Story: D.C. Dressed in Pink and White: The National Cherry Blossom Festival

For flower fanatics, there are some places that are worth seeing even at peak travel times. These include Provence in the summer for lavender and sunflowers, Holland (the country or in Michigan) in spring for tulips, and California in late winter and early spring for wildflowers.

Add Washington D.C. during the National Cherry Blossom Festival to your list.

It all started with a gift of 3,020 cherry trees, most of the Yoshino variety, from Japan to the U.S. in 1912. In 1935, D.C. civic groups sponsored the first festival. Since then, it has expanded into a national celebration that includes a plethora of activities such as Japanese cultural events, a parade, music and dance performances, children’s activities, competitions, and fireworks. During the two-week festival, typically held in late March and early April, the National Park Service holds tours by foot and bike. Private tour operators also have walking, bike, and boat tours. For those of you traveling with non-flower-aficionados (yes, I made this up), the festival is held around the National Mall, so everyone will find something interesting do to besides enjoy the scenery.

Deciding when to go, if flying, can be tricky since bloom time varies each year, occurring as early as mid-March and as late as mid-April. You have about a two-week window, although the “peak bloom” period lasts much less than two weeks. The National Park Service tracks bloom data on its website, so guessing when to go is a little easier after the first stage of bud development occurs. I was fortunate this year to book an airline ticket for March 28th, which coincided with the peak bloom period.

If you are staying in D.C., a great place to call your temporary home is the Dupont Circle area. It has easy metro access, plenty of restaurants and shopping, and a 24-hour drugstore. It’s also near Embassy Row, which is an interesting walk. Many hotels are in the area, including Kimpton’s Hotel Madera and Hotel Palomar as well as Jury’s Normandy Inn. The Kimpton hotels are closer to the metro and more expensive. The Normandy Inn is less extravagant and further from the metro but more affordable. However, if you are tired, it can be a long uphill walk to the Normandy. Consult tripadvisor.com or expedia.com for the latest reviews and price ranges. When you are hungry, two Dupont Circle area restaurants that are local favorites are Pizzeria Paradiso on P Street for rustic pizza and Bistrot Du Coin on Connecticut Avenue for French comfort food.

Once you are there, the easiest means to get to the festival is by metro. Take the blue/orange line to the Smithsonian station and follow the crowds to the Tidal Basin next to the Jefferson Memorial. D.C.’s metro system is easy to navigate and day passes are available. Driving in D.C. is not so easy to navigate as a matter of course but especially challenging during festival time.

Deciding what to bring and do is easy: bring you camera, admire the blossoms, and avail yourself of the many festival activities. See an origami demonstration. Take a paddleboat ride on the Tidal Basin. Try sushi and sake. Take a tour and learn about the different varieties of cherry blossom trees. One pleasant surprise was seeing many people picnicking or sharing full-fledged buffets under the thousands of cherry blossom trees. If you’re staying in the city, stock up the night before at a local grocery store. Google Earth is a good way to map out where to shop nearest to your hotel. If you are not inclined to picnic, many food vendors are in the festival area. Sunrise is the least crowded time to visit, and the blossoms look especially spectacular in the early morning light. At all times, it’s interesting to hear the many different languages of travelers who have come from other parts of the world to see D.C. at its best.

While I was there only a weekend, another fun activity was taking in the Smithsonian Kite Festival, which is held on the Mall near the Washington Monument during the Cherry Blossom Festival. Seeing a sky full of kites -- big and small, simple and complex -- is a joyous event. Children can pick up free small kites, and if your kite is injured after a crash, a Kite Doctor is on the premises to help. After you’ve had your fill of trees and festival activities, many memorials are within easy reach of the Tidal Basin, including those of Jefferson, FDR, Washington, and Lincoln as well as the war memorials. The Smithsonian museums are also nearby and can be a good backup plan if the weather is less than perfect.

There is always something fun to do in D.C., but visiting during the festival is special. Beautiful scenery and cultural activities in the midst of the nation’s treasures -- I can’t think of a better way to welcome spring.

Resources:

Plan
- Official Festival Site: www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org
- Bloom Watch, U.S. National Park Service, www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/cherry-blossom-bloom.htm
- Smithsonian Institution, www.smithsonian.org

Gear
If you are new to the D.C. metro, a compass and a good map can be handy to know which way to walk when you are back on the street and not near the Mall. As with the Eiffel Tower in Paris, don’t always count on seeing the Washington Monument to get oriented.

Sleep
- Tripadvisor or Expedia for ratings and reviews, www.tripadvisor.com, www.expedia.com
- Kimpton Hotels, www.kimptonhotels.com/hotels_washingtondc.aspx
- Jury’s Normandy Inn, http://washingtondchotels.jurysdoyle.com/normandyinn_Washington

Eat
- Pizzeria Paradiso, www.eatyourpizza.com
- Bistrot Du Coin, www.bistrotducoin.com

Move
- Washington National Airport (easily accessible to D.C. by metro), www.mwaa.com/national
- D.C. Metro Information, www.wmata.com
- Taxi Fare Calculator, http://citizenatlas.dc.gov/atlasapps/taxifare.aspx