Potomac Park

Potomac Park includes many of the city's most beloved memorials, as well as the area known as the Tidal Basin, and is also the home of the District's famed cherry trees which provide a blizzard of stunning soft color during two ephemeral weeks of spring. On weekends, the park is full of walkers, bicyclists, and other outdoor enthusiasts.

The park is separated into two sections, West and East Potomac Parks. West Potomac Park includes the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, Constitution Gardens, the Reflecting Pool, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the FDR Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial and the Tidal Basin, with its 1,678 cherry trees, some Akebonos with soft pink blossoms, but most white-flowered Yoshinos. East Potomac Park rivals the Tidal Basin in cherry trees, with 1,681, in 10 varieties and also includes all the park's recreation facilities with picnic grounds, tennis courts, three golf courses, a large swimming pool, and biking and hiking paths by the water.

The annual Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates this extraordinary natural display over a two-week long celebration that includes the lighting of the 300-year-old Japanese Stone Lantern near Kutz Bridge. Scheduled for March and April, the dates are the best guess researchers have that coincide with the average flowering date (defined as the day in which 70% of the Yoshino Cherry tree blossoms are open) which is April 4. In all, more than 3,700 cherry trees are planted along the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park, East Potomac Park, the Washington Monument grounds, and other areas of the city.

Be aware that the trees bloom for approximately two weeks and even the most carefully planned trip could miss the peak blooms, although the initial, darker-pink buds, and the beauty of the carpet of falling petals are also stunning sites, so you are bound to experience some aspect of the fleeting cherry bloom season.