Insiders Guide to the National Cherry Blossom Festival

The Yoshino cherry trees, which were first given to the United States in 1912 by the mayor of Tokyo as a gift to Washington, D.C. are well on their way to peek bloom levels and that only means one thing....the tourists are coming....oh sorry sorry sorry I put on my DC hat there for a second. No, it means that one of the most beautiful times of the year to be in Washington, D.C. is on it's way: The National Cherry Blossom Festival which runs from March 20 to April 14, 2013 in and around the Tidal Basin area of the city.

If you want the insiders guide to the Cherry Blossom Festival, we've got you covered. This year it looks like there is some disagreement as to when the trees will hit their "Peak Bloom" when over 70% of the blooms are open. The National Parks Service, which maintains the Tidal Basin and the Yoshino cherry trees, estimates that the Peak Bloom will occur between March 26-30. The weather forecasters over at the Washington Post say that the bloom might actually occur closer to April 5 due to a colder winter. But the first signs of the blossoms should be coming in the next few weeks so even if you aren't in town for the peak bloom days you will still get a good view of all of these beautiful trees.

 The bad part about the Cherry Blossom Festival is that it is one of the busiest times in Washington, D.C. for tourists. It's right around spring break time for lots of schools and that means families and 8th grad3 Washington trips as far as the eye can see. As a visitor to the city this may not phase you that much, but you will notice it at the Tidal Basin if you try and go in the middle of the day or on the weekends. If you go during those times be prepared to squeeze your way through everyone and having a difficult time getting a good shot of the trees without someone in the background.

If you want to live DC like a local and see the Cherry Blossoms without too much hassle you have to plan on going down on a weekday morning before everyone else has a chance to make it down and while Washingtonians are busy working.

The easiest way to get to the Tidal Basin is to take the Metro system to Smithsonian station. You will want  to go early, but on a weekday just wait until after 9:00 and you will be much happier because commuters will not be blowing by you or rushing you onto a train. But, make sure you follow the basic rules of the DC Metro system. On all escalators you stand on the right and walk on the left side. Safest bet is for everyone to just stand in a single file on the right side and you won't get grief from anyone trying to run for the train. Second rule is that once you reach the bottom of that escalator, keep walking! If you stop at the bottom that means everyone behind you will keep moving and run into you...you don't want this. Third rule is that the easiest way to figure out our Metro system is to look where you are going and find the color of the line that you need to take and the end station on the end of that line. All trains have their line color and the end station (with a few exceptions during rush hour) on them so you know you are on the right train. If you are going to use the Metro system for your whole visit, which I would recommend, consider getting a SmartTrip Card  which will cost you $10 per card, but it will get you $5 in Metro fare and you can reload it at any time and it will save you $1 per use over a paper card.

 When you arrive at the Smithsonian station you will exit on the Independence Avenue side and you will want to cross Independence Avenue and walk on the south side of the street until you cross 15th Street SW and you will take a left and walk down 15th St until you hit Maine Ave SW and you will see the Tidal Basin across the street. The cherry blossoms are all around the Tidal Basin but most people crowd around the area right by Maine Ave so make sure you walk around until you get rid of the main mess of crowds  and you will have a spectacular view!

There is one parking lot that has very very limited parking so unless you have someone with you that has trouble walking or has a disability I would suggest you save yourself the headaches and stress and just let Metro do the driving and work. In the end you be much more excited to enjoy this view as long as you want.

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