Cherry Blossom show in DC

Hi all DC/ Maryland ladies,

Can you guys give me details about this show and tips to best plan my trip there. I'm in NJ and planning to be there on the 10th, just for a day!..

So awaiting all your suggestions and things to do.. This will be my first time with a 5.5 year old!


Thanks,
Shilpa.

Hii,
I had been to see the cherry blossom last weekend...it was spectacular...
There are a whole lot of events going around in DC, so you could plan to see those also, whichever sounds interesting...
Their website is Official National Cherry Blossom Festival Website
there are lots of dance shows, japanese culture related shows which you could time to see after or before visitng the cherry trees. The best place to see the trees with a beautiful view is Tidal Basin..The closest metro is Smithsonian which was incredibly crowded last sat and sure wud be this weekend too, but its fun. The best place to eat is also in the Natural Museum of American history cafeteria. its free entry, food was a little pricey, but atleast you can get good food like pizza's ,soup and thr is atleast one veg option, if ur a veggie... We couldnt find much places to eat there...
From the museum, you can walk towards the tidal basin and you will have a nice view and can get to see lots of cherry trees in various stages of blossom..
I hope this helps..

hi shilpa,
if you are planning a day trip from NJ, do start very early in the day...
we made a hasty,last minute planned trip last weekend and got caught in the trafffic...we lost close to a couple of hours because of that and could'nt see much...

the bes place to park would be the East Potomac Park, as this is close to the Tidal Basin...you might have to search for a spot further inside the Park if you reach there late in the day, but there are free shuttle buses that drop you in front of the tidal basin...

you can take a walk around the tidal basin, take a peek at jefferson memorial, washington monument, capitol etc... and then visit some museums...DC has lots of them, so since you are planning just for a day, you can plan to choose just one or two you like...

it was bright but very windy last week, so check the weather and take your jackets, etc accordingly...

do chk the previous discussion on this here - cherry blossom festival to see if its useful to you...

I was there 2 weeks back,but had to miss the cherry blossom festival because of son's school re-opening last week after Spring break.

I would suggest the Smithsonian Museums too,especially for the 5 yr old-Museum of Natural History,Air and Space museum and definitely the Newseum-lovely cafeteria ,good food(pricey definitely),catered by famous chef-Wolfgang Puck!

Divya & sunitha,

Thanks pals for the quick responses. Have been to monuments and the museums last year.. Just planning for the cherry blossoms fest.

Can I drive to the tidal park area or only shuttles buses are allowed at this time of the year?..

Will be leaving on Friday morning and back the same day night.

Anything interesting for 5 year olds at the show?

BTW, Sowparnika ( nice name, think it is a name of a river in India.. am I right? ), I live close to Princeton , which place are you from?..

-Shilpa.

Hey gals,
We are planning for a trip to Wahington DC on 3rd april,going stay there for one more day.I live in NJ and we are going to drive from NJ to DC.

Please suggest some good hotel to stay.do suggest some good place that we can cover in 2 days.
Which may be the better option *driving or *park the car at hotel and use public transportation??
We are ok to go for a hotel or motel within 20miles from DC(only if public transportation is available to go and come back in the night time)

Thanks in advance:)