East Potomac Park is lined with cherry blossom trees, providing a picturesque walk or bike ride around Hains Point. Danny Navarro/Flickr hide caption
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Danny Navarro/Flickr
It's almost that time of year again when the thousands of famous cherry blossom trees in D.C. flower, bringing camera-bearing tourists to the city in droves.
National Park Service and D.C. officials announced this week the peak bloom date in the 111th anniversary year will be March 22-25, 2023 – a date considerably earlier than the average peak bloom over the past century of April 4.
Most snaps of the blossoms that you see on Instagram are at the Tidal Basin, with the Potomac River-fed basin and white marble of the Martin Luther King Jr. or Thomas Jefferson memorials in the background. A sunrise photo shoot at the Tidal Basin may be a rite of passage, but there are plenty of other patches of trees throughout D.C., Maryland, and Virginia for residents to admire.
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While most Washingtonians may want to avoid crowds at the city's most well-known peak bloom spots like the Tidal Basin or National Arboretum, some still want to see the beautiful pink and white buds and get a picture or two. So we did some digging and asked our readers on social media where they get their cherry blossom fix around the D.C. metro area — NOT including the Tidal Basin.
American University's arboretum campus includes a grove of cherry blossom trees. angela n./Flickr hide caption
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angela n./Flickr
D.C.
BLOSSOM BIKE RIDE: Take a bike ride around Hains Point in East Potomac Park as it comes alive with white and pink petals lining the entire drive. There will still be a crowd, but your chances of a picture without photobombers are higher. (Ohio Drive)
HILL BLOSSOMS: Stanton Park on Capitol Hill is a popular neighborhood for many reasons, including its namesake park with blossoming trees surrounding the central statue of General Nathanael Greene. (4th Street NE)
TWO-FOR-ONE: The Scottish Rite House of The Temple has a nearby grove of blooming trees throughout the season. Stop for a photoshoot then continue onto stop two: LeDroit Park. A 25-minute walk away from the temple, the LeDroit Park iron arch off of Florida Ave NW is surrounded by cherry blossom trees as well. (16th Street NW and Florida Ave NW)
The Bishop's Garden at the National Cathedral includes cherry blossoms, among other flowers. DC Gardens /Flickr hide caption
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DC Gardens /Flickr
OFF THE MALL: If you're still itching to get near the monuments but still want a smaller crowd, a grove of trees south of the Lincoln Memorial Beach Volleyball Courts may be your spot. One reader recommended the larger trees for couples portraits. (Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy NW)
COLLEGE CAMPUS: One reader recommends American University's campus as an off-the-beaten path blossom location. A grove of trees along Nebraska Avenue are part of the campus's arboretum. (American University owns DCist's parent company, WAMU.) (4400 Massachusetts Ave NW)
CHURCH BLOSSOMS: The National Cathedral's Bishop's Garden has several cherry blossom trees and provides a beautiful backdrop. Venture up 36th Street to see the street lined with even more trees, one reader says. Or head up to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where several trees stand in the grass around the dome. (3101 Wisconsin Ave NW or Michigan Ave NE).
BLOSSOMS AND BRUNCH: A few patches of trees are in and near Foggy Bottom's Duke Ellington Park. Afterwards, try out brunch at the fairly new bistro named after the park, Ellington Park Bistro. (New Hampshire Ave NW)
CHERRY HILL: The hill in Dumbarton Oaks' gardens just above Georgetown is dotted with cherry blossoms. Garden admission is $7 but visit the history museum after for free, or the nearby Book Hill Park for more blossoms. (R Street NW)
NEWER TREES: Hundreds of cherry blossom trees have been planted in Oxon Run Park in Southeast D.C. over the last decade. The park will also host the annual Oxon Run Pinknic and Kite Fly on April 2. (Mississippi Ave SE)
OFF-PEAK BLOOMS: The two varieties of trees in the Congressional Cemetery bloom typically before and after the Yoshino trees around the Tidal Basin. Take a trip to the cemetery to see Okame blossoms now or Kwansan at the end of March. (E Street SE)
Kenwood is a popular cherry blossom site outside of D.C. Tina Saey/Flickr hide caption
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Tina Saey/Flickr
Maryland
BLOSSOM STROLL: Walk through Bethesda's Kenwood neighborhood to witness the cherry blossom-lined streets. Make sure to see the small pond in the middle of the main drive, but heed warnings for avoiding private property and parking only where permitted. (Brookside Drive)
MUSEUM TRIP: The sprawling Glenstone Museum campus in Potomac has several flowering trees, including cherry blossoms, magnolias, and yellow sassafrass. Book a timed pass for the museum after exploring the gardens and grounds. (Glen Road)
AWARD-WINNING GARDENS: Wheaton's Brookside Gardens are beautiful year-round, with at least nine themed gardens meticulously designed across 50 acres. Two ponds are surrounded by many cherry blossoms in addition to other flowers and plants to explore. Plus, admission is free. (Glenallan Ave)
Take in serene ponds and cherry blossoms at Meadowlark Gardens. Tom Stovall for DC Gardens/Flickr hide caption
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Tom Stovall for DC Gardens/Flickr
Virginia
MORE GARDENS: The curated botanical gardens stretch to Virginia, too. Cherry blossoms fill the entrance and scenic ponds at Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna. Or take a meaningful visit to Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, where cherry blossom trees dot the park surrounding an 18th-century plantation. (Meadowlark Gardens Court or Green Spring Road)
BLOSSOMS AND BITES: The parks and streets all around historic Old Town Alexandria house numerous cherry blossom trees of different varieties. Founders Park along the Potomac River and the 100 block of Wolfe Street are among favorite spots for blossom-spotting before hitting up a restaurant along King Street. (Union Street)
ALONG THE WATER: Get picturesque views of the Potomac River with cherry blossom trees at the entrance and gardens of River Farm. The American Horticultural Society's headquarters near Mount Vernon once was part of George Washington's original farmland. (E Boulevard Drive)
