Cherry Blossom Festival

We toured the Tidal Basin during the 2014 National Cherry Blossom Festival. Because of the extremely cold winter we had, the blossoms had not quite bloomed, but we still had a beautiful day.

We started out at the WWII Memorial and headed towards the Tidal Basin and then walked towards the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. On this side of the Tidal Basin, there are visitor centers, gift shops, food trucks and food stands and more. Stop into one of the visitor centers for a map of the Cherry Blossom Festival and Tidal Basin and a schedule of the entertainment during the event.

While walking around the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms, which is an approximate 2 mile loop, be sure to stop at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial (clean bathrooms in the basement!) and a wonderful, sweeping view of the tidal basin from the front of the memorial.

Many people stopped at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and headed back to the welcome area for the Cherry Blossom Festival. If you continue on the walking path around the Tidal Basin, you'll walk through the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial (one of my favorites in our nation's capital), which is a beautiful memorial and made only prettier in bloom.

On the north side of the Tidal Basin, near 17th Street, are two of the original planted trees, as well as a Japanese Stone Lantern as well as a Japanese Pagoda.

For more information on the Cherry Blossom Festival, visit the official website here.