming down the home stretch was the World War II Memorial. We knew nothing about this one and were really impressed. By now the weather was getting quite chilly and it had started to rain.

E:  With travel fatigue setting in, we were running on fumes. But we still had one more stop, probably the most famous of all—the Lincoln Memorial. We’re looking at the map and saying, “Let’s not quit now. It’s right over there.” In reality, the massive monument was so far at the other end of a l-o-n-g reflecting pool that visitors there looked smaller than ants.

C:  It’s a shame the pool was drained for yearly maintenance. When we finally got there we had to climb what felt like a gazillion steps to the top. Was it worth the effort? Of course! Who goes to Washington, D.C., to view the monuments and skips Abraham Lincoln? Not us.

E:  We spent most of Day 2 relaxing and recuperating from overexertion the previous day. Our main event was attending the Festival’s Opening Ceremony at the historic Warner Theater. The top quality entertainment included a cello and violin duo, a marimba group, and a highly popular Japanese boy band.

C:  The next day’s sunny and breezy weather was perfect for the Blossom Kite Festival. The sky above the National Mall was filled with a colorful assortment of kites. It was quite a spectacle. Close to the Washington Monument groups were performing a style of Japanese drumming called Taiko from the stage of the outdoor Sylvan Theater.

E:  We strolled northward along the Mall to the White House Visitor Center. The interior of Baldrige Hall where it's located is stunning, and the displays were so informative that we ended up spending a couple of hours there.

C:  Then it was time for the obligatory pic in front of the White House. You aren’t really that close to it on the South Lawn. The view from the North Lawn is much better.

E:  Day 4 was all about museums. We spent the morning exploring the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. In the afternoon we visited the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. A couple of insider tips: 1) wherever we’ve traveled we have found the food in museum cafes to be surprisingly good, and 2) taking on two big museums in one day is exhausting!

C:  Which is precisely why we slowed down and only went to one—the National Archives Museum—the following day. What an awe-inspiring experience to view the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights in the magnificent Rotunda. Sorry, photography inside wasn’t allowed.

E:  A leisurely stroll around Georgetown was a perfect way to spend that afternoon and evening. What a charming neighborhood. Googling “happy hour near me” took us to an excellent tapas restaurant for food and cocktails.

C:  Energy renewed, we set out with an ambitious agenda the next day. First stop was the Capitol, where we unexpectedly stumbled upon a press conference being held right there on the steps.

E:  The Capitol is incredibly impressive both inside and out. We loved the tour and took tons of photos. It was special to be in the very building where the nation’s business is conducted.

C:  On to the nearby United States Botanic Garden. The conservatory’s current exhibit, Discover the World of Orchids, was breathtaking.

E:  Our final stop was the National Gallery of Art. It’s another gigantic space where you could spend an entire day or more. We devoted the afternoon to the Impressionist section, my favorite. Again, no photos of the art were allowed.

C:  When planning this trip, I’m really glad we left the last day open. There were a couple of sections in the American History Museum we missed earlier, and we wanted to enjoy the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin once more before we left.

E:  Well, are you happy with your bucket list visit to Washington, D.C.?

C:  I am. Gosh, as we’ve been describing our week there I can’t believe how incredibly busy we were! This trip, along with the one we took to Philadelphia in 2021, has really given us a deeper appreciation for the contributions and sacrifices so many have made for the freedom we all enjoy today.

E:  Absolutely. As was pointed out several times during our visits to different museums, our nation has struggled since its inception to define the meaning and fulfill the promise of our Founding Fathers’ lofty principles. I’m concerned we may be drifting away from the values that have made the United States the greatest nation ever conceived.

C:  Sadly, patriotism doesn’t seem to be “trending” these days. We saw a lot of student groups around the city. Wouldn’t it be great if school funding provided the opportunity for every young person to experience our country’s history firsthand by going to Washington, D.C.?

E:  Yes, I agree. I’m really glad we finally went there. It’s an inspiring destination that we encourage everyone to visit.

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