Tourists come for the cherry blossoms but Washingtonians know that the real Spring show starts after the last pink petals have fluttered away. Other fruit trees, less pampered but no less exuberant, burst into bloom; sprays of dogwood and redbud interlace. The first green is light and feathery. In early morning even the squirrels seem a touch less purposeful and the woodpeckers tattoo a beat or two less urgent. It's a short but glorious interval, between the rains of March and the air-conditioning of May, when life in Washington isn't just about traffic and terrorism. When we remember that Washington is the world's most beautiful city. And that is before the azaleas!
The 2011 National Cherry Blossom Festival will be held between March 26th and April 10th. This year's festival marks the 99th celebration of the original gift of the 3,000 cherry trees by the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington, DC in 1912 to enhance the growing friendship between the United States and Japan.
THE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL A WASHINGTON, DC 4-DAY ITINERARY
DAY ONE, THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2011
Arrive Washington, DC and meet your escort/guide and motorcoach both of whom will be with you for the next four days
Sightseeing as arrival time allows
Check in suggested hotel: The Hampton Inn & Suites, Crystal City
Welcome dinner at Il Porto in Old Town Alexandria
Night tour of Washington’s Illuminated Monuments and Memorials [dinner included]
DAY TWO, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2011
Breakfast at the hotel
Capitol Hill with the Supreme Court and Library of Congress buildings
The Capitol Visitors Center (For a building tour we suggest the group contact their congressional representative.)
Lunch at you own expense at the Union Station food court
Ford’s Theatre and Petersen House
Photo stop at The White House (For an interior visit the group must contact their congressional representative.)
Embassy Row and The National Cathedral
Late afternoon visit to George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Dinner at The Mount Vernon Inn
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The Pentagon 9/11 Memorial Garden [breakfast and dinner included]
DAY THREE, SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2011
The 2011 Cherry Blossom Festival Parade
Gourmet Box Picnic Lunch
Free afternoon to explore the various museums and galleries of the Smithsonian Institution
The World War II Veterans Memorial
Return to the hotel to freshen up
The Lincoln, Vietnam Veterans and Korean War Veterans Memorials
The Museum of American Art and the National Portrait Gallery (closes at 7:00pm)
Dinner at own expense in the historic Penn Quarter
Optional evening activities (see pricing) [breakfast and lunch included]
DAY FOUR, SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 2011
Breakfast at the hotel follow by check out
Arlington National Cemetery with the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns and the Kennedy gravesites
The Iwo Jima Marine Memorial
Sightseeing as departure time allows
Depart Washington, DC for you departure flight home [breakfast included]
The Peak Bloom Date and Blooming Period:
The date when cherry blossoms reach peak bloom varies from year to year, depending on weather conditions. The Cherry Blossom Festival dates are set based on the average date of blooming (April 4), but nature is not always cooperative. Unseasonably warm and/or cool temperatures have resulted in the trees reaching peak bloom as early as March 15 (1990) and as late as April 18 (1958). ______________________
Festival Dates: 2011 March 26th - April 10th Parade Saturday, April 9th 2012 100th Anniversary March 31st - April 15th Parade Saturday, April 14th
