Washington Monument with Cherry Blossoms
Credit: Songquan Photography
EAST POTOMAC PARK
Fewer visitors cross I-395 east of the Jefferson
Memorial to this off-shoot of the Tidal Basin,
leaving more space for fans to enjoy the
10 unique species of cherry blossom trees,
including Kwanzan cherry, which typically
come out a couple of weeks after the others.
Follow the 4.4-mile loop around Hains
Point on the eastern most tip for endless
Instagrammable views of the trees against the
backdrops of the Potomac River, Anacostia
River, and Washington Channel.
U.S. NATIONAL ARBORETUM
Where better to hug a tree than the National
Arboretum? This 446-acre park, four miles
northeast of the Tidal Basin, is administered
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Agricultural Research Service and boasts
more than 30 sites to see flowering blossoms
along 9.5 miles of meandering roads and
paths. A few are “weeping” versions, with
long, flowering branches hanging down to
the ground. While there, learn more about
Japanese horticulture at the National Bonsai
& Penjing Museum, also onsite.
ARLINGTON
NATIONAL CEMETERY,
Perhaps nowhere does the spiritual side of
the cherry blossoms feel more meaningful
than among the 400,000 graves of Americans
who gave what Lincoln called “the last full
measure of devotion.” Throughout the
cemetery’s 624 acres, more than 400 cherry
trees brighten the somber scene, alongside
flowering magnolias, and grand oaks. A
particular pleasant grove of cherry trees
surrounds the eternal flame of the President
John F. Kennedy Gravesite.
THE GARDENS
OF DUMBARTON OAKS
At the highest point of Georgetown sits the
historic estate of Dumbarton Oaks, built in the
early 1920s by Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss.
Working with landscape gardener Beatrix
Farrand, Mildred established the lush gardens
that still draw visitors today. Cherry blossom
season offers perhaps the ideal time to visit,
as the trees transform the 10 acres into a
flowery spectacle. Dumbarton Oaks is a now
a Harvard University research institute, with
a museum boasting world-class collections of
Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art, as well.
FLYWASHINGTON.COM 64 SPRING 2020