How to Spend a Perfect Day Seeing the Cherry Blossoms in Washington, DC
There’s no better time to visit Washington, DC than in the spring when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.
“When you are thinking about coming to the nation’s capital, the spring is one of the best times to come,” Elliott Ferguson, the president and CEO of Destination DC, tells T&C. “Clearly, the weather is amazing. You enjoy the extra hours of sunlight during the day. The icing on the cake is the fact that the cherry blossoms are in bloom, and the National Cherry Blossom Festival is ongoing. You absolutely want to be in town during some variation of the blooming of the trees.”
Every year, about 1.5 million attendees take in the National Cherry Blossom Festival, an event which extends over a four week period. “There is truly something fun for everyone—if you’re an individual, a couple, a family, a group,” Diana Mayhew, the president of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, says.
Back in 1912, the mayor of Tokyo gifted 3,000 cherry blossom trees to the city of DC, and they were initially planted around the Tidal Basin. In the decades since, they’ve become a major tourist attraction—especially when they hit peak bloom between the last week of March and the first week of April. This year, the festival turns 98. “The very first festival was in 1927, when school children were reenacting the first gift [of the trees], then it’s been on and off since then,” Mayhew explains. “The National Cherry Blossom Festival became fully staffed in the year 2000; it was all volunteer organization up until that point. With the support of the amazing community, sponsors, and DC government, just really putting emphasis on making sure that there is full-time year round staff for this.”
While the majority of the Cherry Blossom Festival is completely free, it does fundraise for the Trust for the National Mall’s Cherry Tree Endowment, to aid in the preservation and care of the famous trees. “If we don’t take care of these trees, then they won’t be around for generations to come. So I want my kids and my kids’ grandkids to [enjoy the cherry blossoms] here and making sure that these beautiful trees—the Park Service does such a great job—but we want to make sure there’s guaranteed funding to make sure the maintenance happens on these trees year round.”
Here, T&C’s guide to the perfect day seeing the cherry blossoms in DC:
Where is the best place to actually see the cherry blossom trees?
The blossoms are the most famous on the National Mall and the Tidal Basin. Be prepared for crowds there, no matter what time of day. If you want to avoid DC’s cherry blossom crowds, Ferguson suggests visitors go off the beaten path (so, avoid the paths around the Tidal Basin) and head to the National Arboretum.
According to the DC Frolics Instagram, other spots to see the cherry blossoms include East Potomac Park and Hains Point, the Congressional Cemetery, Dumbarton Oaks (in Georgetown), near the Capitol Grounds and the Library of Congress, and the Bishop’s Garden at the National Cathedral.
Cherry blossom-themed eating and drinking recommendations
“Take advantage of all the cherry blossom related drinks, cocktails, and food items that restaurants are promoting during the actual timing of the cherry blossoms [blooming],” Ferguson says. Here, a few standouts:
Silver Lyan (in Riggs Hotel, 900 F St NW), a cocktail bar in a former bank vault, has an annual Hanami celebration featuring two weeks of festivities themed around the cherry blossoms.
Mercy Me (in the Yours Truly DC Hotel, 1143 New Hampshire Ave NW) is known for its “Blossom Garden” pop-up inspired by Japanese Sakura flowers.
Rooftop bar Ciel Social Club (601 K St NW) is completely decked out in blossoms and has a custom food & drink menu themed for the spring season.
On Mondays, check out the cherry blossom omakase bar takeover at Kingbird (located in the The Watergate Hotel, 2650 Virginia Ave NW) with a 15-course omakase curated by Michelin-starred Chef Masaaki “Uchi” Uchino of Kiyomi.
Love, Makoto (200 Massachusetts Ave NW) offers delicious seasonal donuts, among other blossom-themed goodies. Or check out their Hanami Picnic for two, perfect to take out and enjoy under the blossoms.
Residents Café & Bar (1306 18th St NW) transforms their patio into a cherry blossom theme—and, hot tip from a DC local: they have very good espresso martinis.
Bluejacket Brewery (300 Tingey St SE) is known for its cherry blossom beers.
Cherry blossom-themed high tea
There are numerous fantastic afternoon teas around DC, and many transform into cherry blossom-themed offerings in the spring, including at the Waldorf Astoria’s Peacock Alley; the Fairmont Georgetown; the Salamander DC; the St. Regis; Marjorie Merriweather Post’s former home, the Hillwood Estate; Quadrant at the Four Seasons; the Park Hyatt’s Blue Duck Tavern; The Pendry (at the Pendry’s boozy tea, try the “Hibiscus Hana,” a hot cocktail featuring Haku Vodka, Roku Gin, Black Tea, and more); the Hay Adams… prices range from $88 to $119 per person.
Cherry blossom-related activities
National Cherry Blossom Festival events, include the neighborhood festival Petalpalooza (April 5), Japanese Culture Day at the Library of Congress (April 5, get tickets here), a Springtime Parade (April 12, on Constitution Avenue) and the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival (April 12 and 13, get tickets here). “I’m really proud that we are able to put this festival together each year,” Mayhew says. “No matter what is happening in the world, this brings joy and people look forward to it and everybody can just pause for a minute and appreciate what is around us. That is the thing that we are the most proud of—how we engage so many people.”
In addition, check out ARTECHOUSE (1238 Maryland Ave SW), which puts on an immersive and interactive celebration of the blossoms (tickets here), and Hi-Lawn (the roof of Union Market, 1309 5th St NE), which becomes the “Bloomroom” starting on April 4 (make a reservation on Resy)—“part visual show, part transportive dining & drinking experience,” all themed around the cherry blossoms and spring florals.
“The Cherry Blossom Festival is very bipartisan,” Ferguson says, “so though a part of what people think about when they come to Washington would be things that happen on the Capitol Hill, everyone loves the spring and being in Washington during Cherry Blossom Festival—including those that are here in our city that are part of the 535 members of Congress. It’s just a great feeling, a great time to be in the city.”
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