National Cherry Blossom Festival Tips and Tricks
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people enjoying the Cherry Blossoms - CC: Al Jazeera English
To help you get the most out of your visit to the Washington DC Cherry Blossoms, we have developed the following suggestions to help you plan your trip and navigate throughout the day.
Urban Atlas is here to help tourists and travelers get the most out of their travel, and major events like the National Cherry Blossom Festival provide a great opportunity design the best experience possible. As with any major event, there are best practices: ways to make your experience better; ways to avoid crowds, and assist in getting the best views and best pictures. Our goal is that you enjoy yourself more and waste less time. We also recognize that people have different preferences and constraints.
This article gives insider tips from those of us who have experienced the Cherry Blossom Festival over a number of years. This is the second in a series of articles about the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Cherry Blossom Crowds at the tidal basin - CC: Chicabandita
Go to the Tidal Basin to see the Cherry Blossoms early in the morning
An estimated 1.5 million people visit the National Cherry Blossom Festival every year. Most of these people focus their time at the Tidal Basin. This means for most of the day, the Tidal Basin ends up being packed, slow moving, and not as enjoyable as it should be.
The best way to deal with this is to visit the Tidal Basin first thing in the morning. It is by far the quietest time of day, you will be able to appreciate the views better, and you are much more likely to get a cherry blossom photo without tons of stranger crowing your pictures.
See the cherry blossoms at dawn or dusk
Tidal Basin with cherry blossoms just before dawn - CC: Nicholas Schooley
As with most things, the Cherry Blossoms are at their most scenic in the colors of dusk or dawn. Check out the Tidal Basin at dawn, but Haines Point is a great option for enjoying a beautiful Cherry Blossom sunset.
Check out other Cherry Blossom locations during the day
As we discussed in the National Cherry Blossom Festival Basic Information post, cherry blossoms in DC are not restricted to the Tidal Basin. Once late morning comes, the vast majority of the visitors will descend on the Tidal Basin, we suggest that you enjoy the cherry blossoms elsewhere. The best additional options are:
Hains Point and East Potomac Park
While part of the larger National Cherry Blossom Festival, Hains Point and East Potomac Park are larger and significantly less trafficked than the Tidal Basin. This means that there is a lot more space to explore, and lead to a much more relaxed atmosphere. To do the roundtrip from the Jefferson Memorial to Hains Point and back is about a 3.1 mile walk (5 kilometers), so be prepared. You can also take the National Cherry Blossom Festival Shuttle.
United States National Arboretum
Cherry Blossoms at the National Arboretum - CC: Cammy
The U.S. National Arboretum is one of DC's hidden gems - especially when it comes to seeing Cherry Blossoms without the crowds. It is operated by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. The Asian Tree collection features both magnolias and cherry blossoms. It is free to enter.
The major challenge comes in getting there - it is not particularly metro accessible, although there area few options:
- There is free parking outside the R Street gate (2400 R St NE)
- Lyft or Uber X from the NoMa-Gallaudet U metro station on the Red Line. Without surge pricing, it should cost around $9.00.
- The B2 Metro Bus drops you off adjacent to the R Street gate.
- For the adventurous types, the closest transit station to walk from is on the DC Street Car - the walk from the Benning Rd. NE and 15th St. NE is just over a mile. However, it is not the most scenic of walks.
Dumbarton Oaks Garden
Dumbarton Oaks Garden Cherry Blossoms - CC: DC Gardens - dcgardens.com/dumbarton-oaks/
Much closer to the Tidal Basin, but also quiet, Dumbarton Oaks Garden is another great quiet place to enjoy the Cherry Blossoms. The garden is only open from 2-6PM, but if you do get the opportunity, it is a great garden to enjoy in historic Georgetown. While not free, those who want to see Cherry Blossoms in the afternoon without a crowd will find the admission fee worth it: $10 Regular, $8 Senior (60+), $5 Students and Children (ages 2–12).
It is also not particularly metro accessible, however, there are a number of easy ways to get there:
- The Georgetown-Union Station line of the tourist friendly DC Circulator runs every ten minutes and the Wisconsin Ave. / R St. (Georgetown Library) stop is one block to the entrance. It only costs $1. Click here for more information on the DC Circulator.
- It is only a 1.3 mile walk from the Dupont Circle Metro Station.
For more information on Dumbarton Oaks Garden or Museum, please click here.
Biking (but not at the Tidal Basin during the day)
Capital Bikeshare parked among the Cherry Blossoms - CC: Joe Flood
As you can see above, while there is a strong concentration of Cherry Blossoms at the Tidal Basin, otherwise the blossoms are very spread out. Washington DC is a great biking city, having just been awarded Gold Bicycle Friendly Community status by the League of American Bicyclists - the only major East Coast city to receive this designation.
Capital Bikeshare
Capital Bikeshare is the established, docked bike sharing program in Washington DC. It is a great way to get around Washington DC, and perfect for seeing the Cherry Blossoms as there are multiple stations where there are Cherry Blossoms to include the Tidal Basin, East Potomac Park, the Mall, Georgetown, the National Arboretum; there are also hundreds of others stations in and around the city.
You can rent a single bike for 30 minutes for $2, but the better deals are $8 for a 24-hour pass, or the $17 for a 3-day pass; both come with unlimited free 30 minute rides. Beware - if you go above 30 minutes on a single ride (without getting an extension at a full dock), they will start charging you. However, you can have as many free back-to-back 30 minute rides in your time period as you would like.
For more information on Capital Bikeshare, please see their website. Also, be sure to download the app so that you can know where there are stations and how many bikes and/or docks they currently have.
Dockless bikeshare
Dockless bikeshare is a new concept in Washington DC; it began late in 2017 as a trial, and a number of companies can have up to 400 bikes in the city. The companies include Jump DC, Spin, OFO, LimeBike, and Mobike. It's another great option, but it's good to be flexible, with limited bikes, you may need to switch between companies.
Seriously don't try to drive and park at the Tidal Basin
Cherry Blossom traffic at the Tidal Basin - CC: Douglas Muth
Between Washington DC's usual traffic, tons of people going to see the Cherry Blossoms, and not a large number of alternative routes, there are a ton of people driving in the vicinity the Tidal Basin. This means traffic gets and stays bad most of the day; you should expect it to be very slow going. Beyond that, there is only limited parking, so unless you are going at a particularly odd hour, or have reserved a spot ahead of time, it will be tough going to try to park in the vicinity of the Tidal Basin.
Cherry Blossom Watch 2018 Parking for Cherry Blossoms
Bottom Line
There are a large number of ways to organize your visit to the National Cherry Blossom Festival, to ensure you get the most out of your visit. A little planning goes a long way at this popular but time-limited event.
Do you have any National Cherry Blossom Festival tips and tricks? Any questions about the festival? Post them below and we will get back to you!