In the Washington, DC area, cherry blossoms are a huge deal. For people who aren’t familiar with these trees, cherry blossoms are the national flowers of Japan. There are a variety of different species and hybrids. As Japanese and American relationships grew, Japan donated over 3,000 of these flowering trees to the US when President Howard Taft was in office in 1912. In the Washington, DC area spring is ushered in with the bright powder pink and white blossoms of the cherry blossom trees.
If you are in the DC area you’ll want to see the cherry blossoms and take part in the National Cherry Blossom Festival (NCBF) in DC in late March until mid-April. To learn more about when the cherry blossoms are blooming check out CherryBlossomWatch.com. However, keep in mind that this site is a fan site and is not connected with the National Parks and Recreation Department nor the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
This spring people in the MD and DC areas had our fingers crossed, because late in March the warm weather disappeared and we had a snow and an ice storm. The beautiful cherry blossoms were threatened because of the frigid temperatures. However, this past weekend my family and I visited the blossoms in the Tidal Basin and many of them survived and are in peak bloom.
There are 2 main areas in the DC area where people can go and view Cherry Blossoms. One of the areas is in Bethesda, MD and the other is in DC on the Tidal Basin.
The blossoms immediately pictured below are from the Kenwood Cherry Blossoms area, which is located on Brookside Dr and Dorset Ave in Bethesda, MD 2081.
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Here are somethings you should remember when visiting the cherry blossoms
- Wear comfortable shoes. Picking the right shoes is so important because there is a huge amount of walking to do to see the blossoms.
- Bring your camera. You can’t visit the blossoms without trying to record the beautiful moment so come prepared so you won’t regret it.
- Have patience. The cherry blossoms are a treasure in the District so expect to see people from all over the world. Also expect to see large crowds of people of all ages.
- Bring water. All of the walking will work up a thirst and if you don’t want to pay $3 for bottled water, you might want to pack some water in your backpack. Snacks are also optional.
- Expect to be in the area for hours. Outside of the cherry blossoms, there is a ton of things to see in DC. Also, many of the museums are free so make it a whole day of exploring!
- Before you plan your trip, visit the website: NationalCherryBlossomFestival.org