Peak bloom of cherry blossoms in Washington D.C. is a beautiful sight to behold, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. The blooming of the cherry blossom trees around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. has become a symbol of our nation’s capital city’s natural beauty.
Peak bloom is when 70% of the flowers on the cherry blossom trees are open, meaning the trees are a phenomenal pink. Normally, this occurs between late March and early April but really depends on the weather that year…
I made sure to check the National Park Service website frequently for their specific date predictions before I booked my trip.
A quick background of the trees: Japan gifted the United States over 3,000 cherry blossom trees back in 1912. Most of the trees are either Yoshino (white blossoms) or Kwanzan (pink blossoms). Washington D.C. has celebrated these trees with a Cherry Blossom Festival each year since 1935.
I found that the most popular place to visit the cherry blossom trees was around the Tidal Basin in the National Mall. The Tidal Basin provides the best photo ops near the Jefferson Memorial, Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
The Tidal Basin consists of mainly Yoshino trees while Kwanzan trees can be found closer to the East Potomac Park area.
I wish I would have known a few of these tips before I visited these spectacular trees, so I am hoping that they will help some of you out!
Hoping to visit the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C.? Here are my top 8 tips:
- Research when peak bloom is! Buy plane tickets around the prediction time according to the National Park Service website, and buy them as early as you can.
- UTILIZE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. Take the metro. If you take an Uber or a Taxi you will sit in traffic for hours. Research the metro lines that will take you closest to the Tidal Basin.
- Bring your walking shoes. You will do miles of walking around the Tidal Basin. (may get dusty too)
- If visiting on a weekend, visit in the morning. Same if you visit during peak bloom week. If you want to beat the crowds you are going to have to go as early as possible. However, any time you get to see them is time well spent!
- Bring cash for street food at the festival.
- Take photos on the north side of the Tidal Basin. Here you will get the best view of the Jefferson Memorial across the water.
- Bring a small backpack with your camera, water bottle, and a blanket if you wish to sit in the grass.
- Lastly, scope out cherry blossom themed restaurants, bars, and events during your visit. D.C. does not play around when it comes to celebrating their pink trees.
I hope you have a great time visiting the Cherry Blossoms in Washington D.C. this year!
Wanting to check out other attractions while you’re in D.C.?
You can check out my Washington D.C. Museum montage on my youtube channel linked here. Make sure to subscribe for future travel vlogs!
