A few years back, we visited Japan during Cherry Blossom season, and really enjoyed ourselves. It seemed like the whole country was excited about these beautiful trees blooming. Parks were filled with picnickers and the news was all about when the peak blooming time would happen in the various regions of the country.
After sharing that article, some of our readers encouraged us to go and see the cherry blossoms in Washington DC. We are glad we did!
Washington is a great city to visit. We didn’t even need a car! Flying into the DCA Ronald Regan airport, we were able to uber to our hotel in The Wharf district for under $20 and it only took 10 minutes! Talk about convenient.
All the museums and monuments around the White House and the US Capitol Building were within easy walking distance. There were lots of hotel choices in The Wharf area and plenty of dining options.
While we might have found some additional things to do further afield, there was more than enough to keep us busy in the immediate area for the 5 days we were visiting. There was also little to no parking around the attractions. Parking at the hotel was $50 a night and likely the car would have just sat there. Something to consider when making your plans.
Cherry Blossoms
The Tidal Basin was the perfect place to see the cherry blossoms. We had perfect timing with our trip arriving March 22nd as the cherry trees were in full bloom. The official festival kicks off on the 20th of March, but every year there can be some variance. By the end of the week we were seeing some rainy and windy weather, and that was causing many of the blooms to blow off the trees like snow. Like anything in nature, there is no fixed schedule.
We were far from alone in wanting to visit at this time. The walking paths around the Tidal Basin were packed! We saw lots of tourists and locals alike. It was almost impossible to get a picture without a crowd of people. And some were dressed for the occasion, just like the young women we saw in Japan!
Restaurants were also full, and we were turned away or made to wait for 30 minutes or more even during the week. Best to make reservations, this is easy for most restaurants nowadays through a variety of apps.
We found that the best way to enjoy the cherry blossoms was to walk along the waterfront of the Tidal Basin. There were many perfect photo spots to take pictures of the various memorials through the hanging cherry tree branches for those picture-perfect shots.
When the weather is nice you can also rent a paddle boat to enjoy the views from the water. Most days we only saw ducks out there enjoying themselves as there was a cold spell. I’m sure it would be pleasant in warmer weather, but it would be a great walk any time of year.
There are other areas in Washington to enjoy cherry blossoms including the East Potomac Park and the US National Arboretum. If your timing is off, you can also see beautiful plum trees (earlier) and magnolias (later).
Monuments around the Tidal Basin
Be sure to visit the various memorials around the Tidal Basin. Normally, the path around the Tidal Basin would take us about an hour to walk. But taking our time with pictures, navigating crowds, and visiting memorials we spend about three hours on our first day. We later made it a point to make a detour through these paths on our way to our hotel from the National Mall.
Lincoln Memorial
The iconic statue of Abraham Lincoln on his chair is something you can’t miss. It’s a bit off the path around the basin and could be combined with a visit to the Washington Monument. It also reminded us of the Parthenon in Athens.
Washington Monument
Towering above all else and visible for miles, the iconic obelisk is 555 feet high. You can also go to the top of the monument but be sure to get your tickets in advance. We tried to get last minute tickets (available at 10 daily for the next day) but it was quickly sold out. On a rainy day, the top was in the fog so best to go on a clear day.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
The towering statue of Martin Luther King is an impressive site and an important reminder about the freedom of rights movement.
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
The iconic columned rotunda is definitely a highlight around the Tidal Basin. Inside there is a colossal statue of Thomas Jefferson. This monument reminded us of the Pantheon in Rome.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
With its various nooks and crannies, it’s fun to walk around the site and see the statues and read the famous sayings.
National Mall War Memorials
Dedicated to those who served, the imposing WW2 Memorial is a reminder of the difficult times and of how terrible war can be. Dotting the grounds of the National Mall there are other memorials commemorating those who served to protect and serve their country. See the statues of the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Important buildings to see in Washington
While it was not possible to visit these during our trip, generally there are tours and visit that can be done by the public. Hopefully these will resume soon.
The White House
Just off to the side of the Washington Monument across President’s Park you can see the front lawn of the White House. It’s not possible to approach the wrought iron fence around the White House for pictures and from President’s Park you don’t get a good shot. Pictures from the Washington Monument gardens were actually nicer as you’re up a hill.
We still walked up and around the White House to see St John’s Church and Lafayette Park.
United States Capitol
From the Washington Memorial you can see right across the National Mall to the Capitol Building. The giant dome is an impressive site. Unfortunately when viewed from up close there are also large barrier fences and scaffolding covering the Capitol’s west side. The entrance is on the east side across the street from the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court building is another important landmark in Washington. Tours are available, however it was closed when we were there. Even the exterior is well worth the walk to see.
Visiting the Smithsonian (and other) museums around the National Mall
You could spend a whole week or more visiting the various museums around the National Mall area. Even having been forewarned that these were huge, we were surprised at how enormous they really were.
Most museums are open from 10 –17:30, but many are closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Check carefully when making your plans. Some are also undergoing renovations and may be closed or partially closed. Check the latest information on opening hours here. All the Smithsonian museums as well as the National Gallery of Art are free to visit.
Smithsonian Castle
You can’t miss this impressive castle with its ornate towers and reddish-brown brickwork. Completed in 1855 the building was designed in a late Romanesque and early Gothic style with lovely gardens. Be sure to see the garden on the south side of the Castle.
The Smithsonian Castle is home to the administrative offices of the Smithsonian as well as the visitor center. For us, it was smack in the center of our walk from our hotel down past the Spy Museum to the National Mall.
The Castle houses an exhibition about the history of the Smithsonian and is a great place to get an orientation of the various museums. There is a section that showcases a small sample of what you can expect to see at the various Smithsonian museums. This may help you plan your visit or at least prioritize what you have time to see. Honestly, we wanted to see everything after visiting!
International Spy Museum
A little further afield from the other museums but well within walking distance, the Spy Museum was in L’Enfant Plaza and on our way from the hotel to the National Mall. It is just 5-minute walk from the Smithsonian Castle. While it was not free like the other museums, it was reasonably priced at $26.95 each. Advance booking was essential. See latest hours and prices here.
The visit is setup such that you can be a spy in training! Everyone gets a badge and a false identity and after the various exhibits you can do exercises and tests at computerized stations. At the end you get evaluated as a spy with an assessment of your skills. This sounded like fun but unfortunately for us there were so many people that the wait for the machines was just too long. We gave up after a few stations and just focused on seeing the exhibits instead.
We loved the various spy artifacts. Dating back to early times, and into the modern era. Some were quite creative and some surely uncomfortable (just think of where they expected you to hide these tools!)!
The reviews said to spend 2 hours here but even skipping the tests we spend 4 hours and can’t imagine anyone doing it much faster. It was a fun experience and nicely presented.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
This huge museum required timed tickets. While free, the National Museum of African American History and Culture is so popular that the timed tickets run out fast. It was packed!
From early days of slavery to modern African American idols in sports, music, and film, the 4 floors of the museum and three underground areas are nicely layed out and easy to navigate. We spent the whole day here and barely had time to finish. If you intend to watch all the movies and read many of the place cards you may need a couple of days. One tip we were given by one of the guards was to do the basement areas first as they tend to fill up and have queues in the afternoon.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Free to enter with no timed tickets we did have to wait in line halfway around the building to get in. The line did move fast however. They were just checking everyones bags (done at all the museums).
From full-sized space capsules and rockets to films and simulators there is a lot to see here. We enjoyed seeing both the astronaut and cosmonaut outfits and the stories about the historic race to space between the Americans and the Russians. There is also an interesting Hubble telescope exhibit humbly showing how a small deviation of only 1/50th of a human hair required an expensive space mission to correct the lenses.
Even in times of covid there were exhibits where you could touch and feel space rocks with hand sanitizer stations setup next to each.
We spent a few hours here, but some parts were closed for renovations during our visit. Aviation enthusiasts may want to spend more time. (Note: the museum is temporarily closed through fall 2022).
National Museum of the American Indian
From ancient to modern carvings and sculptures, to history about native people and their customs we enjoyed this museum a lot.
While we went through it quite quickly as we’d only allocated a couple of hours, we were able to enjoy it and particularly liked one exhibit with tranquil sounds and light projected onto a wall of ribbons giving it a shimmering look. So peaceful!
There were so many nations depicted, each with their own section showing artifacts, customs, and history. The building itself was just beautiful too.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Huge does not begin to describe this museum! With life sized dinosaur fossils and whales hanging from the ceiling the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has it all!
We planned on and spent a full day visiting and barely had time to see it all. The exhibits are beautifully arranged depicting scenes that seemingly transport you to the time and place of the artifacts. History of the fossils and explanations about what happened (with some clear and well explained warnings of how these may happen again are given via various short films. Tip: we took advantage of the film viewing areas to sit and rest our feet! Even with a full day we found that we were rushing at the end.
Asian and African Museums
These two connected museums are at the entrance to the Smithsonian Castle and are quite a bit smaller than the other humongous ones. We spent about an hour touring these. They were nicely presented and tastefully done. Don’t let the small building you see mislead you, these museums descend three levels to the basement and connect under the walkway.
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art houses a world class collection of old masters and impressionist paintings, sculptures, and other artifacts layer out across two floors with a maze of huge galleries is the best way to describe this museum.
There were so many famous and well-known paintings by renowned artists, it’s a treasure trove of art for the connoisseur.
We found ourselves disoriented in the various galleries. We’d often find ourselves at a fork and go one way thinking it was a room but as we peeked around the corner there was another room, and another room. We thought about our underwater navigation and could have used a compass. Tip: Use the gallery numbers to orient yourself and follow these in order.
While impressive, and surely art aficionados could spend days here, we were running out of time and ended up rushing through some of the final areas completing our tour in a half day.
Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Our final stop was the American History Museum. Initially not on our plan, we were not sure we’d have time for this one. In the end it surprised us, and it turned out to be our favorite!
From old cars, to trains, to boats, the America on the Move section had some great exhibits showing restored classics in lifelike scenes that gave you a glimpse of the objects being used in everyday life. So tastefully done and a pleasure to visit and enjoy.
Another exhibit with everyday household items invented in America reminded us of our childhood. Same for the history of food and others. We very much enjoyed the exhibits.
Other Museums we didn’t get to visit this time
We felt we got a lot in with the few days we had and our sore backs and blistered feet are testament that we could only do so much. If we’d had more time, we could have visited more museums. Perhaps if we return, we will be able to see the museums we missed (some were closed for renovations) and revisit some that we truly enjoyed. You could easily spend the whole day in any one of these museums.
Other museums in the same general area include: The Bible Museum, the Holocaust Museum, the Postal Museum, the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, the Zoo and more. See the Smithsonian museum list here and check it for closures as some are being renovated.
Recommendations
- Start your museum visit with the Smithsonian Castle where you can get a glimpse and preview of what you can see in the various museums. Pick and choose and spend your time seeing what you think you’d enjoy the most.
- Expect to spend a full day at the larger museums (at least a half day even for those speeding through).
- Stay around the area so you can walk to the National Mall area, there isn’t a lot of parking, and parking is expensive.
- Book tickets to the Washington Monument, African American Museum, and Spy Museum early to avoid disappointment.
- Dress in layers. March can be unpredictable, we had weather from the 40s to the 70s.
Conclusion
Our overall impression is that Washington DC is a great city. We would love to come back and hope to do so. The Smithsonian left quite an impression on us. It is simply HUGE. We expected it to be big, but it still exceeded our expectations. Kind of like the Louvre in Paris, where you could spend days and still not see it all. Definitely a national treasure and we’re happy we got to come and visit it. Doing so during Cherry Blossom Season was the icing on the cake.